I think we’ve all had our own hair journeys, and this one is mine.
As a baby I didn’t have much hair. You could say I was bald, but I will never confirm or deny that fact. Yet, as I got older my hair began to grow.
It was curly, which was something that neither my mother nor my grandmother had much experience with.
Perhaps I could say that I may have been on the luckier side as they didn’t try to alter it in the form of perms or straighten it constantly when I was a child. In fact, they actually have a vendetta against perms (their words not mine).
They instead would do my hair in two pigtails or braids, and eventually it grew longer and longer.
As I grew up I began taking the first few steps in doing my own hair, and of course, I had to go through a poofy-haired phase, as well as trying out straight hair.
With straightening my hair, I will tell you I felt like a new person, someone who was unstoppable, yet I began to fear the harm it would cause to my curls.
And I noticed once I straightened my hair, I immediately would miss my natural hair.
That’s when I began looking into what I could do to help bring my curls to life, something that was new territory for me, as well as for my mom. From store to store, product to product and brush to brush, it felt like we were always searching for the “perfect” products.
With trying so many products a few of my favorites (some of which are black-owned) have to include Mielle, Eden, Camille Rosé and more.
I even got my hands on some Cantu (but let us not talk about that).
I won’t lie and say that through the years my curl pattern hasn’t changed, from the hair dye, the constant change in product and my lack of knowledge contributed to the curls that I now have in place today.
But in recent years I have learned that with anything dealing with hair, sometimes it’s just trial and error.
I have always lived by the quote, “it’s just hair and hair grows back.” Because it’s true.
Yeah that style may not have worked out, or that haircut went horribly wrong, but it’s a learning process for everyone, no matter the type of hair.
The most important thing about hair is that the possibilities are endless, and you just have to do you.
After I dyed my hair it affected my curls more than I care to admit, and from that, I learned that my hair and hair dye don’t mix well and that I think I rock darker colors more.
But, in all honesty, after I dyed my hair I ended up doing a big chop, and I have to say it was an experience that at the time was hard, but I am glad that I made it.
After everything, I have grown to embrace my curls, and although some days may be better than others, I know that loving my hair is the most important, as well as taking care of it in the best way I know how.
It’s been years since I have felt this kind of confidence, in the way my hair looks, feels and grows. With all the beautiful different hair textures, colors and lengths in our world, we have to realize that everyone has their own hair struggles.
Yet, we can all learn from said struggles, and find happiness in our hair, no matter how it may change.