Dramatic Hair Journeys by Our Team at Perfect Locks

Our journey with our hair is never a straight road. Dancer, actress and singerJulianne Hough was quoted as saying, “I think every girl needs to love herself, regardless of anything. Like if you’re having a bad day, if you don’t like your hair, if you don’t have the best family situation, whatever, you have to love yourself and you can’t do anything until you love yourself first.”

Authentically loving your hair is a lifetime journey, as you gain the knowledge, tools and even techniques to find the right style for you. Think about how you wore your hair when you were younger, was it constantly frizzed out? Did you hate your curls, kinks or waves? Did you have a style that you look back on now and think, “what was I thinking?”

Our team here at Perfect Locks aren’t just staff, but people who’ve had their own sometimes frustrating journey to loving their hair. We’re sharing our stories and what we’ve learned along the way in hopes it can help you. After all, you’re not alone in your frustrations…

It was frustrating figuring out how to tame my frizzy curly hair and manage it. It was years before I realized that the secret is working with the curl, using the right products, and even having the right haircut. You need knowledge…which I now have, but now it’s often a lack of time to tame it on any given day. 

A big mistake I made was trying to “erase” my curls by getting relaxers and straightening done by inexperienced stylists. I had a horrifying experience with overprocessing that led to a bald spot that still affects my hair growth pattern today. In hindsight, gentle keratin treatments to tame frizz would’ve been a safer choice. 

Message You Wish You Could Give a Younger You: 

I would say always love what is given to you and find a solution to fix your problem by gaining knowledge and getting creative with what you have. No one is perfect and everyone is looking for something they don’t have, you’re not alone in that.

Go-To Perfect Locks Products: 

My favorite Perfect Locks products are my clip-in. I can do straight, wavy or curly when I feel like and change up my look with ease instantly. I also love toppers occasionally to cover up my grays for a quick fix solution!

When I was growing up I hated my hair. It was always in my face and was thick and heavy that I didn’t think I could do anything with it. My Mom used to always cut my hair into this lopsided bob with bangs so I wouldn’t cry when getting my hair brushes and it really was HORRIBLE. Today I’ve learned to accept my hair and just wish it was easier to style as it takes me forever to tackle it. I used to love using cheap drug store shampoos and conditioners because they smelled so good. What I didn’t realize and cringe at now, is what was really in those when it comes to damaging chemicals that were drying my hair out and damaging it, making it look even worse!

Message You Wish You Could Give a Younger You: 

I would say to myself, “people would KILL for hair like this, you should appreciate it and put the time in to nurture it to be the healthiest it can be!” 

Go-To Perfect Locks Products: 

I love the Perfect Locks Silk Serum, it helps to keep my ends hydrated and prevents them from drying out and splitting! I also cannot live without tape-in hair extensions!

Growing up I didn't focus too much on my hair until middle school. In 6th or 7th grade I had a perm and had my hair curly for about a year which I really enjoyed and then started to add color in my bangs. Growing up I always liked to change my hair and play around with different looks. I did have a little bit of a love/hate relationship with it as I’d get tired of one style and change to something else every so often. I do wish in middle school or high school I had been more confident to just go all in and have a lot  MORE FUN with it. It wasn’t until I started working at Perfect Locks that I started doing so much more with my hair and playing around with haircolor and really express myself through my hair. A big mistake I used to make was when I would wash my hair I would leave it messy and not brush through my hair. In high school I used way too much heat and hot tools and have learned since then what that does to my hair.

Message You Wish You Could Give a Younger You: 

I would tell my younger self to express yourself the way you want as we always have time for change.

Go-To Perfect Locks Products:

I truly love all of our products here, but extension wise I would state our clip-in set or clip-in ponytail are user friendly and give you such a different look and yet are so simple to use. I love all the haircare as it smells beautiful, but you can’t go wrong with any of them.

I loved my hair growing up! My hair was a loose curly, however, the older I got the tighter my curls became. I do have a love /hate relationship with my hair. There’s times where I will have a great hair day: no frizz & defined curls. But then there’s days where I absolutely hate how my curls look: frizzy, curls aren’t defined, and looks dry. These are the days where I’ll put my hair in a bun or two french braids. In the past it was definitely a learning experience for me, struggling to find the right products for my hair to combat all of my hair problems. Now, it’s more so finding new ways to style my curls where they can be more defined & look/feel hydrated.

Message You Wish You Could Give a Younger You: 

My biggest “hair mistake” was dying my hair for 12 years! I’ve been through every hair color imaginable and my curls took a toll from this. All of the bleaching, dying, going blonde 3 times, have damaged my curls to the point where I had to do the big chop in 2016. - even after then I still colored my hair! Another mistake I made was also straightening my hair a lot for “special occasions”. This also ruined my curl pattern, making it so loose. I wish I told my younger self to embrace my curls on ANY occasion! There’s this stigma where people believe straight hair is “prettier” and “professional”. I was always told that my hair looked better straight than curly. Which ruined how I perceived myself. But as I got older, I learned that I’m beautiful with my curls and shouldn’t care what others think. My hair is what makes me unique and stand out from others. I love my hair now and use minimal heat & lots of heat protection.

Go-To Perfect Locks Products: 

1. Wavy Ponytail - I love my wavy ponytail since it gives me a straight look without having to use heat on my curls, also great for those days you don’t want to wash or do your hair!
2. Relaxed Straight U-Part Wig - This is my go to when I really want to straighten my hair but want minimal damage. Tip: Put a deep conditioner or oil in your hair underneath the wig to keep your curls moisturized!
3. Curl Defining Cream - This is my ABSOLUTE go-to for my curls! My curls come out defined everytime I use it! I even got my husband to use this daily on his hair!
4. Silk Pillowcase/Bonnet - If I’m not using one, I’m using the other! These are a lifesaver for my curls! Ever since using these, my curls stay defined & frizz-free after a crazy night of sleeping.

One word that describes how I felt about my hair when I was young was: insecure. I would straighten my hair the majority of the time especially for outings or events. Like others here, I definitely had a love/hate relationship with it, especially since applying heat to my hair to try and control it ruined my natural texture. I also have a history of lightening the color of my hair as I've never liked my natural Dark Brown hair color on myself. I’m kicking myself for the damage I’ve done to my hair that I’m still dealing with from heat and color alterations. I’ve learned a lot and in the past never used products that were intended to provide my hair with moisture which is something I really needed. Now, I'm more knowledgeable about hair and more specifically my hair type. Lately, I also have been trying to avoid heat as much as I can, but sometimes I cave in and still straighten my hair. 

Message You Wish You Could Give a Younger You: 

I would tell myself to embrace the natural texture I was given, and to learn more about the certain type of products I needed to make my hair flourish. As soon as I began to use products that were beneficial for my hair type I realized I had a curl pattern and I could have lived my younger life taking care of my curls as opposed to getting rid of them. My hair would frizz after showers as I wasn’t using the proper after care so for this reason, I tended to straighten my hair so it could appear more eye-catching and in general straightening my hair made me feel prettier.

Go-To Perfect Locks Products: 

As my hair is more on the thicker side, and I love a good straight across blunt-cut type of hair style, I personally have had no interest in hair extensions. However, the hair care has done wonders for my hair, and actually helped start my hair care journey on trying to work on and maintain healthy hair. The products are high end, so I certainly wanted to ensure I was doing everything else on my end to help the products work its complete magic. I have used our Curl Hair Care, as well as our Leave-In, Deep Conditioner, and Argan oil and these products are now extremely important for myself to use as I have noticed the improvements it has made for my hair. Finding these products is something I am extremely grateful for, and I cannot imagine how bad my hair would still be if I had never learned all along, it is the products I use that will mimic the appearance of my hair. Thank you Perfect Locks!!

When I was younger I was never confident with my hair because no one ever showed me how to properly take care of it, so I had to figure it out for myself. My hair journey for sure has been a love/hate relationship because having textured hair, some days it would look perfect and then other days my hair would cooperate. When I was younger, the main thing that frustrated me with my hair was the fact that it was so thick that if I didn't add products it would get super frizzy. I made the mistake of straightening my hair instead of wearing it natural and just getting help from someone knowledgeable so I could've been able to take better care of my hair and learn how to tame it. Today the only thing that frustrates me is the amount of time I have to put into it in order for my hair to look presentable.

Message You Wish You Could Give a Younger You: 

I would tell my younger self that you don't need to use hot tools or alter your hair to feel beautiful.

Go-To Perfect Locks Products: 

My go to product is going to be the Curl Care Styling Cream, I am completely obsessed with this product. I love using it because it leaves my curls nice and hydrated and it smells AMAZING.

When I was a kid I went from little baby curls to straight textured hair, but I wasn't too fond of it. 

My hair journey from then on was a bit funky as I really wanted curly hair and was so bored with straight hair. I dyed it a lot, from reds to blondes and from blondes to reds, to dark to light, and even bleaching half my head. What frustrated me then and now would be volume problems, as thinner hair is really tough to get volume, texture and dimension. I made a lot of mistakes along the way with store haircolor, using too much bleach on my hair going red. Since I started working at Perfect Locks I’ve learned how important heat protectants are when using hot tools if you don’t want to damage your hair. I never used them!!

Message You Wish You Could Give a Younger You: 

I’d say to myself to remember to love yours and the hair that you were born with. Also to love everyone for the simple fact we are all women trying to feel good within ourselves. Make sure to make others feel good instead of judging ourselves. 

Go-To Perfect Locks Products: 

My go to Perfect Locks hair fix are the lace clip-ins to add volume and fullness to my hair as well as Argan Oil to keep my hair from being dry and to moisturize as much as I need.