Like every other self-respecting freshman, I started my first year at Harding trying to reinvent myself and my style, starting with my hair. (P.S. freshmen, that’s a joke. You do you.) It was a different color every month, constantly tortured by hair product, curling irons and straighteners. By the beginning of my sophomore year, it was fried beyond repair. In a desperate attempt to salvage my once-beautiful locks, I went to the trusty internet and read every blog and article about the new fad of nixing shampoo from your shower routine. While it sounded slightly unhygienic, I was willing to do whatever was necessary. The bloggers made shampoo sound like an evil villain, stripping your hair of health with harmful chemicals. These articles promised healthy, beautiful hair in no time.
It sounded like a pretty sweet gig, so in my usual spontaneous fashion, I chopped all of my dead ends and decided to go product and heat-free for a whole year. Worst. Decision. Of. My. Life. I neglected to remember that my hair gets fairly greasy fast, and by day three, I looked like I was auditioning for a role in “The Outsiders” or “Grease.” I read a few forums, and everyone said that the grease went away after a few days. “Trust us,” they said. “It will never be dirty again,” they said. Wrong. I am not sure how these bloggers spent their time, or where they live, but I highly doubt any of them are in a marching band in Arkansas. (My Northeast Texas heart is convinced this is the most humid place in the world, besides maybe the Amazon. Maybe.) I was miserable; I felt frumpy and gross, and my hair did not seem any healthier than normal.
After a month, I caved. I ran to the nearest convenience store, grabbed the first bottle of shampoo I saw and went to town. I am pretty sure my hair was singing Handel’s “Hallelujah” chorus for the whole hour and a half that I had to wash it in order to get all of the grease out. In hind sight, I wish I would have thought to collect all of the oil as it spilled out of my hair in crashing waves. I ended up spending $35 on an oil change the next day, and I could have saved that money for something else.
Now, I just use all organic hair products and avoid curling or straightening my hair more than twice a week. Boys and girls, (because we all know those man buns need your attention, too) you do not have to go to extreme measures to have healthy locks. Love your hair, and it will love you back.
