Whenever I would straighten my hair, my dad would ask me why I was wasting my time and making the house smell. No matter how much I cranked open the bathroom window or sprayed Febreeze, the scent of burning plastic coming from my flat iron would ultimately spread throughout the house. But I still did it anyways. After all, it was worth the extra compliments. Right?!
For much of middle school and high school, sleek, straight hair was the style of choice.
I would spend countless Sunday afternoons standing in front of a bathroom mirror straightening my hair, which was no easy task; it took me two hours to complete. At the time, I didn’t know how to properly take care of my naturally curly hair or what products to use or even what heat damage was. My curls were subpar and I was clueless as to why.
By the time I hit senior year in high school, straightening my hair became a draining task that I dreaded. I got tired of waking up extra early just to go over my hair with a flat iron before heading to school.
I was simply over it. There was no ah-ha, eureka moment.
I could not bother with the extra effort and upkeep. I had lost patience with the process. Having straight hair truly did not make me any happier, so why continue doing it? Plus, I was about to begin university and knew I could be doing better things with my time. Unlike makeup, straightening my hair did not enhance my natural features–all it did was make me look like a different person and stink up my house!
Fast-forward to today.
I have graduated from university and have not straightened my hair for over four years. My curls are in their best condition ever. I love them and I embrace them. Funnily enough, these days I get just as many, or maybe more compliments on my curly hair than I did when it was straight. There definitely seems to be a shift of acceptance, thanks Instagram and Tumblr!
Though I never, EVER think about straightening, I am not against it. I’m sure some day I may want to straighten my hair, in fact, now that my curls are completely restored I actually feel more comfortable doing so. I just won’t make it a Sunday afternoon chore.
