Embrace Natural Beauty

Tanisha’s hair was blown out in order to assess any damage or compromise to her hair strands. After looking at her hair in different sections there were no visible splits, single strand knots, holes or signs of tearing from detangling. Her ends appeared to be thinned out which often occurs after a split. She was experiencing extreme tangles on wash day due to the thinned out ends.

The cut needed to be even shorter to fully address the areas where thinning was most concentrated, but we agreed to cut only this amount so the hair could rest at her shoulders when wearing it curly.

This was the first time having her hair cut blown out instead of curly in 15 years. A precision cut is what she desperately needed.

At Embrace Natural Beauty salon we perform cuts on blown out and curly hair. In light of recent discoveries that impact the curly hair community, we recognize and see the value in precision cutting even if it’s performed during alternate visits.

Are you team curly cut or straight haircut? Or do you alternate between the two?

Tanisha’s hair was blown out in order to assess any damage or compromise to her hair strands. After looking at her hair in different sections there were no visible splits, single strand knots, holes or signs of tearing from detangling. Her ends appeared to be thinned out which often occurs after a split.

In the nape area, where her breakage was concentrated, the ends were so blunt it looked like a fresh cut. She reluctantly confessed that she encountered a knot while detangling, after trying to remove it for two hours she cut the knotted hair.

As a professional, using tools to examine the hair closely forced the truth to come out. She expressed dismay that the tools exposed details that could not be overlooked. We laughed about it, but it’s so important to know what the core issues are so they can be addressed properly.

Thanks to this experience we were able to determine the cause of her tangling. Ends that were overdue for a precision cut. Since her hair has been cut, detangling has become reasonable. No knotting, breakage or cutting.

Are you curious to see the final cut?

Tanisha was ready for a hair cut after experiencing excessive tangling and breakage. The shed hair was getting trapped in the ends of her hair which led to the extreme tangling. That tangling resulted in breakage and even cutting out knots. Having her hair cut curly once a year for several years did not effectively address the needs of her ends. Thankfully she was open to a change in approach to hair care and chose to start fresh at Embrace Natural Beauty Salon.

Growing long hair was never an issue for her, but maintaining healthy hair became a concern. Where did the downfall begin? Was she truly experiencing excessive shedding? Stay tuned to find out what we uncovered.

Have you ever experienced a cycle of damage sparked by a single identifiable event that spiraled into something bigger?

I’m so proud of Ayanna who came in with the intention of removing all of the weathered, worn, thinned out and split ends. Her participation in ENBBA Naturals Model Program helped to reshape the way she saw herself and ushered in a renewed vision of healthy hair.

Prior to the program she was washing every 3 to 4 weeks. Detangling was a struggle because of the accumulation of shed hair that increased the tangles and breakage. Her hair grows very long, but she was not retaining as much length for a full complementary silhouette. Couple that with curls tightening each day gave her an appearance of hair shorter than she desired.

Last year her hair was blown out for assessment and an opportunity for a precision cut that would leave her with fuller ends. But not knowing how that would translate curly was a concern she expressed. And the ability to put her hair up in a puff was another.

We discussed what needed to be removed to leave her with a healthy foundation of strong ends, but she decided to hold off and cut in stages.

Thankfully, she incorporated washing her hair on a weekly basis which reduced the accumulation of shed hairs and made the detangling process easier for her. It also helped her hair retain more moisture.

Finally, after nearly a year without addressing the ends, the beautiful silhouette she enjoyed from the partial cut had grown out. She came in this day to fully remove what needed to go. 🙌🏾

But once she got in the chair she began rethinking her decision. She wanted to prioritize shape. She tussled back-and-forth with the thought throughout the entire visit until it was time to actually cut.

Have you ever gone to the salon with the intention to cut without compromise and changed your mind before it was time to cut?

If you watched the previous video, you saw the process we followed to determine how much hair needed to be removed in order to fully eliminate the bushy ends.
Each previous cut was based exclusively on how the ends appeared under magnification. At the time of Sobi’s January haircut, her hair was blown out specifically so the ends could be assessed with a magnified lens, yet the visible signs of damage were still not fully apparent. Looking back as a Hairstylist, that concerned me deeply.

What became clear over time is that compromised hair can sometimes feel damaged before the damage becomes visibly obvious. Sobi repeatedly described her ends as feeling “Velcro-like,” even after her previous cut. Months later, when we reassessed the hair using a handheld microscope, we were able to clearly identify chips and holes in the cuticle layer that explained the excessive roughness, tangling, and bushiness she was experiencing.

This haircut removed the visible damage and then went beyond that point to ensure all compromised ends were completely eliminated.

Thankfully, six weeks later, her ends are still looking and feeling healthy. 🙌🏾

Have you ever experienced hair that felt rough, dry, or “Velcro-like” even when the damage wasn’t immediately obvious visually?

Stylists: have you ever encountered damage that revealed itself more through touch and behavior than appearance?

Sobi’s strong desire to be rid of all compromised hair allowed us to explore how far we needed to go in order to accomplish this.

Sobi is the only client I have currently that is willing to cut as low/short as possible in order to be clear of the vicinity of compromised ends so they will not appear again.

We shared in a previous video when Sobi mentioned that her ends felt like Velcro. The hair is not breaking off significantly. We have to actively cut the hair off. Holding onto it or not cutting enough of it when we have the opportunity eventually leads to see-through ends.

We also learned some specific things about her ends during the analysis. Would you like to see that as well?

Sobi’s story is still unfolding…in addition to seeing the ends that showed signs of compromise we were able to determine ahead of time what hair would need to be cut in advance. Are you hyped and ready for the reveal?

How it started… with one clear goal: remove the bushy ends.

After this first appointment, we were confident we had solved the problem. But as the journey continued, there was more to uncover.

It took two additional visits to determine exactly how much hair needed to be removed to fully clear away the damage.

Stay tuned to see how this story unfolds and the final outcome. 👀✂️

If you joined the recent Saturday night live discussion, you already got a preview of how we solved it.

Have you ever thought your hair issue was resolved, only to realize there was more going on than you initially thought?

Share your experience below.

This is what happens at Embrace Natural Beauty Salon when my theme song comes on and one of my Saturday night regulars is in the chair… it’s a whole vibe 🥳

It was also so good to watch Sobi take in her hair, blown out professionally for the first time in years.

She’s been enjoying the growth on the top while keeping the sides and back shaved, but something didn’t feel right.

Her ends were rough, almost like velcro, especially when her hair was wet.

This moment right here?

It’s the beginning of us uncovering what was really going on with her ends.

The good thing is, she wasn’t going into it blindly.

As a consistent part of the Saturday night discussions, she already had some insight from what I have shared, and from the conversations we’ve had as a community.

If your ends felt like this, what would you think is going on? 👀

Got it—this shifts the tone a bit. She’s results-driven, and you’re letting the video highlight the work without giving everything away yet.

Here’s a revised caption that leans into that:

—

She came in with one goal:
get rid of the bushy ends. No exceptions.

So this appointment? Very intentional.
Every step was about moving her closer to that result.

From the before… to the cut… to seeing how the curls respond once water hits the hair—this is what that process looked like in real time 💧

At first glance, it might look like we hit the mark… 👀

But with hair like this, what you see in the moment isn’t always the full story.

Tell me what you think—did we get all the bushy ends, or is there more work to be done? ✂️