Nissy Masthan Week 2 : A Bottle Of Curl Cream
Growing up, I didn’t know what my hair was. I didn’t exactly bother to do anything with it because I had my mom who would braid my hair every morning before school. I never needed to know what hair type I had or what shampoo was perfect for my curly hair. I didn’t even know there were hair products for my hair. All I knew was to sit still for my mom while she braided two pigtails, my go-to hairstyle for every single day.
As a girl, hair has always been something to worry about. I always have to plan ahead for my hair, from figuring out my wash days to deciding what hairstyles I want to do. It wasn’t until middle school that I realized I could do so much with my hair and that it was so different from what I thought. During COVID, I started researching more about it. I saw many people on the internet with the same coily hair I had, showing it off, using products I never even heard of. And then I became determined to get my hair to look as good as theirs. Having the same bouncy, defined, hair was something I yearned for. And after all these years, I still feel like I haven’t accomplished it.
In 7th grade, I started putting my curls to work. At first, I only ever used Eco Gel, which was honestly the worst decision ever. While it’s a decent product, it never did the job and left my hair frizzy. No matter how much I used, I would end up with frizzy and undefined hair. After many horrible attempts that left me with hair twice the size of my face, I eventually decided to give it a break and switch to the alternative: a hair straightener. I would spend the majority of my Saturdays straightening my hair thinking it would look way better straight. But now I had a different problem. I couldn’t get my roots to straighten and it would always be curling at the top. Eventually, I decided to go back to trying to find the right curl routine.
It took me years to understand the various ways to do curly hair and also understand why certain things, like applying leave-in conditioner, are important to a solid curly routine. Learning to take care of my hair also meant learning to accept it and that I can’t change it by putting excessive amounts of heat which just leads to damage. I learned to start embracing my hair with one curl cream bottle at a time, from Eco Gel disasters to finally finding a product worth my money, like Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk line.
Now, I get so many compliments on my hair and how I got it to look the way it was, which makes me feel so much more confident that I did in 7th grade when I was just beginning my hair journey. Though my curls aren’t always perfect, they are still mine and I’ve come too far to give up now.
Hi, Nissy. I think growing with your hair kind of ties into growing into your identity. It’s a beautiful metaphor. In the same way, straightening your hair could represent you trying to suppress your identity or not expressing yourself fully. Hair can be tough because it’s tied to things like self expression, identity, and culture. I’m glad you were able to find what works best for you.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed hearing about your hair journey and how it has improved you as a person. I admire people with tight coils and bouncy curls because it is something I have longed for my whole life. Like you I did not really know the nature of my hair, if I am being honest I still don't. However, going through the trial and error of trying different products or waking up early just to wash and dry, it teaches you perseverance. Like you said, you hair something you cannot change no matter how hard you try, but the fact that you have learned to accept and embrace it is so wonderful.
ReplyDeleteHi Nissy, I love how you took a different approach about identity and talked about your hair. Appearance is an important part of identity and demonstrates how you want others to perceive yourself. Though, I am not a hair expert, to me, it seems like you worked extremely hard to get your hair to feel exactly like how you want, which is necessary for you to represent yourself. It also feels like a metaphor relating to how you grew with your hair and how your identity shifted throughout the years. Thank you for sharing this story in your blog!
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