"May my hair continue to curl proudly (sometimes in braids)....."
-My Instagram
When I was a girl in the second grade, I wanted to have straight blonde hair, like some of my little girlfriends had, where I could toss it around to and fro. But instead of to, I had the 'fro, which was put into puffy ponytails and did not move a lick unless I had big bobbles on the end, which was rare.
As I got to older, like around the seventh grade, I was still wearing puffy ponytails in some sort of fashion until I begged my mother to do something else to my hair. I would get comments and questions about my hair. "Can I touch it?" "How do you do that?" "How long does it take to do that to your hair." "How long is your hair?" "Ha, ha, she still wears ponytails!" I didn't mind all the questions, sometimes, but I wanted something different than what I had. Little did I know later on in life, I would break free from wanting "your hair".
I started hot combing my own hair in high school. (A process where a metal comb is put on one of the eyes of the stove to get hot. After sufficient time of getting hot, you take the comb off the stove, sort of cool it off with a rag, take a section of hair that has been coated in some sort of oil and comb through. And do the same process with the rest of your hair.It's sort of like using a flat iron but more work, blisters, burnt scalp and other fun injuries.) I wanted straight hair. But the straight that I got only lasted until moisture hit it and then it turned out to be frizzy, almost embarassingly so. You curly heads know what I'm talking about!
I didn't even think of wearing my hair natural until I stepped out a few times for costume parties to go as Afro Bond girl or Disco chick. Then it was cool! My co-workers even thought so and told me I should wear my hair like that to the office. My boss at the time happened to be standing around and said it "wouldn't be professional." In one way, I could see where he was coming from because it was pretty out there but then again, it was my hair and I'm sure there could be a way for me to tame it and wear it natural if I wanted to. But shamedly, I did not. I was uncomfortable.
Then I started to wear wigs. Mostly straight with a little bit of curl. The only reason why I went to wearing wigs was because my own hair started to look like straw from a broomstick. It hardly curled when I washed it. It started to look lifeless because of all the hot combing AND flat ironing. It would curl at the roots and be stick straight at the ends. Not cute! So it was time to give my hair a break and when I finally found a wig that I liked, I wore it, it didn't wear me.
After almost two years, wearing wigs started to get old and hot to wear! I asked my then fiance what would he think if I went natural. He said, "Do what ever you want honey." And that I did. I was a little scared though. But I remember the day. I ripped that wig off my head, washed my hair and cut off the last remaining pieces of broomstick hair. And there it was! My hair! It was beautiful! I had no idea! Yes, I would wash my hair before that time but I really didn't pay attention to it before then. Wow!
The next test was, "What would my fiance say?" He came over to my apartment and looked at me like, "huh, interesting". But I was not in anyway going back to putting that wig on my head. Either, he was going to like it or he wasn't. Eventually, he started playing with it. I have not received so many compliments in my life! I mean seriously. Even he became more confident about my hair because of the compliments from strangers on the street.
I. WAS. FREEEEE!
That was November 2010. Almost four years later and it is still natural. I have had moments where I just want to shave it off but more than likely that will not happen of my own accord. In the meantime, I'm trying to find natural hairstyles that will fit me.
Until then, I remain curly and free!
Have a Happy Memorial Day weekend!
Love,
Mrs. M
