At 6 years old, my mother guarded me from the mirror because she turned my hair green with a new hair product she was experimenting with.
I remember at age 12; my father attempted a new hairdo, which resulted in tangled frizzy hair masked by a baseball hat. Upon looking at this, my grandmother said,” Boy, what did you do to her hair?”
When my grandmother combed my hair, it resulted in a massive frizzy mess that looked like a lion’s mane. My grandpa could be heard in the other room saying, “More hair, more hair, and more hair.”
Fast forward to freshmen year of college, while I was straightening my hair, the fire alarms went off in Mayfield because my flat iron was smoking.
Needless to say, I have had my fair share of bad days with my hair.
Everyday I ask myself, “What do I do with my hair?” It is a constant battle between how I want it to look, and what it actually looks like.
If I could choose the perfect hair type, I would want straight shiny hair that naturally waves at the bottom. However, God gave me tiny Ramen noodle curls that seem to always attract frizz.
Sometimes my hair is straight and professional. On some days, it’s in a bun because I am too lazy to fix it. On other days it just flows freely in a curly fro because I am again too lazy to fix it.
In any hairstyle, my hair does not define who I am. However, it does provide an outward expression of my personality, and how I want to be portrayed.
As girls, shampoo and conditioner does not suffice. We need leave-in-conditioner, growth products, heat protectant, a blow dryer with a diffuser, a flattening iron, a curling iron, a wand, bobby pins, mousse, gel and the list goes on. We dye it, bleach it, cut it, curl it, perm it or straighten it, which consequences could permanently damage our hair.
Why do girls put so much emphasis on hairstyling? Often times I think it is because society tells women that their outward appearance is their most important asset. Women are consumed with looking good from clothes, to make-up, to hairstyles. Their body image is what society emphasizes, instead of their intellect.
I admire those girls who shave their heads for cancer and brave the consequent days of growing it out. They understand that hair is just dead skin.
Often times, girls read in magazines that guys like girls with long hair.
I cannot help but think (1) why should I care what a guy thinks (2) whatever my hair looks like, he will have to wake-up to it every morning (3) I should not change my hair to earn a guy’s affections.
Everyone has a distinct type of hair that makes him or her unique and different. Embracing your hair is welcoming what God has given you.
I am in no way condemning the use of hair products, but I do know that you should be confident in yourself. Accepting your crazy curly or even straight hair is a step in the right direction.