My curly hair was like a disease.
Everyone pitied me for it.
Everyone offered to help fix it.
My hair has seen it all: chemicals, food masks, oils, creams, freaking spiritual healings...

My birthdays as a kid always started at the hairdresser’s to straighten my hair.
I always got a burn or two on my ears and scalp
And every single one of them had an endless list of foods and oils and masks I was advised to try out to fix it.
Even the woman who trimmed my hair before I got married had a similar list of things to offer.

She insisted that I couldn’t show it as it was to my husband.
She said it would ruin my marriage and advised me to chemically straighten it.
Even if it caused massive hair loss, it would still be better than how it looked now.
Because how could I face my husband looking like that?

The first time I had a chemical treatment to straighten it was when I was 10.
It was the infamous "relaxer", and it burned my scalp to a scaly crisp.
All my hair was burned.
Mom had dragged me to that hairdresser despite my protests.
I tried saying I didn't want to, that I didn’t mind having bad hair.
She always wanted me to be happy about my hair, always insisted I’d be miserable if I didn’t fix my looks and took care of how I looked.
That was her way of trying to keep me happy.
I'm forever grateful for her intentions, but I’m sad that that was the approach she took.