Not a victim anymore

by Idia Parson
(Columbus, Ga)

I remembered having shoulder length hair at a very young age. I also remembered getting relaxers very young to. When I was starting preschool I had a relaxer. My mother pretty much kept my hair healthy. I had very thick hair. She would keep it in braids most of the year. By the time I was 10 years of age, my older cousin taught me how to do hair. Now she had longer hair than I did and this time her hair stopped right at the end of her neck. For her that was short.

I remember when spritz first came and we received a free bottle of it in the mail. High,big hair was in. The higher and harder your hair was the better. We would use curling iron and was not happy until we heard that sizzling sound that our hair would make when that curling iron came in contact with the spritz on our hair, that is how we knew it was working lol.

Well over time about I month of that my mom was so fed up with me playing in my hair she sent me to a stylist to get a curl. I had alot of new growth but not enough to put in a ponytail. The stylist informed my mother that in order for my curl to look right she needed to cut my relaxed ends. I was so mad. I cried the whole time she was cutting my hair. I looked in the mirror and was so upset I could not embrace the new hair style. I was 11 years old at the time.

I started to get use to my new look and even enjoyed that I had beautiful curly hair. The stylist would curl my hair in a shirley temple pattern instead of the old basic curl. Oh! how my hair grew. It was beautiful. I learned to really like it.

A couple of years later I wanted to try straight hair just to see if how long it really was and because all my friends had relaxed hair. I didn't enjoy the teasing I got with the curl either. Also I felt like I was getting older and it was time. My mother decided to let me get a relaxer. I took better care of it, but also notice that it was more work. My mother did most of the washing and getting what I need.

At the age of 14 I decided to get my haircut like T-boz from TLC. I loved that look on me for a while. At about 15 years of age I started experiment with extensions and weaves. My mom learned how to braid and do sew in. I did not know that my hair was being protective. My hair grew some more.

By the time I was 16 years of age I started styling my own hair. I pretty much kept it in a ponytail with an extensions braid so I could create a bigger bun. Then Aaliyah year was hitting big and her hair was hot. I wanted my hair to look like hers, but did not have the length our the patiences to grow my hair. So I learned how to glue in extension. I was good at it too. I would wear it for about two weeks, RIP it out and wore my big bun again.

Time went on and I wanted to wear my hair short again. Like I said before I love this look on me for some reason. And I would play around with my hair for a while. My hair always seemed and was pretty much healthy. I was using aphogee and was washing and conditioning my hair every week. It was my passion. When I was a senior I got my first highlights. I was so pretty. The color fit me well.

By the end of my senior year I was going to the hair salon to keep up my healthy short hair. I decided to grow my hair out. But then again I am very impatient. I loved to get sew in better than glue ins, but when I started to live on my own I didn't have mommy to do my hair. So glue was my only option.

I did a year 3 years of microbraids, tree braids and my new idol was Beyonce. Whatever she did I copied. I would let my hair breathe from time to time and it grew but not as long a I liked it. So by 2004 I was loving the long hair look and everyone loved it on me. I gained an attachment to my "hair". I could not be with out it.

So I met my future husband in 2005. And for 3 years straight I wore glue in weave. So I met a woman that had natural hair and it was beautiful. I then decided that it was time to let the glue and hair alone.

On July 8, 2008 I took my husbands clippers and shaved my head. I had no hair left on my head. I wore lace wigs anyway so I was good. So I am new to haircare and plan to go natural. I know I have curly hair 3c to be exact because when I was wearing ll that weave I never used relaxers.

I know have about .10 inches of hair and I wear a lace front bob wig and love the new look. I co wash daily and plan to wear my hair once I can achieve a Halle Berry short hairstyle.

I am so happy that I realized healthy hair is the right thing for me and all I do is stay on the computer to do research on healthy hair. I want waist length hair and do realize I HAVE A LONG ways to go, but I got the knowledge and support from my husband and my daughter is also on the journey with me. I have 3 children. Well I am ready