Hair Talk

In an effort to win her affections, there is a scene in the movie Brown Sugar where Mos Def is proclaiming to Queen Latifah "I'm a goer!". That scene makes me laugh. Every.Time. This post has absolutely nothing to do with Brown Sugar but instead about me and my hair. Instead of a "goer", I am a reflecter. I like to think about my journeys in life and lately my hair journey is consuming me. Once again, I spent time over the weekend reflecting on my hair after a prompt from a contest I entered back in February. The contest was the Kim Coles Grow Out Challenge. Although I had begun my blog last year, I thought I'd jump into this one because there were prizes involved. The product junking in me was attracted to the possible score of JessiCurl products and a small chance to win a trip to LA for the grand prize winner. 

I started the challenge way back in February and I was excited because I never particpate in challenges so this was my first. Plus, Kim Coles had revealed her beautiful hair and I just wanted to be a part of a movement involving a celebrity who was newly natural and proud of it. Two months later, I had an encounter with my hair dresser which left me feeling quite discouraged. I went in for a trim in March and came out with a chop. Trim... Chop... There is a difference, right? The difference being a 1/2 - 1 inch trim versus 3+ inches chopped. My bangs went from my chin to the bridge of my nose. The rest of my length suffered the same fate. We all cried "FOUL!" because we had just had a trim less than six weeks before. If my ends were worse than that, I attributed it to the use of heat because I'd had my hair flat-ironed at that time. I've realized since then that my hair doesn't take well to heat anymore. If heat is involved in styling, my hair also requires a significant amount of heat protection otherwise, stick straight hair is revealed after a wash. No bueno.  Needless to say I was upset and have taken only a few photos of my hair since then. Every photo would remind me of ... dun-dun-dun-de-dun... the incident. And the reminder was followed by anger. So! Moving on...

I know, I know. I am not my hair. I like the song and I've heard it all before! It grows back. Yeah... Again- Yadda. Yadda. But as for me and my hair- We're in love again! This after I realized I was blaming and punishing myself every time I looked into the mirror and viewed my shortened strands. Today... Again... I love my hair AND myself. We are Peaches and Herb... Reunited and it feels so good!!! Among other things, my hair has encouraged me to love and honor the rest of me. I'm drinking more water, taking vitamins and exercising more, which benefits all of me. So, when people assert I am not my hair... I think-- I am also not my limbs, my eyes or my smile. Rather- I am the sum of all my parts. And when I see all parts of me thriving, I know that I am those things and more. I am whole.

While the prompt for an update for the contest sparked this particular post, it is the love for self including my hair that made me dig a little deeper, beyond the setbacks and anger to see our relationship for what it is... To be honest, I didn't even remember the prize(s) until I reviewed the challenge information today. The real prize comes in the form of contant revelation about my natural hair and I... We've been reunited for nearly 3 years... (I know... we're kinda like newlyweds! Still lov'in on each other and thangs... ;)). And at the end of the day, we stick together, for better or worse. And for that I am gratefully and ever naturally- me!

Peace and love