I HAVE FALLEN BACK IN LOVE WITH MY HAIR. HERE’S HOW.

Ihave been a licensed cosmetologist for almost 30 years, but my hair journey started back in elementary school. I remember getting my first relaxer kit to straighten my hair at 6. Before that it would take me up to two days to style my hair. One day to cleanse and condition, overnight to dry. And the next day to straighten and style.

At the time, mom was wearing her natural Afro. I’ve only seen my mother’s hair straight in photos from adolescence and high school. My mother found her freedom from her hair early on. So much freedom she rarely wanted to comb my very thick kinky-coiled hair. There’s a specific chart to determine one’s hair type, believe it or not.

I’ll never forget my mother taking me to her friend’s home to get a straightening kit. I was so excited! I could now do my hair in three and a half hours with a chemical straightener, as opposed to days.

I was a prissy tomboy, I loved to play with the boys but still paid attention to fashion and hair. One day one of those boys decided to wet my hair. I was so upset I ran to the bathroom just to see my pressed hair hanging in beautiful ringlets. I was sold! But the only problem was it had to stay wet. I am embarrassed now looking back at how I would wet my own hair at the water fountain to maintain that look all day.

I stripped and weakened my hair so bad that I could not get any more relaxers to stop the damage I was causing. Relaxers are made with lye, a strong alkaline solution of sodium hydroxide that can cause major damage and hair loss, even possibly fibroid tumors that many Black women suffer from.

Every so often, on special occasions, I would get a hot comb press at the beauty parlor. It’s a process where the hair is naturally straightened with a hot iron comb placed in a small oven for iron pressing combs and curling irons. Water is kryptonite to