wash 'n wear hair

i seem to be in discussions where hair becomes the topic. straight, curly, curly, straight. granted, i've been going to a lot of diversity meetings for the past few years and hair is on many black women's minds. it's definitely an easy discussion for me to join. i'm a white jew with curly hair and i've never liked my hair either. when my hair was curly, i felt messy. granted, i don't have weaves and extensions to deal with too.

i spent the first 40 years of my life denying my curliness. blow dryers, flatteners and chemicals were all part of my day-to-day. fearing weather was the other part. rain and humidity could easily keep me in bed. the a/c was my friend. in addition to weather, any activity that made me sweat and required a shower after - sports, the gym, etc. - was something to be avoided at all cost. i didn't have wash 'n wear hair. i would have died for wash 'n wear hair. and still would.

flash forward 14 years ago and i had an aha moment. something (my son) kept me out of the work force and i became more relaxed about being messy. so i stopped blowing and straightening and began trying different curly hair products. and the oddest thing started happening -- i began getting compliments on my curls. i admit that i still feel messy with curls and if i have a dressy function, like my friend's 50th this saturday night, i think i should get it blown out. i don't think i will, but....

wwcd: i'd love to really accept the curls and all the messiness