A Story About My Hair

When I was younger I never enjoyed brushing my hair. My mom never really knew what to do with it. At least from my perspective. She would do all types of hair styles/parts from ponytails, buns and braids. That shit was tight and it hurt. Nothing fun about it but I was cute. I felt free and grown when my mom finally allowed me to do my own hair. What a mess! I would brush out my curls into a big frizz ponytail. A character.

My parents enrolled me in private school in the sixth grade. I was about twelve when I tried to conform my hair to be more"tameable". I remember asking my mom for a relaxer. She would get them often when I was younger. Relaxers literally relax your curls. Y'all familiar with the pink box...it was a relaxer for kids, it had a little girl on it? I washed it out as soon as it started to burn. I was not about that life or I probably scratched my scalp. Either way...nah. I was trying to get my hair as close as I could to the white girls hair at my new school. At that age you wanted to be accepted and it just seemed simple and easier. It wasn't. I burned my forehead once trying to use an iron to straighten my hair. So ridiculous.

I started to embrace my hair more in high school. My high school was diverse. There is a comfort in diversity. I found my tribe and they loved my hair. My hair could just be. My hair was naturally done. Wet it, let it dry and keep it pushing. I was under the impression that it requires little maintenance. As an adult, it is still a hard habit to break but I have taken on a new outlook.

How do I feel when my hair is healthy and maintenance? Does it reflect the energy of the person I want to be?

To neglect my hair is to be careless. I can not be careless because it is part of my identity. I carry my ancestors in my hair. That awareness changed the whole dynamic of how I carry myself. You walk taller with a crown on your head. You feel me?.

I have made it a priority to either prep at night or style at the start of my day. My go to hairdo are french braids because I recently dyed my hair so it is crucial that I moisturize it. It's also easy. I have used Olaplex twice now and love how silky it leaves my hair. After, I part my hair I apply a Ouidad serum to my scalp and rub it in. Then I apply the CurlyJawns hair oil to all of my hair, finish with the Curlsmith intense treatment serum then braid. I leave the french braids in for two to three days. When I take out the braids my hair has a nice look to it. I wear it like that for about two days before rinsing all the product out. I let my hair air dry without applying any product and wear it out or up for another two or more days. That is about a week of planned out hair maintenance. It is down to a science because time is of the essence. This is my favored technique I use to eliminate the long drawn process of doing my hair everyday while keeping it healthy. The action is not as complicated as the thought. Win/win for me!

I have listed the product links below in the order of use.