Apologizing to my hair

You might already know that I was super excited about getting kinky twists in my hair last Saturday.  I’ve worn box braids in my hair numerous times while relaxed and when I first became Natural, but back then I wasn’t taking good care of my hair. This would be the first time once I became ‘hair educated’ to be sporting a braided style. 

I was gonna sport the hairstyle below and be rocking a protective style for awhile.  It seemed like the right time.  Last year I was considering it but decided against it since I was loving the wash and go freedom.  This year I began embracing twists in my hair and felt my twists needed some ‘umooph’ and what better way then a braided style with added hair?  I didn’t want the box braids and fell in love with Melissa Harris-Perry’s style below.

I did some homework and found a shop that someone recommended to me about a year ago when I was considering box braids.  I could also buy the hair there and they were reasonably priced.  I truly thought I had covered all my bases when I drove over to the shop Saturday morning.  Boy…was I wrong!

She ended up being over an hour late and that should have been a sign for me to leave.  I stayed and when she showed up we picked out my color in a darkly lit room.  It was too red for my liking but she assured me she would mix it in with some black and it would look great on me. That should have been another sign for me because I’m funny.  I don’t always like what others like but I kept going. 

Here we go….she proceeds to blow out my hair.  I should have jumped out of the chair.  Why did my hair have to blown out?  I guess to braid better?  I forgot about that I guess but here I was making one year with no heat and this woman was adding heat to my hair.  I was a little peeved but hung in there.  Now comes the tugging, pulling, twisting and rough handling that I so naively forgotten about as well.  Man, I was twisting in my chair and squirming as well as loudly letting her know when she was getting too rough.  I even think she pulled one of my hairs out because it wasn’t conforming.  I knew then this was a big mistake!

Hours upon hours later I was done and she added mousse and some other chemical smelling foreign object to hair. Everyone in the shop loved my hair and I politely thanked the braider and the shop owner, paid and went on my way.  

Now my daughter and sister LOVED it but I hated it.  I don’t like wearing red in my hair and I didn’t like the curly ends. I just didn’t like anything about it.  I wasn’t happy at all despite what others thought.  I hated how my hair was mistreated and I felt like I should have stopped her midway, paid for her services and got the hell out of there but it just wasn’t in me.  So what did I do?  I took those bad boys out yesterday and have been apologizing to my hair ever since!

Now, I get that many will find nothing wrong with what the braider did and actually the old Sabrina wouldn’t have either, but this evolved Sabrina is very tender and loving to her tresses and wasn’t happy with the experience.  I’m not sure if I’ll try again and find a Natural hair braider who is more like me but right now I’m sticking to what I’ve been doing lately.

I’ve let me AND my hair down.  No other way to put it.  This was a Natural hair mistake and I’m learning from the experience.  I’m glad I didn’t keep it in and end up miserable or damaging my hair taking them out in a few months.  The money?  Some lessons cost money.  This one did.  End of story. 

So, I decided to share my Natural hair mistake.  It was a mistake but I’m learning more about what I want and what I like from it and I’m not bald behind it.  Isn’t that all we can hope for?  

Apologizing and learning Naturals,
Sabrina