Here's what my natural hair looked like when I walked in the door:
After a consultation, we decided to use rods that were the size or near the size of my natural curls. Natalie explained that the flexi rods were better than perm rods for a more natural look mainly because she could spiral the hair down the length of the rod to elongate & also she could get closer to the scalp w/the flexi rods:
Natalie did a light shampoo first to remove any product from my hair. Then the first step was to apply the rearranger. This straightened my hair & when she washed it out, it looked like I had just had a fresh relaxer, just not bone straight:
After she washed out the rearranger, she began to rod my hair, applying the booster to each section as she rolled to make sure none of my hair was overprocessed. As you can see, Natalie decided to use a larger rod for the front/middle so that the curls would hang a little longer. Also Natalie alternated the direction of each curl - she said this would also give it a more natural appearance:
Because the back was rodded first, she rinsed that part first & then I had to sit for a few minutes before she rinsed the front. After she rinsed the booster, she then applied neutralizer (not like shampoo - with a curly perm, it is my understanding that the neutralizer somewhat locks the curl in place & strengthens the hair) to the rodded hair. After the neutralizer was on for five minutes she rinsed my hair & then removed the rods. Sorry we didn't take a picture of exactly what it looked like before she shampooed it for the 1st time. It basically looked like a straw set.
After she lightly pooed & conditioned my hair, I will admit, I was terrified. In my opinion it had that dreaded jheri curl look that I didn't want. But I didn't say anything because I knew she wasn't finished. I just held my breath & tried to hide what I was feeling - yeah, Natalie now you know. :-)
So she blowdried me a little - about 50% dry & left it to airdry. When I left the salon I had to take my mother-in-law to run some errands & I'm just now getting home. Here are the pics of what it looks like now & OMG I love it so. This looks so much like my KCCC (Kinky Curly Curling Custard) do that it is amazing. Hubby doesn't know I got a curl today so I asked him what he thought about my hair. LOL - he began fussing that my hair looked exactly the same as when I walked out of the house & why was I paying someone to do to my hair what I could do myself. That was the ultimate compliment. I won't front - there is a smell because when I got close to him, he said, "What is that smell - smells like something is burning." Oh well, can't win them all.
I LOVE MY HAIR. I LOVE MY STYLIST, NATALIE!!!!!!!
So I only expect it to get better as it ages. Per Natalie's recommendation, I will be using Design Essentials maintenance products exclusively. I will definitely review the products at a later date & let you all know how it's coming along. So let's hear it ladies. What do you think?
