Long Hair Don’t Care…Anymore!

Those of you who know me outside of the blogsphere know that I have always prided myself on my past my shoulders-thick-you might think I’m mixed with something else hair. But after several do-it-yourself color jobs, my hair (my love) began to break off and thin. I immediately ran out and bought Dr. Miracle’s cream, DoGro’s grease, and even began taking prenatal vitamins to restore me to my previous hair glory. And after a few positive comments from my mother and Jennice, I thought I was on my way. Until…

I was on a date with a new friend. We were joking around and he carelessly pushed my hair out of my face and ran his fingers through. As a girl with formerly long hair, I knew the “check to see if she has a weave” trick well. So I lightheartedly said, “No it’s not a weave.” And he said, “Of course not, it’s too short to be a weave.” I felt like a dagger had gone straight though my heart! I thought, SHORT HAIR?!?! That’s not me! I’ve never been the girl with short hair! But I masked my pain by laughing off his comment and changing the subject.

The next day, I began feverishly brainstorming new ways to get long hair…even if it wasn’t my own. I Googled local salons to find a good and cheap sew-in. I decided that might be an expensive habit to maintain. Then a light bulb went on and I remembered my mother used to braid in a couple of tracks for me in high school. I searched You Tube for weave instructional videos and emailed them to my mother because the two tracks that were cool in high school would not fly in the Big Apple. My whole head needed to be weaved out!

Of course my mother delivered and now I had several new inches of hair to swang (my Sorors know that I’m talking about). To increase my look, I added spirals because the next time I saw my new friend I wanted to wow him…but he didn’t even know it was a weave, go figure!

I was instantly ashamed of myself. I always knew my hair was a big part of my image but was it the only part? Within my life I have had several positive hair role models. My Aunt Cora with her short curly afro, my Aunt Ali and Kai who change their color, cut, and texture like the days of the week, and Jennice all natural all the time. But on the other hand, my father has always loved my long hair and would become annoyed with any talk of altering it. Did my new friend’s comment pinch a nerve…because another man in my life expressed his love of long hair…probably but the shit stops here!

So now I write this blog to you sitting in a Dominican hair salon getting a wash and set…with my own hair. Weave might be cool for some but I’ve decided to rock my own for a while short, breaking off, and all.

Thanks for listening - Apples