The smell of a stove burning, and grease smoke filled the air replaced breakfast as I scrolled into the kitchen to witness my little sister’s shoulders touch her ears while my mother grabs the last section of her thick natural hair. Suddenly her eyes land on me and as badly as I wanted to avoid eye contact, it was avoidable since my sister turned her heavy breaths into sqills of “maaamaaa” and now her cheeks are water mets flesh. My forehead has a mist of nervous energy since my worst fear as a 12 year old child was getting my hair pressed! The history of my natural hair beyond a relaxer starts at the age of 20. Thanks to the movie “Good Hair” i was no longer influenced by straight european hairstyles for my own strands and each time I thought about my sister with tears in her eyes and hair in the middle of her back i was curious to know what that feeling was like!
With a pile of hair on the floor and the mirror looking back at me saying, “Damn, Damn, Damn….” There was no way i could turn back to relaxers! In the same moment the freedom that overwhelmed my soul felt like nothing ive ever experienced at that age therefore it was important to do my research on how to keep the energy circulating. I drove to the nearest drugstore and supermarket racing down the isles with my newly lopsided afro for any and every black hair magazine i could put fingers on. For a moment I was lost in time standing in the isles feeling like a child all over again as i'd wait for my mother while she shopped the store i would sit along the bottom shelf reading and memorizing hairstyles that I wanted to try on my friends at school the next… “Ma’am, do you need help?” Welp, that memory didn't last long, I thought as my now adult self had to mosey along to the counter and pay for my own hair magazines.
Similar to any commandment, not keeping them has its suffering as well as following them master wealth. Here are the hair commandments, how many do you practice?
1. Set every expectation diligently. The moment you decide to take better care for your hairs well being is the sooner your hair responds.
2. Pay attention to what works. When you first purchase a product read and not the first 5 ingredients. If after you tried the product and love the results look for those ingredients in all of your other products.
3. Oil is not moisture. Moisture comes from water. Water based products and avoiding as much towel action as possible will develop a moist set of strands.
4. We shampoo hair, We wash dishes. Your scalp health is more important than your hair health. Therefore shampooing your hair as regularly as you dirty it, wash your dishes as regularly as you need to eat. Lol.
5. Benefit your loses. The moment you overcome the obstacles and challenges your hair gives you maturely a solution takes its position at the table.
What my hair means to me today has everything to do with practice, practice, practice! Even when im told how well i've done during an appointment, or referenced as “the best” they've ever met. All glory goes to God and the strength that is given to me to practice when its hard, practice when its easy, each mane deserves what was learned from the mane previous. What does your hair mean to you? Comment below.
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