Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Self Portrait Challenge - Imperfections



I'm so bummed I miss last weeks SPC. The weather was icky all week so I kept putting it off waiting for better light. And than it was too late. So I'm doing it early this week. The sun finally broke through so I took these in the last rays of light this evening hense the washed out look, which I kind a like.
So anyway this one all about my hair. Anyone knows me would say "WHAT!! Your hair is beautiful, how could say it's an imperfection". This is because everyone loves my hair and I'm being narcissistic here. My Grandmom would always say "people would pay good money to have your hair." I swear it's the only thing people rememeber me by, my only redeemable quality.
I was born with the usual baby curls that eventually turned straight. I had straight hair until I was about 11 when I hit puberty. I had very short hair and was trying to grow it out. I remember telling my Mom when I hair grows out I want a perm. Well... We went to salon asking for a perm and once my hair was washed and waiting to be done the hair dresser looked at me like I was crazy and I remember her saying' Oh honey you don't need a perm, you do need to stop brushing your hair and look you have perfectly curly hair."
That was it, the next 10 years of my life and my Mom's was hell. I hated my hair I mean really hated it. I tried every product, tried straighting perms. Anything to control my hair, it was (still is) thick and frizzy and curly and all I wanted is what everyone else had - easy straight hair. I drove my poor Mother insane. When we first did the straighting perm she would spend hours blow drying my hair straight, she was good to me....
Well, I've learned to handle this rats nest, as my Mom loves to call it. No more products anymore, no more straightening perms. Just natural oils, a mix very lusious oils acutally, that I call Greek hair oil. I originally got the mix in Greece on Santorini from this amazing man who owns a pharmacy there and distills his own essential oils and he made this mixture especially for my hair, he went to him home and made it himself. It was very special I'll never forget it. Anyway it's still not easy though, every other night I apply jojba oil to my scalp so when I wash my hair the next morning it will run through my hair and protect it from the soap. I can only use the super fatty soap that we make to wash it, no conditioner, apple cider vinegar treatment once and week. You see, it still rules my world. When it's a bad mood, so am I. It is very finicky.

But it is me, without it would be a much different person, when my hairs up and put away I feel different, not quite all the way me. It's kind of like what they say about a mans beard and how it's like a mask, well that's my hair, it's so much a part of my character.

1 comment:

Suz said...

as your step mother I can say, and I know you father will agree...we see no imperfections....you are our perfect daughter.