At least once a week, I don’t straighten my hair. I have a heard of, what I like to call, a ‘multicontinent mane’. It’s a plethora of Afro-Euro-Alien hairs that all have a mind of their own. When someone sees me on my ‘natural hair day’ (I used to call it a ‘bad hair day’) it’s usually accompanied by a “Whoa – I didn’t know you had…. (pause to find a descriptive)….curly hair!” Growing up, I hated the attention my full, crazy hair attracted. Throughout early church school years, when I was supposed to be praying for world peace (which I regularly do now), I would instead supplicate for either “black girl” or “white girl” hair. “Your choice, God! Just get rid of this poodle perm my Afro- Euro-Alien blood has cursed me with. Amen.”
God had a much larger agenda, so hair drama followed me into high school. Straight, parted-in-the-middle-with-a-hippie-headband was the trend, and to get the ‘look’, I’d spend hours literally ironing my hair on the iron board and that was after I had already rolled my hair on frozen orange juice cans and slept in them all night. Of course, I’d seal the deal with Dippity Doo and Aqua Net.
Then the world turned on its axis . . .
The blow dryer was invented!
I do think its funny – the expressions I get on my natural hair days. I appreciate how many crazy textures exist on my scalp – at least once a week I do. I don’t call it a “bad hair day” anymore. My granddaughter loves playing ‘in’ it.
Please tell us about your unique hair and how you have found fun ways to enhance its natural ‘mind of its own’.
