"Press & Curl"
That was my thing back in the day
It was the third grade...
Picture day was just around the corner and Grandma (R.I.P.) wanted her baby-girl to look really nice!
"Ooh some Shirley Temple Curls would look so nice!" she said.
Well, I was excited, it would be my first time wearing my hair out, and i'd get a break from the cornrows I would usually get! So the night before the big photo shoot, Grandma put out the hot comb from her appliances stashed away in the kitchen cupboard. She placed it over a low fire on the stove....
And as soon as she did that I got a little nervous!
The fight with the hot comb was over in about an hour, and the curls were set. I don't quite remember how I slept that night, but the next day I was my grandma's version of the prettiest black Shirley Temple in Brooklyn.
It was time to take the pictures,
and my 3rd grade teacher thought it was her duty to spruce up her students hairstyles and uniforms so that they could look their best. I didn't know any better, and at 9 years old I didn't understand the art of looking into the mirror and making sure everything was in its place. In fact, I had just finished playing tag at recess, and I'm sure the wind blew through my curls quite a bit before picture time. If I had the good sense to check myself out in the little girls room, I would've known that my curls were reaching towards the east and the west, and my new glasses with the thick, light purple plastic frames would have been better off in my pocket than on my tiny face!
So yes, my 3rd grade picture was a bust. My mommy apologized for making me go to picture day like that, and we had our own photo shoot at home. I wore my school uniform, my hair was neatly braided in beautiful cornrows,and my glasses were put away. We created a wonderful background with our best curtain and my mom's favorite plant. That was my favorite photo shoot to date!
So having natural hair was never easy...and despite the hardships I vowed at an early age to never perm my hair. And after 12 years of successful press and curls I learned how to maintain my hair in its Napptural state! And I love it! So now, I am proud to say that I am AU NATURAL! And I wear it well!! No chemicals will ever touch these locks. =}
