A good portion of the hair at the back of my head had broken off to an inch or less in some parts. The front was all choppy with some strands at armpit length and others that had broken off to chin and shoulder. The only way to salvage it was to buzz the back and nape area and give myself an asymmetrical bob to make those accidental layers look not-so-accidental.
During this period of folliculicide (Don't think you'll find that one in the dictionary), I was going through other external stressors. I'd always put on a tough facade and acted like nothing could ever get me down but the timing of this hair breakage was truly the straw that broke the camel's back.
In the past I was one of those girls that could never understand how anyone could cry over getting their hair cut, ("How vain could they possibly be?" I thought; "It's just hair"), but one day as I stared at my boyish figure and my oblong face framed by this amateur ear-length bob something in me cracked and I could feel my cheeks heat up before the tears began to well up in my eyes and for the first time I understood.
It goes without saying that I have not picked up another box of relaxer since . Let it be known that I don't knock those who still choose to use them (heck, I had great looking relaxed hair up until that fateful day and I've seen many women grow their hair successfully with a relaxer), but my experience with that last relaxer was so traumatic I developed an aversion to it. Once bitten, twice shy I suppose.
In a way I'm actually glad it happened. I'd been considering going natural those last few years because I was getting so sick of the chemical process. However, giving up my APL hair to start anew was not something I was brave enough to do at the time. Maybe this little accident was just the push I needed.
Oh and just in case you're wondering which relaxer kit I used on that fateful day...it was a "kiddie relaxer". I kid you not.
So what's your story? What sparked your decision to go natural?
No comments:
Post a Comment