Caustic/trivial.
Jun. 13th, 2005 10:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
allanaOne of the drawbacks to being black in a predominantly white country is the hair. 'Afros are endlessly amusing for one's classmates at school (I remember vividly having a spider introduced to mine--it span a web over the top of my hair), braids are tied together, cornrows are laughed at even more.... You get the general idea. I first had my hair chemically straightened when I was thirteen, after begging my parents for at least five years. Just to try and fit in, you know?
Of course, as my brother and I were the only black kids in the county (population of approximately 40000 when I was growing up)... what chance did I ever have of fitting in? Anyway. It didn't work. Oh, the hair was straight, but I still didn't fit in.
Fast-forward many years, and I'm still having my hair straightened. Tonight I'm curled up, typing, with a painful scalp as I finally dragged myself to the hairdressers to be mauled. Only, tonight I'm having a hard time trying to decide whether my scalp is being slowly burnt or whether it's just had enough of chemicals and incredibly hot hair-dryers.
The junior at the hairdressers today failed to wash off the relaxing creme properly. Now, I'm not sure exactly which chemical is currently popular for breaking the sulphur bonds in hair, but when I first started having my hair relaxed it was sodium hydroxide--caustic soda. Still popular for heavy-duty oven-cleaning and drain-clearing. Will cheerfully burn a hole through floor tiles at low molarity, and so forth. At any rate, by the time my stunted nerve endings said "Ow", I was half-way through the cut and thus, I'd had this noxious compound on my hair for over an hour and due to the wash, running over the back of my neck too.
Despite another three vigorous washes, I'm still undecided about whether it's all out or not. I know I have incredibly thick hair. Everyone always tells me that it's the thickest they've ever encountered. And I know that the creme has the consistency of Sudocreme or lanolin, but, still! I'm paying £70 to avoid chemical burns. I've had some doozies in my time; in fact I still have nice black burns at the nape of my neck. I had to have foundation there when I had my hair all piled up for my wedding, which is ridiculous.
I'm not really very sure where I'm going with this... other than to say that caucasians should actually try putting hair relaxer on their own scalp for hours. Perhaps then they'll learn to wash hair properly. No, it's not the same as leaving perm lotion on. It's much more damaging and painful. I am fed up of explaining this to an endless stream of juniors. I'm giving serious consideration to having a buzz-cut and going natural, no matter how stupid I look.
P.S. Yes, I could go and stick my head under the shower for half an hour, but it's probably just the scalp being tender after much abuse. And I'm loath to ruin a really good blow-dry that I'm incapable of doing myself. Also, I suspect fuming about this is making it hurt even more. Also, there's a huge money factor too.
*sigh*
Of course, as my brother and I were the only black kids in the county (population of approximately 40000 when I was growing up)... what chance did I ever have of fitting in? Anyway. It didn't work. Oh, the hair was straight, but I still didn't fit in.
Fast-forward many years, and I'm still having my hair straightened. Tonight I'm curled up, typing, with a painful scalp as I finally dragged myself to the hairdressers to be mauled. Only, tonight I'm having a hard time trying to decide whether my scalp is being slowly burnt or whether it's just had enough of chemicals and incredibly hot hair-dryers.
The junior at the hairdressers today failed to wash off the relaxing creme properly. Now, I'm not sure exactly which chemical is currently popular for breaking the sulphur bonds in hair, but when I first started having my hair relaxed it was sodium hydroxide--caustic soda. Still popular for heavy-duty oven-cleaning and drain-clearing. Will cheerfully burn a hole through floor tiles at low molarity, and so forth. At any rate, by the time my stunted nerve endings said "Ow", I was half-way through the cut and thus, I'd had this noxious compound on my hair for over an hour and due to the wash, running over the back of my neck too.
Despite another three vigorous washes, I'm still undecided about whether it's all out or not. I know I have incredibly thick hair. Everyone always tells me that it's the thickest they've ever encountered. And I know that the creme has the consistency of Sudocreme or lanolin, but, still! I'm paying £70 to avoid chemical burns. I've had some doozies in my time; in fact I still have nice black burns at the nape of my neck. I had to have foundation there when I had my hair all piled up for my wedding, which is ridiculous.
I'm not really very sure where I'm going with this... other than to say that caucasians should actually try putting hair relaxer on their own scalp for hours. Perhaps then they'll learn to wash hair properly. No, it's not the same as leaving perm lotion on. It's much more damaging and painful. I am fed up of explaining this to an endless stream of juniors. I'm giving serious consideration to having a buzz-cut and going natural, no matter how stupid I look.
P.S. Yes, I could go and stick my head under the shower for half an hour, but it's probably just the scalp being tender after much abuse. And I'm loath to ruin a really good blow-dry that I'm incapable of doing myself. Also, I suspect fuming about this is making it hurt even more. Also, there's a huge money factor too.
*sigh*
