24 OCT | My Hair Journey- Part IPosted: October 24th, 2007By: Tywana |
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All of us Black women over 30 have a hair journey. Sometimes we feel we are alone in our struggles. You are not alone. I’m going to journal my story over the past 25 years. This is Part I. It begins with me about 25 years ago.
The first time I put chemicals on my hair was Fall of 1982. I was starting college and I figured my hair would be easier to manage. After all, neither my Mom nor my pressing comb were coming to college with me. Besides I was trying to fit in at college not stand out with my 2 French braids. So I decided on the “jheri curlâ€. My Mom had always had trouble with perms that made her hair straight, so she suggested the curl. I loved “the curl”! I wore it on the dry side. So I did not leave my mark where ever I landed. I have very thick, hair. So I thought it looked really good on me. I never had a bit of trouble all the years I wore the curl. The only down side at the time was wearing the plastic cap at night.
Around 1987 after wearing the curl for several years I made the switch to wearing my hair straight. I had a perm applied. It was the beginning of about 20 years of ups and downs, or should I say long and short, with my hair. My hair would be great for a while, then a single spot in the back would start to break. That spot never seemed to be able to hand the chemicals, no matter which perm I tried. Still I continued to perm. I kept saying “What choice do I have?” What was I to do with all my thick, coarse, tightly coiled hair. I was so out of touch with my hair that I did not realize how much I was damaging it. How I longed for my jheri curl……….Part II coming soon!
October 26th, 2007 at 2:21 pm
I loved my curl too! It all ended one day when I went swimming…It dried up and broke off!
October 26th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
I would like to say as well that I have had quite a hair journey. As a child my natural afro was huge when picked out. But as a child my thinking was that getting a relaxer was a sign of growing up. So when I was old enough, I got the infamous relax. Then in my early 20’s I got the Geri curl and loved it! Then of course after the curl played out, I returned to relaxers which didn’t do well for my hair. The years of dealing with different stressors in my life had played a roll in the changed texture of my hair. So now my hair begin to break off much more easily, despite all the expensive conditioning treatments.
3-5 years ago I decided to go back to natural. The last few months I FINALLY decided to loc and am in endeavers of locking as I speak. I simply wash and condition my hair with my Treasured Locks hair growth products( although I cant use the oil until my hair completely locs because it’s soft)! I believe in a well conditioned scalp, and it doesn’t hurt to incorporate good nutrition as well as high potency vitimin supplements…
~Theresa Dudley
October 26th, 2007 at 10:11 pm
Hi Tywana!
I would just like to add that I think your curl looked GREAT on you!!! You go, girl! But I do remember the old golden curl (JUST LET YOUR SOUL GLO!!) days-Hawaiian Silky if I remember correctly.
October 27th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
I think you looked good with your jheri curl too. I thrived with mine also. If not for chemicals and the scalp damage, I would still have my curl. Waiting to hear the rest.
October 29th, 2007 at 11:26 pm
Hi Tywana,
Now that’s what I wanted my curl to look like. My thin fine hair did look kinda thick with the curl and I wore it for a few years. I also preferred the drier look mainly because I have such oily skin; the oil made my face too shiney. But I grew tired of the dirty collar the greasy hair style left me with and went back to relaxers for a while. So many of us have traveled up and down the hairstyle highway. Looking forward to hearing about the next leg of your journey.
November 2nd, 2007 at 10:26 am
I also loved my curl. I have thick, course, and dry hair and I have recently cut all the perm out of my hair,(hair is thinning in middle). If only I could get the shiny, curly look back without the oil and chemical process.
December 19th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
I liked my curl too, but I was late in the game. My mom had one and I just had to get one too. I figured since my hair was curly anyway, a curl would last FOREVER!! It did last 6 months at a time and grew fast, but it was in the 2-thou and it was time to let it go. I was only like 23, if I’d been maybe 40 I coulda pulled it off FOREVER, but at such a young age and it was like.. 2001 or 2002.. Yeah.. It was time.. But I didn’t go natural, I went RELAXER… And that wasn’t great.. This is the best thing I ever did for my hair. I stopped relaxing first off.. And I just let it lock up. This style looks better on me than the best stylist coulda did and I didn’t even twist it. If ya’d like to take a look at these dreads you can go to my fotki album at http://public.fotki.com/BlackAngelPlayah They are almost 3 1/2 years old now.