Sororities, Class schedules, and Hair Stylists: Key College Decisions

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As we head into September, I started to reflect on the first time that I really faced the issue of “who is going to do my hair.”  I had to think way back to when I moved 700 miles away to go to college. 

 

Up until that time, my hairdresser was primarily my mother or one of my aunts.  Later, it shifted to a next door neighbor that did hair out of her basement.  In between, my mother found teenage girls from across Philly that would braid my hair. 

 

Basically, I got my hair done wherever my mother told me to sit in the chair.  I may have had styling gripes back then but I knew well enough to keep quiet.  I can’t imagine telling my mom, “oh no, I can’t use Optimum any more I only use Nexxus shampoo now.”  As an adult, I did confide to an aunt that she braided my hair too tightly.  She said, “Really, you never said anything.”  I told her that I did have some sense.

 

When I got on the yard, beyond worrying about revealing my night-time hair rituals to my roommate from Nebraska, I also worried about who was going to do my hair.  I knew how to wash and style my own hair but I had never tried to do anything beyond that on my own.

 

I went to one of my sophomore friends who lived in my dorm for help.  I had one friend, Vicki, who was adamant about doing her own hair.  She could barely afford to pay for books let alone pay for a salon visit.  Vicki said that I could come over and watch her apply her own relaxer.  I observed her as she followed the steps on the box.  Her hair did come out straight but her scalp was bright red.  I guess it looked worse than it felt because all she said was, “See, it is not that hard.”  I responded, “I think that I may rather have someone else do my hair.”

 

Then, I went to my friend Karen.  Karen said, “Girl, you need to go to LaKesha.”  I asked for the name of her salon.  Karen replied that she didn’t have a salon; she is a student and does hair out of her apartment.  Does LaKesha really have a cosmetology license, I asked?  Karen ran down the list of other students that relied on LaKesha for the hook-up.  I thought that the list was kind of impressive but I didn’t hear a name that really had that supa-dupa-star hair quality.  Hey, I have always shot for the stars.

 

Lastly, I went to my friend Ava, whose hair I admired.  She suggested that I try a salon downtown that offered student discounts.  I decided to check it out that week.  By that time, I was kind of worn out.  I had been through my selection of headbands and hats, which included my Malcolm X hat, my jean hat, my black velvet hat that I got at a street fair, my Chicago Bulls hat, and a few others.  As a working woman, I wish that I had the opportunity to throw on a hat as I was looking for a new stylist.

 

I am thankful that my mother prepared me to make all of these decisions before I went off to college.