Lockdown found me battling hair insecurities and not knowing what to do next with my hair. For those that don’t know, going to the salon was no longer an option during lockdown though I heard later that people actually used to sneak into salons and lock the door to make it seem like there was no one in there. I wasn’t that adventurous. Previously, I had been attempting to transition to natural hair fully and so for about a year, I hadn’t put any relaxers in my hair. I simply kept plaiting and using wigs on very bad-hair days while cutting off the relaxed tips gradually.
When lockdown stepped in, I had to cope. Two things happened in lockdown that helped me greatly: first of all, my headwrap-tying game improved greatly as you can see in the images below and, my mum became my official hairdresser even though she was paid in love and hugs. I am forever grateful for her.
Lockdown also helped to show me that I wasn’t going to manage a fully natural look. I can almost hear the natural sisters protesting in my head even as I write this. Well, every time my hair was combed, I was in so much pain because of the entangled hair and my sensitive scalp. I always found myself resisting the urge to pick up a pair of scissors and end the pain for good – by cutting off the hair. Even if I left my natural hair exposed to air for only an hour, it would get entangled and would be painful to comb. So, what did I do? After tying all the headwraps I knew how to tie for lockdown seasons 1, 2 and 3, I accepted my fate. I trekked(because boda bodas were not yet operational) to a supermarket that had a wide range of relaxers and found a mild hair relaxer. I was done with natural hair for real. I even combed it out and took one last set of photos as mementoes. I attached one below.
After this memento-making ceremony, my sweet-mother-turned-hairdresser relaxed the hair for me. I was so happy. Guess what though? After washing the hair, I thought to myself how they really were not joking about the mildness because my hair still looked natural as you can see below. I have to admit that for a moment, I wondered whether this is what some naturalistas(ladies with natural hair) have been doing all along; and they just refused to share the secret. The positive side is that my hair is much easier to comb now and every combing moment is no longer a pain moment. This mild-mild relaxer arrangement works for me.
Well, if there is any lesson I have learnt, it is that hair is different and so are scalps. Sometimes you simply need to keep experimenting until you find something that truly works for you. Perhaps another lesson is to simply be creative. There is always a solution for you nearby. I am thankful to God for my mum who did my hair throughout lockdown and even suggested the mid-way hair solution that ended up working for me.
How did you ladies cope?
Until next time, I’m signing out with love.
Keziah Elaine Ayikoru 