Blast from the Past

When some people grow their hair out, they have no idea what it will look like when it's long because they never got to that point. I am not one of those people. When I was little, I had very long and very curly hair.

Me at 6ish years old; my hair
is larger than life!

I don't remember what it felt like. Back then, I was only concerned with Barbies (see my shirt) and playing on the swings at the park. Vanity meant nothing to me and I didn't realize that my hair was a hot commodity. Oh to be in that place mentally again...

What I do remember from that time was Saturday nights. My mom would stick me in the tub, undo my braids, and start to wash my hair. When the brush hit my head, it was Tears Central. My mom tried to use conditioner, but my knots had a mind of their own. I remember lots of pain and how I begged her not to brush through my hair. It would take forever but when it was done, I had a sore scalp and clean untangled hair. Of course this agony would lead me to beg for the drastic haircut I got when I was 8. From then on, my hair never got back to that length.

I like to look at these pictures for many reasons. First, it gives me incentive and visual proof that if I hang in there, my hair will look like this again. It also tells me the less I worry about my hair and the less stuff I do to it, the longer it will grow. When I was a kid, my hair was either braided or down. I didn't put tons of products in it and I didn't try to straighten it every other week. 

Can't wait to have these back

Me being totally unaware of my pretty
hair.

I really need to let go of my need to control my hair, and let it be. If I channel my inner kid, this just might work.