As I sit here running my fingers through my Nubian twists I think about how far I’ve come. There used to be a time when I wouldn’t let 5 weeks go by without slapping some extra creamy relaxer on my hair while tears streamed down my face. I had to make sure that every wave pattern was destroyed so just when it felt like my scalp was on fire, I’d keep it in for at least ten more minutes.
My transformation happened gradually and it started when I created a vigorous workout routine for myself. I noticed that while my body was up to the challenge, my chemically relaxed hair was not. As soon as my hair was long enough to pull I got microbraids. The braids were small enough for me to pull back into a ponytail and since I bought human hair, they could also be curled on the ends or flat ironed.
I continued to get my hair braided for about 6 months when one night while unbraiding my hair; a ritual that should involve family, friends, food and movies; I noticed how healthy my hair had become. It was strong, silky, thick and big. At that moment I decided that it was going to be a long time before I chemically altered my “new growth.”
Once I embraced my hair, I began to experiment. What if I got synthetic hair? What would it look like if I used different colors and got big twists? It wasn’t necessarily groundbreaking. Many Black women were working in corporate America with a plethora of braided styles…but not me. I always thought it looked nice on other people and would even comment, “I wish I was that brave.” But why wasn’t I? Why didn’t I think I could pull it off?
I started getting brown Kinky twists, blonde Kinky twists and burgundy Nubian twists. My hair has been long, short, dark and bright. With every style came a different adventure. When I think back to major events that have happened in my life, I always refer to how my hair was braided. I’ve had my heart broken in braids, I’ve been proposed to in braids. I have quit a job and started a new one with the same style. I’ve cried my hardest and laughed my loudest all while thinking about what I’m going to do next with my hair.
I haven’t had a relaxer in almost two years and my twisted hair has become part of who I am. My twists are much more than a style of convenience. The rich texture is a direct reflection of my history and my culture. I don’t see anything wrong with getting bleached highlights or wearing relaxed styles. I love all of the options that our hair allows us to take advantage of. My hair has allowed me to become more aware. I have more confidence and I am less apologetic about not fitting a certain mold. You might not be able to remember my name, but my hair leaves an impression: “oh, you mean the girl with the twists?” …yeah, that’s me.
By the way, check out this book. It has a lot of great ideas, it's called Hair Talk
Posted By: T. J.
Monday, May 14th 2007 at 10:31AM
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