During my Off-Broadway stint in the show Between Worlds, I rocked a fierce faux mohawk, with my sides pinned back and the center spiked to skyscraper perfection. Though fun and the ideal dramatic edge to my character, my faux-hawk required that I stop perming my hair and allow the coily new-growth at my roots to anchor the style. Now, this process eventually caused the thinner permed hair to break away from the thicker coily hair, and I had some seriously coily roots, which was surprising and exciting. It allowed me to see for the first time what my hair does and looks like in its natural state. Ultimately, the only thing for me to do was a "Big Chop!" After attempting my at-home version of the "chop," I filled in the patches with extra show hair, creating a fierce up do, might I add, and sought professional help. Not a shrink, though those can be helpful in other situations. I scheduled an appointment at Khamit Kinks, a natural hair care salon in Brooklyn at the time
With all my hair seated around me on the floor, I began a natural hair journey I sometimes struggle with, and yet applaud. I don't celebrate my following a trend. Natural hair is exactly what it says it is, natural, whether trending or not. What I celebrate is the self-discovery of my awesomeness that my natural hair demands of me. I twist, pin and play until a thing of pure beauty and awe is birthed from my scalp. Simply, styling and learning my natural hair is fun. Even though in college, I had full and bouncy permed hair, mostly thanks to the sow-ins I let my hair rest in during the sweltering football season -I was a dancer for USF's dance team the SunDolls. Go Bulls! I have never seen the growth and retention with a perm that I now enjoy without one. Now, there are days I miss a good fluffy hair toss, or feel I could go back to my carefree "Big Chop" existence, but overall I am very happy with my natural kinks and coils.
Since the dawn of the first curly hair relaxing lotion, haphazardly discovered by Garrett Augustus Morgan in 1909, Black women have taken the podium in the curly-straight dilemma. Initially idealized as the perfect way to tame difficult hair and/or better assimilate into a white, sleek-haired society, relaxers quickly became what was expected of Black hair. Black hair history is as long as any, colored in controversy, culture and beauty. Complex from its root, literally and metaphorically, Black hair straight, coiled and curled is a glory to behold.
Editor’s Note: Congratulations and Happy 1st Birthday to Melissa’s twin boys!.
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