My Brief Hair History
Hi, my name is Supal and I am made up of the hairiest genes in the world. No lie, my people are literally the hairiest people and I don’t mind competing for that. Let me paint the picture for you, but I went to a primary school in an upper middle class neighborhood that lacked diversity so much that I often was asked where I got my spray than from. It was a place I actually made friends, I was fiercely popular at school since I looked rather different and eventually made more diverse friends that appreciated my problems when it came to stories and qualms of hair removal. Alas, today we talk actually only about hair on the head though, specifically covering how I get silky and smooth hair. As you might have guessed, I do get a good amount of questions from Indians and non-Indians alike about how I keep my hair so shiny. Indians want to know the secret and non-Indians are mesmerized by the blinding shining sensation their corneas experience. I do hope to make this a blog post that I just copy and paste into future emails, messages and insert into IRL conversations.
I do want to preface with that not all hair is made the same. This definitely isn’t a definitive one sized fits all approach to how I to get silky and smooth hair. It has taken years for me to understand my hair and it wasn’t until when I moved to London that I decide it was really important to educate myself on the basics of hair care. With the help of Treatwell UK and Show Dry, I was able to put this post together for you. All opinions and thoughts are my own. Let’s get started on my tips and advice on silky and smooth hair.
Frustrations
As I mentioned, I had hair coming out of every pore of my body and you can imagine what the hair on my head had plans for. I had the opposite of silky and smooth hair. It was pretty difficult to tame. Most Indian girls can relate, but I grew up in Orlando, which is no different than Mumbai with respect to humidity.
I often dealt with hair that was too thick to style, it was frizzy and thus looked dry, it just sat on my head—does that make sense? Silky and smooth hair have a lot more texture and movement and that’s exactly what I was looking for, but it hard to obtain. I’m not endorsing this, but I would literally host bonding times with my brother to help me straighten my hair with a clothing iron, I was that desperate! I would then walk around with a crown o frizzy hair on top with jet straight hair from mid-scalp downwards.
Finding Your Hair Person with Treatwell UK
After dealing with this for years and years, the handheld Chi straightener was invented and I tapped into my college funds to buy myself one. This was a euphoric and climactic point in my life. Styling got a bit easier, but that didn’t mean I completely understood what my hair needed. I wanted a hair style that framed my face. I first went for long hair and side-sway bangs, which was the Indian girl hair uniform. I wasn’t trendsetting, but I was embracing my natural attributes. And then 2009 happened and that year was a turning point in my life. I was going through a big break up and some major hormonal changes. Instead of throwing tantrums in my ripe teen years, I decided to rebel that year and head out to the Middle East without telling my parents. Spending days and days experimenting all cultural taboos, I came back with a short bob an that became a trademark for me.
Fast forward a bunch of years and I kept growing and chopping my hair having love-hate relationships with both, but this time {especially during and after graduate school} I decided to understand my hair and skin as I was going through another hormonal change. My skin was breaking out and my hair was falling out, both I’ve never experienced before. That forced me to understand my body and really practice a bit of self-care. I ended up sharing my self-care routine on YouTube recently of everything I do to keep on top of it all.
Just when I got into a groove, I moved to London and found myself in a completely different country. I wasn’t frequenting America enough to wait for cuts and trims and thus decided to resort to Treatwell UK to find the best salons in town after turning up to a few questionable salons. Treatwell {you can download the app here} allows you to search the best salons in your area by either service, area, or salon name. There is a menu breakdown of all the services {not just hair!} and they highlight special deals too! From that experience, I came across Show Dry in Notting Hill. My experience there was incredible! Plus one for silky and smooth hair!
My Hair Today thanks to Show Dry in Notting Hill
I will breakdown more below, but after speaking to Craig from Show Dry I realized that there was a distinction between a ‘cut’ and a ’style.’ I found that the typical Indian girl uniform of long hair was something that really didn’t help me stand out against the crowd. So Craig decided to frame my face with a bob that looked very much like ‘I woke up like this.’ I went for a fringe since I have a bigger forehead and it helps bring the focus on my eyes. The upward angling in the cut brings out my sharp jaw line and accentuates my cheekbones. It elongates my face rather than rounding it, which is what I decided was the look I wanted. We were adding a decent amount of texture so I can actually style my hair at home. Show Dry has a volumizing spray {that I am obsessed with} that is then added to the crown of my head, so the weight of my hair doesn’t flatten it on top and continues to move and bounce the entire day.
Q&A
Tips for all hair types? My biggest tip for this is that you should keep your scalp happy. People’s biggest mistake is they think it’s all about having silky hair, but depending on how healthy the skin on your scalp is also plays a significant role. Your scalp shouldn’t be too dry or too oily, so finding that right balance is important. Healthy scalp will also prevent breakage and splitends. Also, trims are also important for both growth and preventing your hair from completely drying out!
How to treat colored treated hair? Colored hair tends to be more dry. Not only would I reiterate the above about scalp health, but I also recommend ensure that your hair gets enough protein. Before I color my hair, I start preparing my hair 1 week in advance with warm almond oil massages and an egg and yoghurt hair mask.
What styling products do you use? You can find them all on a recent YouTube video I did here!
Random Tips
- I know blow drying is a hot tool that so many people steer away from, but in some cases a hair dryer is the best way to fight frizz and prevent your scalp from drying out. Think about when you go swimming, your skin gets dryer as long as you’re in the water. You’re doing the same thing with your scalp when you let your hair dry.
- It’s not always about nourishing your hair and scalp, but what you eat has a major impact on your hair too. I try to get healthy fats through avocado, yoghurt, coconut milk and fish!
- Hair loss happens because of stress, anxiety, hormones and extreme weather too! In the winter, I tend to shed a lot because my scalp tends to dry out more. This is why I do weekly hair oil masks, which I shared more about here.
- According to Craig and Show Dry, wet hair is a lot more delicate than dry hair, so be caring when washing and conditioning.
- If you’re going through a major hormonal shift {this is not preventative} then focus on eating clean and healthy to continue to nourish your body and hair.
- Though I don’t have the same hair as her, Zahra has a great YouTube channel that focuses on all things natural hair. She has tips, shares products and give tutorials on taking care of your hair. A lot of the tips can be applied to all hair types!
- If you’re looking for advice on curly Asian hair, Rosie is the best person to consult!
- It takes time to achieve silky and smooth hair.
My Hair Arsenal for Silky and Smooth Hair
Remington Air3D Hair Dryer - I love that this hair dryer. With multiple temperature settings, it makes it the best when you’re working different parts of your hair. I always first blow dry in the coolest heat setting on high for my fringe and baby hair. Then go high heat on high just to remove all the excess water in the rest of my hair. Then I set the temperature on medium heat on high to dry straight with my paddle brush and finally run the cool setting to set all flyaways in place and lock in moisture.
Cloud Nine Straightener - This is by far the most underrated straightener ever. I was given this ages ago and it sat in the back of my closet until I moved. It has so many heat settings and cools down as quickly as it heats up. I love that the plates are small enough to prevent myself from burning, but also powerful enough to get everything in one go.
Tresemme Flawless Wave Wand - I was a bit torn between a circular wand and this rectangular wand. I love that the waves with the rectangular one looked more like voluminous natural waves rather than properly done waves. The rectangular gets good angles if you have short hair too.
PS - I would love to know your tips for silky and smooth hair and please do link them if you have any posts!
