Every little girl remembers this: a hot tooth comb burning every inch of your scalp as your mother spends timeless hours making sure that her little girl looks perfect for picture day. The hours spent on straightening and curling as you try to tame your natural hair for easier maintenance.
I remember standing in front of the mirror, looking at the long, tight curls, the kinky afro that took more arm strength detangling than I could ever manage. I especially remember the time spent on curling my hair, just to have it frizz up after thirty seconds of standing outside.
And I could not stand it.
So, I began to perm my hair. The first time, I could feel the smile on my face as my hands ran through the soft, smooth, knot-free hair. The easy styling and no frizz days gave me unexpected but certainly welcomed pleasure.
For those of you who do not know what I’m referring to, a perm (otherwise known as a relaxer) is a chemical treatment that’s usually a type of lotion or cream which makes hair easier to straighten by chemically “relaxing” the natural curls. And before you say anything- no, I do not hate my natural hair. I simply just refused spending hours detangling and styling my hair, only for the curls to straighten and frizz after a warm summer day.
Yet, as time went on, and I got older I realized that my hair was not getting any healthier. I had breakage, heat damage, and days where my hair would fall out in bundles after wash day. And now, I’ve decided to stop using chemicals on my head. I decided that it was time to let my hair transition back to its natural state, through the various use of protective styles. I used to view weave and braids as something I would never do, but as I’ve grown into a woman I realized the benefits of treating my hair like I would treat my body. Our bodies, our essence, our hair is a temple, and it’s only right that we treat it as such.