Hair Stories

What I find fascinating

About this whole natural hair 'revolution' <-- as portrayed by media and bloggers everywhere...is that I have been natural my whole life.
Naturally ...
I remember from waaaay back when my Nannie used to do some Shirley Temple curls with my hair-complete with me sitting on the floor between her knees and her tugging my hair with the tortoise shell comb and whacking me in the head when I was not pulling my head in the opposite direction causing enough tension. I am sure everyone has had this moment...
I remember wanting a Jheri Curl sooo bad (or an Escurl- whatever that was).
I remember wanting a Perm or relaxer. I wanted to have that straight straight hair. My mom wisely would not get one for me. So I saved my pennies and bought one myself. I remember the "test" strip I tested the perm on fell out. Good thing I read those instructions and tested a one inch strip of hair so I only had a bald patch instead of a real disaster...
I remember my first wash & set. I thought I was so fly (for 20 minutes until it got muggy outside and my hair shrunk)
I remember moving upstate and going to a non-ethnic beauty salon where the lovely boy decided to wash my hair and try to blow dry it and did not understand why it was so curly, so he decided to put some mousse in it and use a curling iron- to which he said (as my hair was smoking) this is supposed to do that-- and I walked out of there looking like homey the clown. I knew I didn't look cute- but thankfully my mother gave the brothers the "if you cant say something nice don't say nothing at all if she comes out looking like a troll doll" speech before I got back in the car.
Luckily as I got older and got hair-wiser I kind of figured out what not to do. I don't always know what to do but I mean I do look decent.
My hair does all types of whatever it wants when it wants.
I can get caught in the rain and go swimming. What's the big deal?
I remember watching my baby God did getting a perm like at 5 years old. y God-mother putting the perm in cause babygirl didn't want her hair brushed/combed anything anymore. She was so tenderheaded, and after the perm she was loving her hair.
All this to say that it is interesting to see what everyone is talking about out there and how folks value hair and how we as a culture and society value each other in relation to the dead follicles on our head.
that's all...