Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

There are very few things I take seriously in life, that's just my nature and it's got me into bucket loads of problems. But the one thing that I take very seriously is my hair!  My goodness I might let you mess with my food, but not my hair! On second thoughts I'm lying there sorry. I will hurt you - so the importance of both is about even. Yet alas, if my hair had a personality and could talk it would say..." I don't take you very seriously at all. I got a mind of my own and I am just going to do whatever the fox I like. You can forget relaxing me, weaving and braiding cause at some point I am going to mess your swag!...Besides your broke ass can't maintain my expectations."

This conversation with my hair happened somewhere in my early 20s and so I became a reluctant natural sister. Eventually I accepted it, not like India Arie kind of acceptance, more like how I imagine Michael Jackson's kids will accept that thier daddy was black.  Anyway, lots of people suggested I do locks, so I did and then people started saying I looked like Whoopi Goldberg. Well that helped me get thoes locks off real fast. Not that I have anything against her, but when you young and impressionable, and people compare your friends to Beyonce and Megan Good.... Whoopi Goldberg just don't cut it in the clique! I then decided early on to be like Angelique Kidjo and loss the rest. Except for the fact that I can't sing.... I am mostly at peace.

IT REALLY IS ALL ABOUT WHO YOU IDENTIFY WITH

 Taking care of your hair is not just about what happens on your scalp, that's really the end result. I was I think unfortunate, because when I was growing up relaxed hair was the thing to have, and I got my hair relaxed when I was 7 yrs old. I can understand why it happened, (and no it wasn't my mama who sent me to the hair salon before you all start trippin - she was straight up heart broken when she saw me) the aunt who took me to the salon wanted me to look "pretty". She thought that was what looked good for me and her rug rats and at the time that was the thinking, she wasn't wrong or mean. This was the early 90s listening to MC Hammer Can't Touch This and I remember how my scalp was on fire and the hairdressers telling me to sit there till I was good and cooked like a good little girl... "Jeno rinorwadza shingirira" (Beauty is pain, be brave). The nice hair lasted all but a few weeks, and honestly ask yourselves how a hyperactive tomboy of 8 or 7 yrs is going to look after her hair especially when she's got what feels like a cracked scalp from a chemical burn?

The sad point of the story is for most black women, their hair story begins at a young age, and it's usually a traumatic story. I'm sure all of you can think back to when it really all began, and that story has shaped how you've dealt with your hair and self image ever since. If you don't have war wounds, well good for you, you're one of the lucky few!

I don't think many women find it easy to admit that they can't do certain things with their hair. Get Pretty or Die Trying, beauty is pain - so going in, the attitude we have towards our hair is combative - but guess what? Hair is fighting back and screaming. The only way to listen is not to just take care of your hair, but of your body. For example, if you have allergies and your skin reacts, trust me the skin on top of your head has those blemishes and allergies too, and here you are putting chemicals on top of those reactive spots. Wow your head is going to be on fire. If you eat junk believe me your hair is going to look like junk too!  Your hair is as much of a reflection of what goes inside your body as much as it might indicate to onlookers your social status in the world. Phew that's a lot of work for an Afro comb.

DECLARATION
I know I'm just scratching the surface of this topic and letting the dandruff fall so to speak. But be sure about one thing, healthy body=healthy hair, don't mess with your food - don't mess with the hair...so get to it! LOL

Check it out
http://madamenoire.com/79054/7-things-white-people-dont-understand-about-black-hair/