Pangs for a Straight Hair, Straight from the Heart..

Until I turned 12 years old, I didn’t realize the need for a straight hair. To put it differently, I didn’t care how my hair looked until I was 12 years old. It may be because my hair was always short. It may be because I was happy with my regular two plaits and occasional pony tails. And everything seemed perfect.

And then, on that day, I noticed my mother’s hair and compared it with mine. My mother had long tresses and I decided that I should start growing too. After all, I felt that I was old enough to grow long hair. As my hair started growing longer and longer, I realized that my hair was getting more unmanageable. I used to get totally frustrated and started analyzing why I have never seen my mother having a bad hair day. The answer I got didn’t please me at all.

My mother has a natural straight hair – A perfect Chinese straight hair. And I had a hair which was neither curly nor straight. Some people call it wavy and I say it is really uncanny. The discovery made me weep. I even went to my mother and accused her for not gifting that picture perfect hair.  I understood that I inherited the not-so-great-always-unmanageable-hair from my father. I cursed him. My parents only laughed and they said that wavy hair is rare and makes the hair looks voluminous. I was certainly not convinced.

I WANTED STRAIGHT HAIR. And that was it!!!

I was fifteen years old when I started reading articles on how to make our hair naturally straight. I knew there are several other ways like ironing, softening, smoothening and what not. But, I was scared to do any of that. I was scared that I would lose all my hair. Besides, they seemed to be too expensive to afford. Above all, my mother was dead against all that and I had no other options but to read through all the articles on how to make our hair naturally straight!

Milk!!! Washing hair with milk could straighten hair. So every Sunday I started washing my hair with a glass full of milk. I followed the routine for a few months. The result? Nothing at all! My hair looked just the same. For some strange reasons I felt as if my hair had become wavier!

The next step was to use of straightening serum. I bought the best serum in the town and started applying the same. The fragrance of the serum was just amazing and I loved the smell of my hair. I loved it so much that I started using it regularly until that day when I noticed my comb. Ouch! My hair was falling uncontrollably and I felt sorry for myself. I sobbed and my mother gave a look that conveyed I-knew-this-was-going-to-happen.

I had almost given up my struggle to straighten my hair when an advertisement for a conditioner caught my attention. The lady in the ad had freakishly straight hair and I was awed. It looked silky smooth and really long. Without a second thought, I bought that conditioner and used for a year continuously. The result it fletched was nothing new. More hair loss and more droplets of tears! And the same old looks from my dear mother.

I was 22 years old by then and I realized that ten long years has passed since I started working for a long hair. My mother was totally annoyed and she prohibited me from buying cosmetic products anymore. So I had no other options but to put henna on my hair every fortnight. The result was even more disastrous. My jet black hair started turning brown and my dry hair was rendered more brittle. Hair breakage followed and I felt lost.

At the age of twenty three, I started envisioning myself with no hair; a bald old lady I would be. The desire for a straight hair was replaced by the desire to repair my damaged hair. I went to a dermatologist and an Ayurvedic doctor. They both prescribed many medicines for intake. When the former prescribed a few lotions, the latter gave me some aromatic yet therapeutic oil. I started following their prescription religiously and I slowly felt as if my hair thanking me.

And today, after two years since the enlightenment, my hair has grown longer and shines healthily. I have stopped using all the cosmetic products and I don’t feel bad to admit the fact that I stick to hair oil to fix almost all the possible hair problems. I am proud that I am having wavy hair and that my hair looks voluminous because of that. I have accepted myself. This is how I am. Of course, I continue to have bad hair days and my hair style is the same for the past two years. But, that has stopped bothering me.

My wavy hair has taught me so much. It taught me accept me the way I am. Anything can be changed. But, nothing would be as enthralling as your natural self. And I am proud that I finally realized that. I am happy about this simple realization which could help me reach heights in life.