Head of Curls

by Rhianna Jordan Turner

I've always had a really tough and touchy relationship with my hair. Growing up, as hard as my mother did try, we could never figure out how to contain/take care of my hair. I became so embarrassed by it and my lack of skill maintaining it, I would throw it up in a bun and let it rot. Kids would comment on how frizzy and dry it looked, saying I looked like a witch.

For years I straightened and fried my hair, trying to maintain a look I thought I'd be better off with. When I straightened it, I got attention. Positive attention, attention I wasn't used to. But the older I grew, the harder this was to keep up. Eventually, I had damaged my hair so much I shaved it all off.

I struggled with my femininity and what it truly meant to be a woman. It took a long time to feel comfortable in my own skin, in my own hair. Now, I love my hair and can't imagine treating it the way I did all those years. It's one of my favorite parts about me, and I'll never let anyone let me think otherwise ever again.

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Follow Rhianna on Instagram @carefreerhi