“Frizzy-headed”
“Your hair looks like it got caught in a blender”
“Mop head”
“Coarse-haired”
“Shikabala.”
Little did I know how seriously these words, among others, would affect me as I grew up.
I’ve always had kinky hair,
but it was always seen as messy and unkempt,
especially by those closest to me.
My paternal grandmother always had a brush,
And loads of hair products ready with her to tame my “unruly”, unkempt hair.
She would sit me down on my knees,
pull at my hair painfully until it got detangled,
then she would apply a lot of hair cream,
pull my hair back into a bun or braid it,
Until the curls were no longer visible.
When I was 12, my maternal grandmother took me to a salon,
She convinced me that I would be getting my hair straightened.
To my surprise, she told them to perm my hair.
After experiencing a burning sensation in my scalp for several hours,
I told her clearly that I never wanted to experience that again.
Ever since, I have been told at least 60 times by family members, friends, hairdressers, and strangers that I need to perm or apply keratin to my hair.
Today, I can gladly say that I keep my hair kinky on purpose,
and I’m now trying my best to use natural products to maintain my “unruly, messy, mop head”.