We discussed these possibilities, and then I remembered that Jennifer had major surgery about a year ago. Upon closer inspection, it appeared that the first six inches of her curls were thick and voluminous. Beyond that is where they started to get stringy. Since hair grows at an average of half an inch a month, six inches is the average growth for hair in a one-year period and it stands to reason that after her surgery she had a major shedding. Why does this happen? It could be the trauma of surgery, anesthesia, a temporarily altered diet, the stress of recovery... In any case, the good news is that her hair is growing back thick again! For more information on thinning hair, read this blog post.

The ends will eventually  need to be trimmed off, as hair only gets thicker as it grows from the scalp, and Jennifer will once again have a full and juicy head of curls. On this particular day, we chose to trim about two inches.
It helps to discuss these things with your hairstylist; hair is not just hair. It can tell us so much, but we can't piece the puzzle together if we don't have all the pieces! If Jennifer had just disappeared a year ago to have her surgery and never shared that with me, 

we could have been stumped or taken a lot longer trying to figure out what was going on.  I once had a client whose hair told me a story and I asked her if anything big had happened in her life about four months prior and she shared that she had been in a major car accident. Knowing that information, I was able to let her know what to expect in the way of bushiness and extra perceived frizz in the coming months. She felt better armed with that information so that she didn't panic later on when those things happened.
What stories are your curls telling you?
The stylists at OlyCurl can help you decipher what your curls are doing and saying. Click here to learn more about what we do as curly hair specialists and request an appointment to see us!

One of our clients came in recently and she shared with us how she clips. Naturally, I asked if she would mind if we made a video! So here it is below, for your viewing pleasure!

We are happy to serve your unique curly needs! Please visit our New Client Page for booking information.

We are so excited to have Maile join us! She is a hard worker and is ready to learn all about curls and customer service. Want to know about us and what we do? Start Here. After that, if you are ready to take the plunge to the beginning of your curly hair journey, fill out our New Client contact form on this page.  We look forward to hearing from you and rocking your curls and waves!

In the salon we typically will dry clients under a hooded dryer, which saves time and is efficient during the course of our day. Occasionally, we will also diffuse clients' hair before putting them under the dryer. Different results are achieved through different drying methods (these are covered at your New Client appointment), and many clients will also air dry at home.
We created a video to help you with diffusing at home.

Don't have a diffuser at home? Not to worry! We carry them at the salon and they are $15. Pick one up today!

We are tickled to be counted among the best. OlyCurl has been chosen as a top salon in the Tacoma area. Yes, we know, we are in Olympia! Check out the article here. 

Have you downloaded our new app yet? It has some great functionalities and will help you stay connected. 

Long, flowing luscious locks. You dream of hair past the middle of your back. Who doesn't want Mermaid Hair? Everyone does! Even I do. 

But I can't.

It's not because of my face shape or body type; those are not the reason I can't have the hair that I have always dreamed of. 

Unique to curly girls, is that they seemingly lose three times the amount of hair as their straight-haired counterparts. Some clients after beginning to practice the OlyCurl method, cleansing their hair less than before (typically they were washing daily), will contact me in frustration because they seem to be losing more hair. The explanation is simple.

If we lose about 100 hairs per day (curly girls only shed in the shower during detangling), and wash every third day, it stands to reason that in the shower we would lose around 300 hairs. It seems like a lot, but we must remember that it is three days’ worth of shedding at one time. Imagine if you went five or seven days. Be prepared for that amount of shed, and remember… it is normal!

Back to why you can’t have Mermaid Hair.

Everyone’s hair cycle is different. Some may only be two years; others seven. At the growth rate of half an inch per month, someone whose hair sheds on a two-year cycle would max out at a length of twelve inches. Now make that a curly girl with two to four inches of spring factor and you are looking at only six to ten inches of hair at their longest, if they don’t have layers.

Now if someone was on the higher end of that spectrum and their hair grew at the average speed, they might have hair that is 42 inches long! Now I measured from the top of my head to the bottom of my butt and that measured 37.5”! That would be some dreamy mermaid hair. Incidentally, I do know someone at my church that has hair that long!

Think of how many people you know with hair that long. Not very many, right? That’s why they are on the higher and extreme end of “average”.

The life cycle of my own hair is about two years. This gives me about 13 inches of length. How do I know this? I know this because my hair does not seem to want to grow past my shoulders. Once it hits my shoulders, it starts to get stringy and thin on the ends and I can see through the curtain of my hair.

So why is this important to know?

Back to Mermaid Hair and those who want it but can never attain it. I see people all the time trying to grow out their hair, but they have very wispy ends and no matter how often they get “healthy trims” it never seems to get any longer or thicker. This is because their hair has a shorter lifespan than is necessary for hair of mermaidian length. It just sheds out before it can grow that long.

Attention Curlies of OlyCurl! Show off your curls!!

We are giving away a fabulous gift basket of curl friendly products worth $195!*  

Simply take a selfie and use the hashtag #iamOlyCurl and share, share, share on Facebook and Instagram. The curly girl with the most likes will win this basket of our favorite products from 

• Innersense Organic Beauty
• Jessicurl
• Raw Curls
• DevaCurl and 
• Malibu C

The winner will be calculated on May 31st. 

Get snappin' and sharin'!! We look forward to seeing your beautiful curls!

*Fine Print: The winner must be local and able to pick up their prize at the salon.