I know I said I would make my next post about Henna but something recently happened that made me a little angry. This is still a hair post. I know some will say that's no reason to get mad and I wasn't really mad just a little angry. Emotions are a little complicated for me. I range from really damn mad, to pissed off, to angry, to a little angry, then ticked off. So when I say a little angry its not a lot.
These things usually happen when I'm at work. I'm a field technician which means I go around fixing things. The one particular day a guy strikes up a conversation about my hair. He said its very "afro centric" I simply asked, "What do you mean by that?' He said, "How you want to pay homage you your roots. I really respect that." I looked at him confused because I had no idea what he meant. He asked why I was looking so strange and I told him because I was trying to understand his comment. I wanted to know what made him think I'm a natural because of anyone else but me. In the end he looked sheepish and got highly offended. I'm so glad I wasn't interested in him because that would have sucked.
Another time a family member asked my why would I do something so stupid as to cut all of my hair off and start all over again. I will post a picture of my hair from about 9 years ago. When I cut my hair it was about 4 inches longer than in the picture. Anyways, we discussed it because she really wanted to know. I had to tell her the relaxers were doing horrible things to my scalp. My reaction to heat was a mess. If I got into a hot car or stood in the sun my scalp would get really itchy and felt like it was burning. My hair was beautiful but my scalp was unhealthy. I had to do something about and I did a lot of research. In the end she understood and realized I wasn't just following a trend.
I've had women who are pro relaxer bash me and I don't think that's fair because they don't know me or my situation. As women we should all stand together and not let petty things separate us but that's another topic for a different day. I personally don't like to wear sew ins. I can do them very well but I hate them. I don't go around bashing anyone who wants to wear one. Just because someone doesn't see themselves as natural doesn't mean its not right for another person. If you are trying to decided if you want to go natural then do it for yourself. If you've seen the movie Empire Records everyone knows the 2nd best line in the movie is Damn the man! To me the man is the relaxer or depending on the day humidity but to someone else the man might be natural hair.
Next time you find yourself getting annoyed about the stupid things people say go have a margarita and say damn the man. Smile while you are drinking it because none of the crap they said will have an effect on you. If you don't drink alcohol then have a tea or something. Remember DON'T drink and drive!
This picture is my dad and I when he got deployed about 8 or 9 years ago. In November 2012 I cut my hair off and my hair almost reached my bra strap. I got my last relaxer in April 2013.
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