Wednesday, March 5

uhm, rebonding experience?

More than 3 months ago, I've finally decided to have my hair rebonded despite being reluctant about it for months definitely longer than that -- reasons include what if's like what if something really terrible happens to my hair during the process or worse, what if I have this unknown allergy that would react with the chemical they use and I end up losing all my hairstrands?

Good thing I did not experience those... Well maybe quite?

It was one Wednesday when I finally had the courage, money and energy to go out of the house and just go about the entire rebonding process. I went to the salon not really far from our house; it can actually be reached by foot but because I don't feel like it, I took a jeepney. It's for the very reason that my sister had his last rebonding session in this salon and I liked the way his hair shined and looked. And maybe the fact that included in the packaged my sister opted for is a buffet meal which is not really bad.

Upon arriving in the salon I was greeted by quite a number of customers and staffs. I headed to the receiving area and was offered different packages when I mentioned that hair rebonding is what I'd like. I also ended up getting the package my sister had gotten which costs php 1300.00. After that, the lady I was talking to called someone and kind of "assigned" him to attend to me.

The first application of chemical was cool, with all the excitement pumping my nerves but the wait killed me. I had to stare at everything I could stare at just to kill time, with the mantra "when is this gonna end" in my head. In an earshot I heard someone ask how long does the process usually take, to be answered by 6 hours. This can't get any worse.

Not long after I have started enjoying the best moment of my life aka spacing out and puffing my cheeks, we were summoned to the dining area. It's lunch time! Yooohoo....not. It's a kind of buffet which doesn't really seem like a buffet. The rice was stiff as a rock, the viands don't look edible, much less delectable (yes, I judge them by their appearance). I ended up eating what I least expected -- veggies. And it wasn't even that fulfilling. After having my first plate, I really wanted to go back, shove the lousy stuff in my system for it's going to be a long day and I need energy but I can't. Not when none of the people I am with inside the dining area isn't making any move of doing so. I drank 2 glasses of water and exited with a heavy heart.

After having my hair rinsed for the first application, I was really upset because I don't see any remarkable changes. Yes, I am an impatient customer.

There was a flurry of events after that, multitude amounts of chemicals repeatedly applied and rinsed, dried my hair, only to be drenched again.

During the hair ironing part did I only and finally notice really evident changes in my hair. It's starting to get straighter and shiny and all sorts of stuff I was expecting. What's really dumb yet crucial was that after having someone do the horrible job of ironing and switching between two hair irons, the beautiful, shiny outcome will be again covered with chemical and rinsed and dried and ironed again. I found that so, so foolish. LOL

And after approximately five hours of shifting seats, queueing in the rinsing area, tiring lounging, my hair's finally rebonded. I was really contented with the result.

Only the inevitable part comes in. The person who's mainly attended to me hair asked me if I'd like to have it colored since it's part of the package I've opted for. I said yes, of course. I want to make sure this is worth every cent I will be paying them. He then gave me this huge book-like thing containing different hair colors they offer. At this point, I am already having problems in choosing, there are just countless of things that need to be considered, of course if it will fit my skin tone and face being the first. I resorted to following the advice of the guy who's doing my hair (with all the jokes on the side) and to say I'm skeptical about the whole thing is an understatement.

The guy prepared the mixture for my choice of hair color and proceeded with the application afterwards. Minutes later, I started feeling this weird, uncomfortable prickling sensation in my scalp, which was normal, as I was told. After having my entire hair covered with creepy stuff (they didn't wrap it with a shower cap so my hair was falling up to my back, inches below my shoulders). Around 10 minutes into the soaking thing, I start feeling really hot in the places where the chemical's gotten contact into, particularly at the back of my neck and my back. It was so, so, so uncomfortable that I had to bear with it, bug the guy who applied it and asked him if I could actually have it rinsed already. He said it won't have any effect if I have it rinse right away so I negotiated for another 10 minutes and he conceded (Thank heavens!)

Well another thing I have to surpass was the long-assed queue in the rinsing station since more and more people were starting to come in and also ask for rebonding services (it's nearing christmas so it's no surprise). After lining up, the people who wash your hair rush the whole rinsing process to beat the number of people. So just imagine the bustle and hustle inside. Ugh.

To cut it all short, I was really startled when I have seen the color of my hair after having it rinsed. The new color it has is striking and bold, very far from the black I naturally have and  have already gotten used to. I'm not really the kind of person who liked very big and remarkable changes. It takes me time to accept them.

When I reached home, though, I received an overwhelming amount of positive praises from my family. They say it's a good change and it fits me. Even telling me, mukha kang amerikanang hilaw! 

And it wasn't minutes later after looking at my hair in the mirror and running my hand through it did I notice something strange. My fingers touched this spot which was immensely pressed on to my scalp. I tried pulling the hairstrands in the affected area which wasn't that big but not really small, to pull the hair up like the rest but to no avail. I told mom about it and we both agreed it might be an effect of having put too much chemical and not thoroughly washed. She then brought a cotton damped with water to dab on the spot, hoping that'd help. Again, it did nothing. I can only hope that everything will be okay once in three days -- basically the day when I can rinse it.

After having my first full-body, refreshing bath in 3 days, nothing happens. What I'm sure of is that I lost tons and tons of hairstrands during the first run of the comb into my hair. It's the most number of hairstrands I've lost by far, I believe.

So I wondered what this weird spot has in store for me. What I didn't know was that the whole excessive hair fall thing is caused by this. I am constantly losing hair strands because the tips of my hair (from that spot) are severely damaged. And months later, my hair is obviously growing and the hairstrands from the spot are all gone and replaced by tiny black hair, making the long, colored strands I've grown for months vanish. Hence, right now, that spot exactly where my puyo is, is bombarded with conspicuous black strands of hair (newly grown, of course) and they're so blatant and glaring I have to pin them down using a bobby pin. People will look at me weirdly, laugh even if I leave it that way.

In the end, I felt bad that my first experience had to be faulty. And I also regret that I did not ask for a receipt from the salon and come back the very next day to complain about the spot I found so they can fix it or not, compensate me.

Oh well.

Here's how my freakin hair looks like right now.