Bad Hair: One Girl's Journey and a Miracle

When I was little, I was cute.  I had wispy, baby fine hair.  See evidence below. 

 

Kindergarten

My hair was always in my face or in two braids.  It stayed this way through 5th grade.  Oh how I wish someone would have explained to me that hair changes when you age, and that I could have relished that easy to manage hair.

And then I turned 12.

6th grade

Overnight my hair increased in thickness and became coarse and frizzy with unpredictable waves.  I could barely put a comb through it.  Time did not improve things.  They got worse.

7th grade

It is easy to see why boys weren't exactly banging down my door.  I slowly learned that applying heat could ease some of the volume.  My hair got a little less voluminous in high school and even seemed to calm a little in public.  However, I was always at the mercy of the weather.  Any moisture and I was right back at 7th grade.  And forget air drying.  It could take up to 4 hours and I was left with strangely textured hair.

I hit my low during the summer of 2006.  Dave and I were vacationing in Thailand.  For those who are unaware, Thailand is very humid.  Suddenly, I was reliving that episode of Friends where the gang goes to the Bahamas and I was Monica.  It was bad.  My fears were only confirmed by our tour guide.  The movie, Superman, had just opened starring Brandon Routh.  Our guide thought that Dave looked a little like him and took to calling Dave, "Superman."  Cute right?  Sure, until he then questioned why someone as good looking as Dave would be with me.  Burn.  I suffered through 3 weeks of excruciatingly bad hair.

Some people would say, "learn to live with it," "embrace it," "get over it."  I tried. Oh God I tried.  At one point about 4 years ago my hair decided it wanted to be more curly.  I tried putting in curl creme, rocking the curl.  I tried for about 6 months.  In the end, I was left with lumpy, frizzy, coarse hair that was curly in some parts, more wavy in others.

I thought things were looking up when I got pregnant with Linus.  My hair got a little straighter, a little smoother.  Sure I needed to blow dry and use a straightener (a 45 minute process), but I was looking better.  Then I got pregnant with Eileen and my hair reverted to a much more frizzy, unruly former self.  Some of my students wanted to know what happened to my hair and why I couldn't look like I did after I had Linus (I had a family pic on my desk).  Nothing like middle school to keep you real.

So I have spent the better part of my life struggling with my hair.  I don't know what happened, but suddenly in the last 2 months my hair decided to revisit life as a 7th grader.  Despite blow-drying straight, using high end smoothing gel, and a straightener, my hair refused to behave.  It was big and some parts looked like a rat and been munching on my hair (I'm not joking). 

I went to my haircut last Tuesday night.  I made sure to preserve my hair all day so that the stylist could see the mess it had become.  That morning I had read in People Magazine about the textured perm that Kate Middleton got, and it got me thinking about straightening perms.  As soon I mentioned this to the stylist, she asked me how I felt about organic.  When I said I didn't care, she suggested a Brazilian Blowout.  I was immediately on board.  She handed me a glass of wine and told me to not tell anyone where I got it done (since they don't officially offer the service).  It was only afterwards that I learned that those pregnant or breastfeeding should not get it done.  Whoops.  Well, I am almost done with nursing so it can't have done too much harm right?

I am pleased with the results.

No longer must I fear water or humidity.  I only need to blow dry if I so choose.  It can air dry in under an hour with zero frizz.  I can hardly believe it.  I have low maintenance hair!  It's a little weird not having any body but I'll adjust.  I can go swimming and get my hair wet!  I can walk to my car when it's raining and not ruin my hair for the day!  Hair anxiety is gone.  I am excited to grow my hair a little longer.  I haven't had it at my shoulders since I was 14 due to mushrooming effects.  Look out rainy, wet world!  I no longer fear you.