My Curly Fro

by Vanessa
(Lexington, KY)

Growing up I had a hard time dealing with my hair. My family believed (as did I) that I had "nappy" hair. I would cry when my mother brushed/combed my hair and sometimes she would too.

It came to the point when I was 11 that my mother and I decided to chemically relax my hair. Since my hair was thin but very full the process would take about four hours. That included splitting my hair in sections, applying the cream, giving the cream time to work, washing it, staying under a heating cap with rollers and then additional blow drying afterward.

The process was long and painful. Many times, regardless of which hair salon I went to, I would cry due to chemical burns on my head that would scab. What was worse was that the hair stylist wouldn't see any problem so wouldn't do anything about my complaints. Afterward, during shampooing the lady's nails would scratch the already burned areas. The same thing would happen with the bristles of the brush and the intense heat of the blow dryer on these affected areas.

This was done every 3-4 months at $60-$80 a visit. Afterward it would take two hours to blow dry my hair on my own and it would never look as great as when done in the salon. Needless to say I "hated" my hair.

At the age of 18 going on 19 I decided to rebel against hair relaxers...and then my hair rebelled against me! But as the time went by and I let the relaxed portion of my hair grow out I started noticing that my hair was starting to curl. I started trying different hair products to tame the frizz until I came across one that worked like magic. I was convinced that I truly did have curly hair.

By the time the new growth reached my ears I became brave and just chopped off all the relaxed section on my own. Although it didn't look bad at all I don't suggest just doing that on your own unless you're prepared for the outcome!

About a year later my hair began curling full strength and developed into a little fro my husband loves. According to some websites it's a c4 type curl.

I use Aussi shampoo for moisturizing and Frizz Ease as my conditioner. After shampooing I apply the conditioner and don't rinse it out. I then use "Thick n Shine" styling gel from Fantasia Industries (which worked like magic)and just let air dry. I do use a wide tooth comb and after I comb out a section, I squeeze the excess water before applying the gel. It works wonders!