Tara's World Of Fashion: Advice, Fashion Styling, Discussions, And Trends.
MY BLONDE NATURAL HAIR JOURNEY AND HOW IT HAS SHAPED MY FASHION.
FOR AS LONG, AS I CAN REMEMBER, AS A CHILD, HEARING FROM PARENTS, AUNTS, AND COUSINS, OF AND FAMILY, THAT I HAD MY FATHER'S HAIR, THAT MY HAIR WAS UNMANGEABLE, DIFFICULT TO TAME, AND NOT, IN THE LIKENESS, OF WHAT DEFINES, A BEAUTIFUL GRADE, OF HAIR. WHENI JUST THOUGHT ALL TYPES OF HAIR IS BEAUTIFUL. AND THIS IS OFTEN, AN ISSUE, IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY, OF WHO IN THE FAMILY, HAS THEE PRETTY GRADE, OF HAIR. THAT MEANT, TIES TO NATIVE AMERICAN BLOOD, AND THE TITLE, OF BEING SEEN, CALLED AND TREATED, LIKE BEAUTY. LIKE MY MOTHER, AND HER SISTER AND HER DAUGHTERS.
LETS JUST SAY, IT WASNT LIKE THAT, FOR ME. MY MOTHER FOR YEARS, IF I DONT REMEMBER ANYTHING, ABOUT MY CHILDHOOD, I REMEMBER HER SAYING, MY HAIR WAS LIKE MY FATHER'S, IT RETAINED WATER, LIKE A SPONGE, AND IT DRAWS UP TO MY SCALP, WHEN WASHED, AND WOULD LEAVE LITTLE HAIR BALLS, BECAUSE OF THE UNMANAGABLE, THICKNESS OF IT SHEDDING. THAT LEAD TO ME, GETTING A PERM, AT THE AGE, OF ABOUT SEVEN, APART FROM THE EMBARRASING HAIRSTYLES, BESIDES THE BEES AND THE BUNS I LIKED. AND FEELING AS A CHILD, I DIDN'T HAVE PRETTY HAIR. BECAUSE I EITHER, HAD MY MOTHER, NOT WANTING, TO CLAIM MY HAIR, TO BE OF HER SIDE OF THE FAMILY. YOU KNOW THE STRAIGHT, AND WAVY INDIAN HAIR, THAT I JUST DIDN'T HAVE, LIKE COUSINS. THAT WOULD COME TO VISIT, AND NEVER FAIL, TO MAKE ME FEEL INALIENATED IN MY SKIN COMPLEXION, AND MY HAIR.
SO, WHEN THE NATURAL HAIR MOVEMENT, CAME OUT, I WAS SCARED, I WANTED TO TRY IT, AND DO AND EVENTUALLY, DYE MY HAIR, LIKE THE GIRLS IN SCHOOL. WHO MADE THE MAINTAINANCE, OF THEIR HAIR, LOOK SO EASY, TO ACHIEVE, THE CURLS, THE LENGTH. SO, I REMEMBER GOING, TO WHAT WOULD BE MY LAST APPOINTMENT, WITH MY HAIRSTYLIST, WHO I REALLY GOTTEN CLOSE WITH, A MENTOR, BECAUSE SHE WAS QUIET, WISE, NICE, AND I FELT SHE UNDERSTOOD ME. LADONNA BRAZILE. SO THAT DAY, I WAS GOING, TO GET THE BIG CHOP, AND GO NATURAL, AND I WAS SO EXCITED. BUT NERVOUS, WHEN IT WAS ALL SAID, AND DONE, SHE DID A BANTU KNOT TWIST OUT, THAT DIDN'T QUITE REGISTER, WITH MY HAIR. AND WAS OF THE DISAPPROVAL, OF MY MOTHER, WHO WAS HUMILIATED, TO EVEN GET OUT THE CAR, WITH ME, TO TAKE ME TO HER FRIENDS, NATURAL HAIR CARE SHOP, TO FIGURE OUT, WHAT THE BEST PRODUCT, TO PUT IN MY HAIR. NOTHING WORKED, MY HAIR FLAKED, AND REJECTED, THE NATURAL CREAMS, AND PUDDINGS. I BEGAN TO GET DISCOURAGED, WHEN WE GOT IN THE CAR, AND SHE TOLD ME, I WOULD NEVER SEE LADONNA AGAIN, BECAUSE SHE WAS DISPLEASED, WITH HOW SHE DID MY HAIR. BUT WHEN LADONNA, FLUFFLED OUT MY FRO, AND PINNED IT, OUT OF MY FACE, AND GAVE ME, A LINE OF HAIR PRODUCTS, TO TRY, I WAS SO HAPPY. BECAUSE I LET MOST, OF THE PERM, GROW OUT OF MY HAIR, THROUGH WEARING TWISTS. THAT SHE TOLD ME, SHE DIDN'T HAVE TO DO, A BIG CHOP.
SO THE DAYS, THAT FOLLOWED, GOING TO QUEENS, GOING TO DISCOUNT BEAUTY, GOING TO SALLY'S STILL NOT FINDING, THE RIGHT PRODUCTS, EXCEPT FOR ONE, IN PARTICULAR THAT WAS, FOR MIXED, AND BIRACIAL HAIR. THE SALES LADY, AT SALLY'S, WAS MIXED, NATURAL, WITH BRIGHT, RED, CURLY HAIR, WHO RECOMMENDED THE HAIR PRODUCT FOR ME. SHE SAID IT WAAS FOR ALL GRADES. AND MIXED HAIR WAS SOMETHING, I KNEW I DIDNT HAVE. BUT SOME HOW MY HAIR, LIKE THE LIGHTWEIGHT FEEL, OF THE PRODUCT. BUT MY MOTHER DIDN'T LIKE, THE TIME-CONSUMING PROCESS, OF MANAGING, MY HAIR, AND THAT'S WHEN SHE TOLD ME, THAT NATURAL HAIR, ISN'T FOR EVERYBODY, AND MY DAD, NOT REALLY MY DAD, ROY SAID, I WOULD GET A LOT, OF IGNORANT JUDGEMENT, BECAUSE OF HOW IT LOOKS. SO, I THREW THE TOWEL IN, AT 15, CRYING IN MY ROOM, HATING MYSELF, HATING MY HAIR, JUST HATING, THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE, OF THE MOVEMENT.
SO, I WENT BACK TO WEARING TWISTIES, MY MOTHER SAID, THE ONLY WAY, I COULD WEAR MY NATURAL HAIR OUT, IS BY GETTING IT, PRESSED OUT STRAIGHT. SO, I DID THAT, FOR A MINUTE, DIDN'T LIKE IT THE MARCELS, TO HOT, MADE MY HAIR, FEEL BRITTLE, LIKE THE WIND WOULD SWEEP IT AWAY LOL.
BUT MY MOM, KNEW WHAT, SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT. THIS WAS THE ONLY WAY, I COULD WEAR MY NATURAL HAIR, WITGH EXTENTIONS, SEWED INTO MY HAIR, AND EVENTUALLY SENIOR YEAR, MILD PERMS AGAIN.
SO, I SAY, THAT TO SAY THIS, GOD, MY ABBAH ENCOURAGED ME, TO GET THESE BRAIDS, CALLED SENAGALESE TWISTS, I GREW OUT MY DAMAGED HAIR, AND GOT TO WEAR, PRETTY COLORS, AND HAVE LENGTH, AND FOR THE FIRST TIME, HAIR WISE, I FELT PRETTY. SO, FOR 2 YEARS, I KEPT MY HAIR, TWSISTED, AND IT GREW, AND IT GREW. THEN AN INCIDENT HAPPENED, WITH THE AFRICAN LADY FROM CAMEROON WAS DOING MY HAIR, THAT LEFT ME IN TEARS, NICHOLINE. BECAUSE SHE BURNT, MY HAIR, WITH BLOW DRYER, AS SHE WAS RIPPING CHUNKS, OF IT OUT. SHE WAS MAD, THAT DAY, I DID NOT COME, WITH MY HAIR SECTIONED OFF. I WANTED TO WEAR IT, WITFH A HEADBAND, AND IN ITS NATURAL STATE. I CRIED MY MOTHER SAID NOTHING, BUT TURNED AROUND, AND WENT ON HER PHONE.
SO, AFTER THAT, MY DAHAD, SAID I WANT YOU, TO SPEND SOME TIME, GETTING TO KNOW, THE BEAUTY OF YOUR HAIR, I WILL HELP YOU, WITH MAINTING, YOUR NATURAL HAIR. BUT YOU WILL NOT EVER, GET IT BRAIDED AGAIN. MY AB'BAH HELPED ME, AND I CONFIDENTLY WEAR, MY NATURAL HAIR BLONDE. AND I FOUND THAT ONE PRODUCT, THAT WORKED, FOR MY HAIR. AB'BAH HELPED ME COME UP, WITH A NIGHTTIME ROUTINE. I STILL GET MY FEELINGS HURT, WHEN I SEE BLACK WOMEN, LOOK AT MY HAIR FUNNY, SEEING THAT I'M NOT TRYING, TO MANIPULATE THE TEXTURE, WITH CURL PUDDINGS. BUT SOMETHING, THAT WORKS FOR ME, IS MY BUISSNESS, AND GODS' OPINION MY ABBAH. GOD TRULY UPLIFTS YOU MORE THAN ANY PERSON CAN. GOD TRULY IS A EPITOME OF WHAT YOU WOULD CALL MORE THAN A BEST FRIEND. I TRUST HIS WORD AND JUDGEMENT OVER EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE BECAUSE HE'S, MY FATHER.
