Back In Love Again

This is an open letter to my Dominican hairdresser. I know I should be saying stylist...or beautician...but my peoples are country and that's how my G'ma says it. Hairdresser!

Click here for the relevant apocolyptic Bible verse. (wanna discuss?)

Dear Migdalia,

I know you were shocked to see me walk through your door a month ago. How often did you see me pass by your shop and wonder when I would return to you? My visits to you have been spotty these last 2 years because I was busy with weaves and braids and ponytails. I was caught up in the world of fake hair. Why you ask? I don't know...maybe it was because I turned 30 and went through some kind of mid life crises...or maybe it was from watching music videos and noticing not one female black singer who obviously relaxes her hair wearing her own hair on TV(Mariah and J-lo not included)...but majority of our celebrities also favor the hair of the horse. I think I may have fallen into the fantasy life...My mindset went the way of favoring what my eyes saw and I changed my own appearance to match this. Curly weave or straight...I wanted long long hair...It didn't matter if the hair would get in my food....or drive me crazy in the morning trying to get the snarls out....I wanted hair and lots of it. and part of me is blaming it all on Beyonce! I sang India Arie along with the rest of them...but in my heart I knew I really wanted to be the average girl in the video...because that's who men put on a pedestal nowadays....I can't lighten my skin...but I could slim down and put on a lotta hair....

But last December...as I was finally putting pictures in my photo album...some from as long ago as 8 years old....My daughters looked at my hair and marveled over how beautiful it used to be....And they ran to the giant poster size potrait that we had done when they were 1 and a half...and my hair flowed over my shoulders and cascaded down my back. They said Mommy, your hair was as long as ours...what happened? I could only shake my head and say...Mommy stopped taking care of it...instead I covered it with wigpieces and such and after AD well you know mommy cut all of her hair off...it's something mommy does when she gets out of a relationship....Cutting my hair is also like starting over....The twins said so now that you and Honey aren't friends anymore...are you gonna do it again?

I paused...Yeah...I'm going to do it again...but this time will be different.

So Migdalia, I have thrown away all of my human hair pieces, I gave my mother my Pam Grier wig...and threw away the ponytails....I came to you a month ago and when you washed my hair...you said something so sweet...

"Mommie, ju have reedy nisse hair-a. Ju should let it grow Mommie"

So I am taking your advice, Migdalia....and since I came back to you ....I have been back every week since....And in the last 4 weeks my hair has grown out so much...that I need another relaxer...and thank you for letting me know that I only needed a mild children's relaxer because although my hair is super thick...it's acutally curly and doesn't need the Lye treatment...You were the first to tell me that and not try to damage my hair...

So can you please fit me in on Saturday? I need to get my hair done before I start my job on Monday...but tell Miss Wei Ling that I will no longer be needing her services...I won't be wearing fake hair or fake nails anymore...

Thank you,

Ms Back In Love With Her Natural Diva