The Beast Called Hair

Something that has always been a struggle for me is maintaining my hair. My hair, in its natural state, is extremely curly, puffy, and sometimes knotty. It can frequently be a hassle, especially when it is wet, hot, humid, or foggy outside. After a long process of taming it, it can become more manageable through two ways: through applying heat or using “hair protective styles.”

Applying Heat

As it sounds, applying heat simply involves blow drying and/or straightening the hair. This process can vary depending on the length and kind of curl pattern a woman has. Personally, it takes me a total of three hours to get my hair washed and combed, blow dried, and straightened. Because of the knotty nature of African-American hair, combing and blow drying it takes up most of the time. The advantage to doing this is that it is much simpler and easier to wake up and have your hair styled. The disadvantage is that maintaining the straight hair-do is only possible if preventative measures are made to avoid water contact and humidity, which are sometimes inevitable.

Hair Protective Styles

There are numerous ways to style my hair so that it can maximize its moisture and health without heat. Applying heat too often is very damaging to the hair, therefore during a time when I know there’s a high chance of my hair becoming puffy, I choose to not straighten it because it won’t last long. However, braiding, twisting, or wearing my hair natural will allow it to remain in a healthy state. The advantage to this is method is that heat is minimized and it actually helps the hair grow. The disadvantage, on the contrary, is that to keep these hair styles nice, usually extra work would need to put it in. For example, when I twist my hair at night, in the morning I would need to wet it to make the curls look their best. 

One thing that I have noticed over the years is that I tend to worry about the little details when it comes to ensuring that my hair doesn’t get messed up. I often limit myself from swimming and water rides, and if I do swim, I don’t go under the water. I also have to wear a shower cap in the shower and sleep with a bonnet to bed every day (to keep my hair from puffing from the sweat we all accumulate at night). I also tend to style my hair differently depending on the time of year, factoring in the weather conditions and the season. For example, I would use hair protective styles during the month of July, considering the fact that it is summer time, I want to swim, and it tends to be humid and muggy. Here's a picture of me last July (my hair wasn't freshly twisted but this was the only recent one I could find).

Until recently, I have worn my hair straight for most of my life, especially in the winter. I have had sporadic moments of braiding it and wearing it natural, but i’ve never committed to any long-term hair protective style. 

Being at Penn State has changed my hair habits drastically. Due to the constant walking outside to classes, my hair always gets curly immediately after I straighten it, which is why, on most days, I wear it in a pony tail. 

What are your daily hair routines (sorry guys this may not include you)? Are there any specific challenges that you face?