Thursday 27 December 2012

In Retrospect

So I'm sitting here thinking about my hair and all that it has been through. I just gotta laugh.
I vividly remember my mother combing my hair and me screaming for dear life, and every time I put my hand in there, she'd slap my little fingers with the comb, which added to my pain. I hated getting my hair combed. The countless combs that broke off in my hair, even when there was conditioner in there. As a result of this my mother sent me to hairdressers to get my hair cornrowed or braided. She sews, and at that time she was extremely busy, didn't have much time for my ranting.
Shortly after, my mom had my hair pressed, she then got tired of it going back to its natural state whenever she washed it, so she relaxed it. I was only 6 years old. I loved it tho, it was smooth and seemed and flowing. No more pain when combing, it was a breeze. She still sent me to get it braided, combing it every morning for school was a burden. I can understand now that I have a son, she had 3 of us, and was very busy.

My mom's sending me to hairdressers caused me to get a nasty fungus, I remember my hair being washed with the shampoo, it burned like crazy, and burned off my hair too, and that was it for my hair, I never grew back.  this really hurt my father, he loved seeing my hair. My hair never really came back, it would grow to a point and then break off. At about 8 years old I started comb my hair my self. I'd roller set it in the nights, and do something in the morning to get to school. Looking back, I don't regret it, that made me start using my hands at a tender age, and developed my independence. Most of my All Age sch?Junior High, my hair was in braids. She'd steam it occasionally too.

Then there was High School where I was no longer allowed to wear braids, this was hard, my hair got relaxed more often now. In my first year of High School, I told my mom I wanted to go back natural, I told her that i wanted to have straight hair and be able to have curly hair, she laughed. I braided my hair, in cornrows, because my hair was short, and the ends wouldn't stay together, my mom added a ting bit of extension, and wrapped it around neatly. Some teacher that was way more concerned about my hair than my grades, dug up my hair and sent me home for breaking the rules. So i went back to the relaxer cause  that was the only solution. I was stressed out. I became rebellious.

By the time I was in my second year, I bleached it, this bright reddish orange colour. I achieved that look by rinsing my hair with copper sunset rinse, and hydrogen peroxide, which stayed in my hair overnight. Of course i was sent home again. My mom not knowing what really took place and tired of them focusing on hair, defended me. Shortly after, my hair started to fall out, so I went and had it cut.

My  third, fourth  and  fifth year in High School, I wore my hair short, it was the best thing, I would gel it down alot, and when it grew up too much snip snip. By my fifth year, i decided I'd grow it out a little, now, it was at a point, where, the short cut, lost it flava and I couldn't pin it up, so i decided to break the rules again, and added some tracks, had my  hair, pinned up,  unless you're really inquisitive, u would know there was sumtn in there. And of course I was sent home again, it wasn't so bad, i didn't care, I was almost out of school anyways and rocked my short hair til I was out, Bye Bye Bitches!

After leaving high school, the moment I had my last exam, I purchased a box a dye, and blond I was! Because I constantly had black dye in my hair,  the ends didn't take my new colour, so, I relaxed, then dyed again, lightest blond! My mom drew the line, and said that was too much, so i had to dye it back to black One day while washing my hair, I saw alot of it in the sink. the middle, gone. I was sad. I went and got another cut, relaxed it, and most of it came out in my hands. I took a deep breath, said to my bro, cut it all off. I coloured it again. I loved colour.

Shortly after I processed it, I got my first job and that hair wasn't work appropriate, I cut it again, occasionally, i started where I left off, braiding, extension, relaxing, cutting. I cant really say how many times, I did a Big Chop, not with the intention to go natural, just cuz i was tired of dealing with my hair, and cutting it was the only solution. My hair did grow, but i hated it nonetheless. And would end up damaging it or cutting it.

In 2010, August, I cut off, i was fed up, for no reason, just didn't want any  hair, I had a texturizer, then a Mohawk, then micro braids, which i kept in for  months, there was growth, i had a relaxer, which did nothing for my hair. This was about February 2011, I was about 2 months pregnant. I put in more braids, and sew-ins, but every time i had a relaxer my hair would come out curly. i was devastated and was mad to cut if off again, but because my face was so fat due to the pregnancy, I left it.

During my pregnancy my hair grew, wow, and it was thick, wow again. In my last month, I did a wicked concoction to deep condition, my mom gave to me. She used: Motions CPR, Jheri Redding Protein, vinegar, egg, mayonnaise, and sumtn else DWL, it did wake up my hair tho, yep. I had it braided up and ready to give birth. About 6 weeks after having my baby, I had it braided again. It go sooo thick, This was around November 2011. Early December I had to go back to work early, so i had to have a relaxer, didn't have the time to braid it again like i wanted to. I had some sew -in again, kept it for a month, and  in January 2012 back to braiding.

I took my braids out, late  February 2012 had a good amount of new growth, wore my hair with the new growths, everyone kept telling me to get a relaxer,  its as if it was offending them. I liked it, it was OK to me. But i went ahead and got a relaxer, early March 2012 my was bone straight, I used Dr Miracles, no base, Super, it was strong. My scalp was burnt, it was not ready for that. I was burnt, I felt hurt. I got another sew in, kept it in for about 6 weeks. When I took it out, my hair looked limp, my scalp sore. It was around that time,  Early May, 2012I started see the natural haired sistas, I felt that urge, I wanted to see my own hair. Wanted a change.

And that I did. I chopped it all off, this time with the intention to have healthy natural hair. I did colour, which I regret now, but its gonna be OK, I'm gonna cut the bleach ends soon. So far it has been a struggle, but worth every second.
AfroChicMocha

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