Well, it's been a while since I've written. I'm still in transition but have done what some would consider cheating - I got a keratin treatment! Yes, I gave in! My hair was looking crazy after a particularly tough work out once and I realized that I needed something to get me through this. Well, it's probably one of the best things that I could have done! My hair moves as if I had a perm but I have this treatment and it will last for 2 - 5 months! If I want to wear it straight, I can. If I want to wear it curly, I can. I love the versatility that it allows me! It's so cool! Here are some pictures of it above, post keratin. I love it! I'm still growing it out but we had to trim it a little to keep it neat. A little color and a cellophane and my hair is good as new! Let the grow out REALLY begin!

But wait, there's more. I noticed some thinning in the hairline and temples and a little patch in the back of my hair. Well, I have never worn braids and haven't had a relaxer since March 23, 2012 so I don't know what was causing that. I went to  the dermatologist and they did a blood test. I get the results on August 30. Now, I'm no doctor and we probably have too much information on  the internet but the hair loss, plus nails separating from the nail bed, dark undereye circles and sparse eyebrows makes me wonder if I'm suffering from hypothyroidism. I will know soon. If so, then I'll be on some medication that will help with energy and other things. I mention it, though, because it will help with hair growth if what's causing it to be dry and challenged is resolved.

This made me really look at myself. My diet and other habits. I'm eating poorly, not getting enough rest, etc. I've got to make some changes. There were two things that I saw this weekend that made me finalize that call. One was checking out www.jenniferturner.com. Jennifer is the little sister of my friend and soror, Christal Turner. I remember when we took dance lessons together at Mayfair Academy in Chicago. Jennifer was Christal's little sister who used to crack me up because she wanted "canny" (candy). Well, little Jennifer went on to be an accomplished violinist and did extremely well in school, having gone to Penn for undergrad and Stanford for her MBA. So, she graduated and has done well in media but what I didn't know is that she's an accomplished fitness expert who has run marathons and triathlons. Look at her website. She looks stunning!

Then Mike and I hung out in Michigan City this weekend and I bought a couple of health magazines (magazines are my weakness). One of them showed a woman who looks years young because of changing her health and beauty habits. Some of what she was dealing with had to do with thyroid issues (droopy eyelids, sparse brows, dry skin). The woman who wrote the article, Kat James, broken down what was causing some of her other issues, i.e. facial puffiness, under eye circles, acne, rosacea, wrinkles and dark spots. Fascinating. Kat James has a website, www.informedbeauty.com, as well as a best selling book, The Truth About Beauty, which I have ordered, of course. Bottom line, I'm changing these eating habits. Between that, the wonderful skincare products that I'm using through Soul Purpose and the hair care that I'm getting from Steven Deer, I am making some wonderful changes in my life! Oh, and don't forget the exercise! I'm getting back into my yoga habit and went for a run/walk (okay, far more walking than running) today to get the blood circulating.

More to come but I see myself looking and feeling FIERCE over the next few months! Can't wait to share all of that with you!

Okay. I guess that you could say that I cheated a little bit. I got the keratin treatment. I was so opposed to it because of what I read about the fact that the aldehyde can become formaldehyde when it's heated but I ended up doing it for two reasons. 1), I would only get it every 2 - 5 months, 2) it's approved by the FDA so it's supposed to be somewhat safe (I guess it depends on how much you trust the FDA as to whether that means anything or not and 3) (I know, I only said a couple of things), my hair is so manageable! It feels so silky and it moves! I love it! When the perm grows out, I'll go between wearing it natural and wearing it straight. I have that option with a keratin treatment. So I'm excited.

So, now I'll share the names of the hairdressers that I visited and my thoughts about them. I'll also advise what my final decision has become regarding who will be doing my hair (I feel a little bit like LeBron James announcing where he was going to go when he went to Miami. No hour long television special for me, though.)

As you recall, my last perm was March 23, 2012. I decided to give new stylists a try around the time that we hosted the NATO summit in Chicago so I believe that it was in either April or May. Here is the run down of hairdressers that I have visited since then:

1) Laws Concept, Bronzeville: I forgot the stylist's name who I visited. It was relatively early in my transition and I decided to give them a try because they were listed as a salon that does natural hair in Yelp. She was pretty good. It took a long time to get my hair done because she was doing a couple of heads at once. I saw her working so I couldn't get mad at her but I had been blown dry and just had to sit there. My hair looked good but it didn't totally wow me. I wasn't impressed enough to go back but I wouldn't put her down, though. She's good. Nice salon, easy parking on the street.

2) 10 Shade Glam Salon, Beverly: I went to Alecia several times. My girlfriend Cheryl turned me on to them because Alecia did her twist out when she cut out her perm. I also liked that it was easy to make appointments online with them and I was impressed with the website. Alecia is sweet as can be. If I was wearing braids or was just doing a twist out, then I would go back. But I'm still wearing it straight for the time being and she didn't do a good job with the styling at all. In fact, I had to leave out of the salon and styled it in my car before heading home.  Her conditioning was good and she's knowledgable about hair. I let her color my hair. It was a little too dark for me (I'm too old for black) but it covered the gray, which is what I wanted. The day that I figured would be my last was when she colored it and I needed a trim. It was clearly uneven on one side. Well, she blew my hair dry and was beginning to curl it. I reminded her of the trim and she picked up the shears, did a few little clips here or there and then curled it. The dead part on one side was still there! Now, the length was enough where I could pull it behind my ears but it looked bad and I paid the full amount for a cut. I can't recommend her if you want a straight style and a good cut but she'll rock your braids and twist outs. Nice salon but small. Parking was easy (on the street).

3) AJES, West Loop: I went to a guy there named Iyon. He was really personable and knowledgeable about hair. Really engaging. I went to him in the case of an emergency because Alecia had to cancel at the last minute because of an air conditioning problem in the salon. I appreciated the call. It would have been sweltering in there. Anyway, I called AJES and they were able to get me in the same day. Iyon washed it and put a little conditioner in there (I needed a deep conditioner but it was the first time that he saw my hair). He got it straight for me and looked at it and said that it needed to be evened out. So, have at it he did! He did a lot of chopping but I needed it to get the dead ends off (and to make up for the sloppy cut job that Alecia did). My hair was gorgeous when I was done! He knows how to cut and style. But, when I was done, I had to pay him $75 for the blow dry and $55 for the cut - a cool $130. Now, it looked good but I can't sustain paying that much. Even though I wouldn't get a cut every two weeks, I would need a deep conditioner. Don't know how much that would cost. And it's funny but someone pointed out that it was interesting that he was able to take me within 4 hours. Not much clientele. For someone who has been dong hair as long as he has been, he should have more. Hm. Maybe it was because it was a Wednesday. Who knows. Either way, he's good and I would recommend him if you can afford it. The salon is very pretty and parking was easy (on the street).

4) Canvas Salon, River North: I went to the owner, Steven Deer. I was referred to him by my girlfriend Jody. She's had a keratin for a couple of years, at least, and her hair is always laid. I was hesitant but finally decided to go because I needed someone who would care for it. He is open 7 days a week and took me on a Sunday. OMG! That was the bomb! It was amazingly easy to park in that area. He walked me through everything he was doing and even gave me a color (brown) to cover my gray. Now this is more natural looking to me. Because you have to wear your hair straight with the keratin for a couple of days, he blew it out and gave a little trim to clean it up. No charge. And I'm going back tomorrow morning for the follow up - wash and blow. I loved his customer service and the salon is very comfortable. He is moving from it because it's a basement salon so he's had floods in it but where he's moving is only around the corner and there's free street parking there. I was equally impressed when I saw someone in there with whom I've been acquainted for a while. I have always admired her hair and I come to find out that she has been going to Steven for years! I felt encouraged!


5) Toss Salon, South Loop: I would be remiss if I didn't include Toss because I have gone to Robert for 16 years. He does an incredible job with hair. Long, short, color - whatever! I know that my hair is going to be fly when I go to him! He knows how to cut and he cares for the hair. I could be wrong but, in my tenure of going to the salon, I haven't seen him do a lot of natural hair. He advised me, in fact, that he charges extra to do it because it takes longer to work it. And he doesn't do keratin treatments because he doesn't believe in them. He feels that you should just get a relaxer if you want your hair to be straight. If it's done right, you shouldn't have any problems. Well, I didn't go to hair school so I am not an expert on this but the little bit that I have been reading advised that a relaxer changes the structure of your hair permanently (thus, the need to either grow or cut it out) while the keratin doesn't change the texture but merely adds keratin to the hair. Now, I'm not naive. There's probably something else in there but I don"t know about it. And those who I have seen with it have experience great hair growth and healthy hair. So I think that it's worth a try. Anyway, the salon is awesome (you can buy cutes clothes and purses in there while you get your hair done). Parking is rough on the street but there's a lot around the corner and they do valet in the salon. So, it's good.

So, the moment for which you've all been waiting. Where will I be going? Drum roll please!


I have decided to take my hair to Canvas Salon in River North (soon to be called Steven Deer again). The hours are convenient, Steven knows how to do natural hair and it's easy to park around there. Now, I do have to travel a little further to get there but I can deal with it, especially if it's on a Sunday. I used to go to Ernest Collins on Oak Street and Mario Tricoci when it was on Ontario so I've dealt with the parking and all the other stuff that came with being in those areas. It's very hard to say good bye. Especially when you're someone who's loyal to a fault like me but I feel that this is best for me at this time in my life and transition.

I'll continue to show the growth each month but you'll see it with the keratin in it mostly now.

Ta ta for now!