Matted and Mad

by Sharee Jackson
(Chicago, IL)

In November 2001, I decided to get micro braids because I was tired of doing my shoulder length hair. They were so cute, dark brown with blonde streaks. I was able to curl them and do the nicest updos. After 2 months I decided to remove the braids. I went over to my best friend's house for help. Once we finshed, I combed through my hair and applied conditioner. When I went to rinse the conditioner out, my entire head of hair loc'ed up on me. Not even my fingers could go through it.

At 2 AM, I called a cab and went home to cry in private. My world was officially over. What would I do without my hair. My stylist lived around the corner from me. I went to her house at 7 AM. She used some kind of detangling conditioner but it didn't work. In the end I had to cut the locs out. The short hairstyle was cute, but to me there's nothing like shoulder length hair. I didn't take any pictures of that hair. To this day I'm traumatized when I think of what happened. No more micros for me!