I was what people
called “tender-headed.” You know, the squirmy child. I didn’t like the
blow-outs or the stove-heated hot comb and I certainly did not appreciate the
burning sensation of the relaxers. I was about 5 years old when I got my first
hair relaxer (Jaw dropping, I know!) My poor hair never had a chance. I don’t
blame my mother for putting in a relaxer. When you are a single mother, getting
their daughter ready every morning, taking her to school then traveling across
two boroughs (New Yorker in the house!) to get to work, I guess also doing her
hair equals MAJOR crunch time.
I sat on the floor and watched my
mother prepare the tools that came in the relaxer kit. It was like that moment
when you’re at the doctor’s office, and you know that you have to get a shot,
but you don’t get nervous until you see the needle get closer to your skin. At
first, I was cool about it. I wanted my hair to look like “Barbie.” I’m like
this doesn’t even burn-BRING IT ON! Minutes went by and I started to feel
little pricks on my scalp, aka the burning sensation.
Any who, [approximately 11] years go by. My hair starts to thin out, it get shorter and ultimately it is DAMAGED! I braided my hair and wore weaves; hoping that after months of wearing protective styling my hair would nurse itself back to health. The braids contributed to the re-construction of my hair, but very slowly because I was still relaxing my hair. The weaves did not do much; it was my first time and I had no idea how to maintain my real hair while wearing a weave.
I didn't go searching for any natural hairspiration but somehow I ended up watching hours of Naptural85. It was then that my mind started to wander. I became super intrigued by the idea of having a full head of healthy hair one day. I updated my Facebook status to “I’ve decided to go natural-no turning back!” I took off my weave, washed my hair and cut off most of my ends. Months went by, and I continued to cut off any ends that still had any trace of a relaxer.
Any who, [approximately 11] years go by. My hair starts to thin out, it get shorter and ultimately it is DAMAGED! I braided my hair and wore weaves; hoping that after months of wearing protective styling my hair would nurse itself back to health. The braids contributed to the re-construction of my hair, but very slowly because I was still relaxing my hair. The weaves did not do much; it was my first time and I had no idea how to maintain my real hair while wearing a weave.
I didn't go searching for any natural hairspiration but somehow I ended up watching hours of Naptural85. It was then that my mind started to wander. I became super intrigued by the idea of having a full head of healthy hair one day. I updated my Facebook status to “I’ve decided to go natural-no turning back!” I took off my weave, washed my hair and cut off most of my ends. Months went by, and I continued to cut off any ends that still had any trace of a relaxer.
