Rant of the summer
Whew.. Black Women and our Hair!Or maybe I should speak for myself, but I'm sure there are a whole lot of Black women who would just say a quick "Amen" on her way to the beauty salon--
It's that time of year again, folks--- summer: ah the flowers, the butterflies and, yes, the bees. You can go to the beach, you can ride your bike around, you can find refuge in a cool movie theater and then you have those lovely summer nights... but for a Black woman, there is one other thing that's on her mind: her hair...
It may not seem like a big deal to other people, but it is a big deal to us. Beach, you say??? Ok, I'll go, but I ain't getting in that water. Why not, you ask? I don't want to get my hair wet!!! What's wrong with getting your hair wet, you may ask? It cost freaking $65 dollars to get it straightened and my next appointment isn't for another 2 weeks. You are not forcing me to get into that water and if you do by "playfully" pushing me in, I'm taking you to Judge Judy for you to pay for my emergency hair salon visit and that is FINAL.
Summer: The humidity is RIDICULOUS, the sweaty palms of folks wanting to touch your hair is THREATENING and the shower-- well, no mind that... I have my two handclothes and shower cap to protect it from any potential water that may try to creep through a unknown hole through the shower cap. Then there is the summer "fun"-- swimming, beach going, everything involves some form of moisture or water. And you better be out of my way when it starts to rain-- rain mixed with humidity--- GOODNESS GRACIOUS OF LIFE. I'm not leaving my house AT ALL.
It's craziness. The whole thing stems from wanting to maintain a professional look at the least amount of damage to one's hair... which is nearly impossible. My hair is natural, but I get it "hot-combed" every 2 weeks-- folks, that's a lot of heat applied to one's hair every other week. But, it needs to be done this way because there is no way in the world that I can walk in my job, be taken seriously, with an Afro. A huge one at that. And, on top of that, it is way too hot to want to wear an Afro anyway... I don't want to put a relaxer in my hair b/c I'm left with the same issues of moisture AND there is the issue of chemicals in my hair which is ultra damaging...
On top of all of this, when I exercise, I sweat in my head. So all of the pain that went into straightening the roots of my hair sort of goes kaput after two days of strenuous exercising. And I really want to train for a marathon that's coming up in a few months, so I can't NOT exercise. What's a Black woman to do?
A big no to chemicals!! But how about if I....
Get braids? This may be a natural way to go given the texture, length and "naturalness" of my hair. But it has to be nice-- no Brandy-braids allowed. I opt for the Beyonce braids-- pre-solo album when there were 4 members in Destiny's Child without the blonde streaks. (sorry, blond streaks mixed wtih jet black hair against mahogany skin isn't a good look).
Get a weave? I've never done this, but it gives one the ability to have the straight hair look, while preserving the natural hair. You can treat it like your own, etc. The downside is that the pulling and sewing of the natural hair can eventually break it off if one is not careful.
Get Extensions? I've obviously not with it b/c I'm thinking that this is the same thing as braids or what not....
Go natural with the 'fro? Probably not a good idea given the very "professional" place I am in... there's only one guy who's getting away with it, but he's an IT guy getting paid for his brains-- and they have him locked away in a basement (such a nice kid, though!) Don't think I want to go to my next interview looking like that.
Cut it off altogether or cut it short like Halle Berry's? First of all, I am not Halle Berry-- I am not paid a gajillion dollars per year. If I were paid that much, I'd wear the fro and this blog would be a moot point. And a short hair cut is not flattering for my face. And even if I did cut it short, it'd still be a 'fro, just smaller, but still revolutionary-like. The upside is that it is very low maintainence and it would cost basically nothing; would just need to pay for shampoo, conditioner and some hair grease. The downside is that I like my hair long. (And for those who want to read into my "I like my hair long" statement, I am not brainwashed to believe that I have "good hair" or trying to offset my dark skin with long hair-- I just like longer hair! So there!)
It's SO hard to choose b/c you want to still be professional, not bring TOO much notice to your hair, not fulfill stupid stereotypes by walking up in places with unbelievably fake hair but you also want to be fit and trim. I just read an article that stated that a lot of Black women were overweight because they don't exercise enough... but the reason why they don't exercise enough is that they don't want to ruin their fresh do's. Fortunately, I'm not overweight or anything, but I can understand where they are coming from. I'm just trying to find a way to look good and professional and exercise (more than normal) during this DING DANG WASHINGTON, DC HEAT, GOSH DARN IT!!!!
Wish me luck-- and if you have any suggestions, please send them my way. I'm thinking of cute twists, but I don't know yet!!!
posted by Chopin Girl @ 1:48 PM
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