Why did I stop chemically relaxing my hair?
Simply put, I was suffering from chemical burns on my scalp no matter how much I attempted to protect my scalp. I have seborrheic dermatitis, which means that my scalp gets extremely inflamed and flaky. It flares up even worse when I am stressed out. I had a weekly routine of rotating dandruff shampoos because when one would stop working, I would start the next.
Consequently, having my new growth chemically relaxed had become a hit or miss nightmare. Sometimes, I would escape the process with little to no chemical burns. However, I was often not quite that lucky. There were times after the stylist added Vaseline to my scalp and got halfway done applying the chemical relaxer my scalp would start burning. When my scalp felt like it was on fire from the chemicals, I could not help but ask myself why am I torturing myself to have straight hair? What is the point? She would have to wash it out quickly resulting in my new growth not getting straight. Not only was it not straight, but my scalp would be extremely tender and the following morning I would have scabs where the chemically burnt scalp was trying to heal. This could not possibly be good for my scalp. I wondered whether these chemicals were being absorbed into my scalp. What would be the long-term effect of years of chemical burns on my scalp?
It was time to consider doing something different. However, I had done something different before. Twice before I had cut all of my relaxed hair off and wore a short afro, but eventually I would get bored with that style and I would long to have my shoulder length hair again. I had no idea how to style longer hair in its natural state and still remain accepted in a corporate environment. I saw no African-American women with natural hair in upper management. My closest natural hair role model in upper management was a well-respected, sharp, intelligent sister who braided her relaxed hair.
The third time was the charm. With the help of watching You Tube videos I have learned how to care for my natural hair and dreadlocks.
