Straight Hair

Hello everyone!

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything. I haven’t had a decent topic to write on, but today the perfect topic dawned on me--I am going to talk about my love for straight hair.  

When I was younger, my mom and dad used to fix my sisters’ and my hair on the same day. It would normally be on a Saturday. They would wash, untangle, and braid our hair with great care. I did not like it when my parents would do my hair, because my hair was really nappy.

Side Note: Nappy hair is extremely hard to untangle because of its dense texture.

My mom was relatively gentle when combing my hair. However, when my dad did my hair, it was very painful. He did a good job, but his hands were so big and he was so strong. His gentle combing was very different than my mom’s gentle combing. I couldn’t handle it.

My mom's hair was really long and straight.

My mom’s hair was long and straight. She used to let my sister, Tabitha, and I style her hair with barrettes and combs. I loved her hair, and I wanted my hair to look like hers. It was so easy to comb through, and I thought she looked like a princess. I wanted to look like a princess too. 

Side Note: My mom had her hair cut about seven years ago. She looks like a queen now. 

This was the beginning of my desire for straight hair. When my parents taught me how to pray, I prayed and asked God to transform my super-curly afro into long, flowing locks of black hair. He did not transform my hair, and I was very disappointed.

When I was a child, I also watched way too many Barbie princess movies, and played with way too many Barbie dolls with straight hair. I would watch the movies with slight envy because all of the characters in the movies would have long, straight hair. I was distraught because no matter how hard I prayed, God would not give me straight hair.

Sometimes, my mom would have my sisters’ and my hair flat-ironed for special occasions. My older cousin would come over and make sure out hair was washed and separated into sections. Then, she would press our super-thick hair flat like a piece of paper. When she finished, I would go the bathroom and look at my long, straight hair. I decided that I looked like a glorious princess. I looked like my mom.

Unfortunately, my flat-ironed hair would only last for about eight hours. Once I stepped out into the water-saturated air, my hair would quickly fizz out and revert back into its nappy state. I was devastated.

Such was my life for over a decade. My desire for straight hair never died. 

Over time, I learned how to take care of my hair, but I still did not like it. When I went off to college, I blow-dried my hair as much as  I could so that I would not have to deal with the nappiness that plagued my life. Eventually, I burned my hair out and broke my curl pattern. I was fine with that, but my mom explained to me that my hair was not as healthy as before. So, I tried my best to take better care of it. I stopped blow drying my hair for a few months, and I tried to make sure that my hair was not dry and brittle. Unfortunately, my hair became thinner because the rubber-bands I used to twist my hair would tear my hair when I tried to take them out.

My hair did not look terrible, but it was definitely not as healthy as it was when I was 9. Taking care of my own hair was harder than I thought, and my desire for straight, manageable hair still lived on.

The Transformation

While I was on Christmas Break, I decided that I would plan to visit my uncle and cousin on a weekend in January. My uncle and I set the date, and come January 25^th, I was headed away from campus for a weekend of pure fun. My family also came to my uncle’s house for the weekend that Friday night, and we had a lovely time.

My uncle had set up a hair appointment for me for the next day (January 26^th). This hair stylist was going to put a protective coat on my hair and straighten it.

Side Note: To be brutally honest, I know little about straight hair or how to take care of it. I didn’t know what a “protective coat” was. I just want my hair to be straight so that my life could be easier.

My straight hair!

The next day, we (my uncle, my mom, and I) went over to the hair salon, and the hair stylist explained what she was going to do to my hair. To be honest, I still don’t completely understand what she was talking about. The only words I heard and completely understood were “Wash, Treat, Blow-Dry, and Straighten.” I was elated. My hair was going to be straightened.

The whole transformation took about 4 hours. I was in hair heaven. I had a wonderful conversation with my hair stylist. When she had flattened the last of my hair, I looked into the mirror and I was shocked. My hair was straight. It was not like when I had my hair flat-ironed for church when I was nine years old. It was straight and bouncy, and when I touched it, it was smooth and silky--like my mom’s hair was when I was little, like my dolls’ hair when I comb through it with my tiny doll combs, like the princesses I watch on my Barbie DVDs--I loved it.

This hair will probably last for about three months if I take care of it. I’ll try my best to take care of it, because I love straight hair.

Thank  you for reading my blog and reading about my hair journey. Stay tuned!