I didn’t make it under the dryer last night. So, as expected, my hair didn’t dry by the morning despite the fact that 8 1/2 hours have elapsed, it was almost completely dry before I applied my leave-in and styler (so dry in fact that I had to wet it slightly just to be assured I would get a set) and I wore a hair net instead of a bonnet to allow air flow. Seriously, my hair feels totally damp right now at 6 a.m. So, here I sit under the dryer, quickly writing this post, hoping that my hair will dry in 30 minutes, so that it will be workable.
That being said, my review of the Doris New York leave-in and Olive Oil cream will have to wait until tomorrow as will, what I hope will be, a new style debut. However, this little headache is the perfect little platform for a post that I’ve been thinking about for a couple of weeks. Natural Nuisances. Hair Headaches. Curly Pet Peeves.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I love natural hair. I love my natural hair. But, there are definitely things that work my last nerve, like my hair NEVER being even close to dry after sleeping in a wet set overnight. Here are a few more.
- That strand of shed hair that hangs after I finish twisting, forcing me to untwist and release it because it’s decided to knot around a strand that is securely in my head. Then, twisting again only to have yet another frickin’ shed strand hanging and repeating the process all over again.
- Finding that stray piece of hair that I missed after I finish twisting, braiding, styling my hair.
- That piece of hair messing up my nice parts because it belongs with another section.
- Manufacturers who discontinue my staple/holy grail product and replace it with a far inferior version (I have a thing about these crappy baggies with no lip and loose elastic. I can’t find a decent baggie anywhere!).
- Running out of hot water in the shower during my hair rituals and having to finish with cool/cold water.
- Forgetting to bring something I need into the shower or running out of it (ex. deep conditioner, hair clips, etc.) and having to jump out, soaking wet, to get it.
- Totally running out of product when I’m only halfway done my hair and realizing I don’t have any in “stock.”
- Natural hair wars (i.e. nastiness for just no dang good reason).
- Constantly and repeatedly seeing “regiment” used instead of regimen and “course” instead of coarse (you know my Grammar Police ways start to kick-in).
- That little stray piece of hair that wants to act a fool and hang longer than the rest, with nary a curl in sight, forcing you to try to coax it into an adjoining section throughout the day. And, just when you’re not looking, there that fool is, hanging out again!
Yup. That just about sums it up.
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hairscapades 
Yeah, what’s up with this new word regiment? Just this pass hair wash day while in the shower, I wanted to comb my hair while under the running water and I had to get out of the shower all wet and cold for my big tooth comb. I wasn’t happy one bit.
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Oops. “past”
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Tooooo funny. I can soooooo relate. My hair takes forever and a year to dry a well. A lot of it depends on the products I use though. You know… I have a high bun in my hair today and the front section was supposed to be styled from a twistout and it’s still wet too. I just left the twists in. I don’t have time to sit under the dryer in the morning anyway. Oh well! New style! *shrugs*
You’re better than me. When I finish a twist and have that shed hair dangling, I just leave it. No wonder I end up with random hairballs when I have a twistout.
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Rece, it is hilarious!! I snatch out that shedding hair, it annoys me so much. Sitting under the dryer is out of the question for me in the morning as well. I value my sleep and try to get as much of it as possible.
@ Shelli, you sound like you hardly get any sleep, posting, exercising, and hair gets in the way! lol!!
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Exactly Miche’al … except the exercising as of late!! I’ve been horrible about following “The Rules” since I got sick and why do I feel something coming on again? I know who, because I keep getting into bed after midnight and trying to get up at 6. I’m definitely not getting enough sleep! I need better time management skills! LOL!
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LOL! Rece!! Yeah, those random hair balls upon release would end up in me disrupting the set and ending up with fallen curls. So, I HAVE to get those sheds. I’m also always concerned because they are knotted and if they tighten, then I might not be able to loosen them and will have to end up cutting off a perfectly fine portion of a piece of hair that’s in my head! So, I try to make sure I remove them as much as possible. Now that my shedding has decreased, I don’t think that I’ll have as many anymore though. So, that’s a relief!
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I hate the fact that you have to make a choice between shrinkage & curl definition!
I dislike that my hair has about 3 distinct textures in different areas of my head!
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I think the texture thing is almost everyone and yes, it is a pain! Choose one!!!!
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Those stray shed hairs after I twist…they look so disrespectful hanging there. It is SOOOO rare that my hair actually dries so I hate when moisture soaks through my scarf and I wake up with a damp pillow. My face has been suffering because of all of the products that find a way to creep onto your face. The floor of the tub is always super slippery because of conditioner. It’s torture to remove your twists or braids in the morning, hair looks BEAUTIFUL, but you have to put it up for ‘protection’. I think my last complaint for the morning will be finding a hang nail only after it has snagged your hair.. I used to have really long nails but recently, I’ve just been keeping them cut pretty short. With all that said, I LOVE my natural hair!
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What about finding that ragged edge or broken nail AFTER you’re done doing your hair?!?! YOu just sit there fixating on all the damage that it potentially caused!! Grrrrr Arrrggghhh!!
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Those broken nail get me so heated. Fixating on the damage is not it more like obsessing and then bothering others about your damage. Sorry S.O!
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Hahahaha! I don’t think I say too much about that directly to Wei … though, I imagine he has heard me say something once or twice about finding a ragged nail during or after doing my hair. These poor guys! They can be such good sports;)!!
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My curly pet peeves:
Auto-correction on my handheld device — not necessarily hair related, but …..
My 3a/b hair is beautiful when wet, but shows me her “back side” when dry
Why is it that the very nape of my hair is a completely different texture than all the rest?
Shrinkage in the crown of my head makes me look like a “mop head” – not cute at all!
Bobby pins that are not “handy-dandy” – so despise having to look for bobby pins!
Not having great products available on the ground – I really dont like shipping costs or waiting for products to arrive by mail.
Not having enough storage area available to store all your hair products and accessories
Friends who promise to send you a sample of their new hair finds and then fail to deliver – boo and hiss!
Having to make a choice better coloring my hair and healthy hair (my hair responds hostilely to hair color).
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Having to make a choice *between* coloring my hair and healthy hair*
I guess I should add one more to my list of curly pet peeves:
Finding a grammatical error after you hit the “reply” button – lol
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I’m sooo with you!! Auto correct is a pain too!
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Oh wait, you already said that! And, I am sooooo with you on shipping charges!!!! I can NOT stand paying for shipping! I try to order almost everything on Amazon if it qualifies for Super Saver Shipping!! I get mad because CurlMart only lets you use one discount code so either you get 20% off of your order or you get free shipping for orders over $60. It forces me to always do the math to figure out which one will cost me the least money!
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My edges & the front of my hair are a completely different texture than the rest of my hair & never hold any type of set. I can’t hide them or cut them off so all the time I spent twisting, braiding, etc was all for naught.
Also, the fact that shipping costs so dang much & sometimes is more than the product itself! We would all be a lot more happy if all products could be purchased on the ground and not be so expensive.
I think I’m done for now, lol.
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Oooh, the edges and front Taye?!?! Now that’s different. What a headache:(!
And girl, the shipping!! Man, that annoys the heck out of me! I try to order on Amazon as much as I can because so many things are eligible for Free Super Shipping!
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I am DYING at this list….because it is SO true.
The one I can relate to most is:
Finding the random stray hair after completing twisting/braiding. It’s crazy how much things like this keep us coming back, because it drives in the fact that we actually have ALOT in common! 🙂
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You speak the TRUTH! lol! I probably hate it the most when my hair turns out perfect and the weather outside compels me to put it under a hat or suffer the damage. Also, I hate those shed hairs too. I’ve just started ignoring them and waiting until I take my hair down to deal with them.
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Oooh yeah!! Weather ruining a perfectly good set is a “Grrrrr Aaaaargh” moment!!
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My hair usually dries by the morning but I definitely feel you on that loose strand that magically appears after you have finished braiding your hair.
Also I hate that some of these hair routines keep you indoors when I would rather be out enjoying life. I try to stick to a quick routine but I know some of the longer ones would probably be better for my hair.
Also I hate that everytime I touch my hair or lean somewhere there is grease on my hand or on the wall or my head rest in my car. I feel like that scene in coming to Mwrica with the jerry curl stains on the couch! And it’s not extra greasy or anything but still…..
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Yeah, I woke up this morning and my hair was still damp so I had to do a roll, tuck and pin routine. I also do not like it when people think it is their place to criticize the decisions of others. This is the main reason I don’t comment on most blogs – it just gets too negative sometimes and all over a PERSONAL decision someone else made. smh, nursing school is kicking my behind too much for me to add another stressor in my life.
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YES! hostile naturals are the worst 😦
Can’t we all just get along?!?
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Yes Nursing School can be a killer, but it pays off in the end. Hang in there. Plus the added stress of hair can be a problem too. Simplicity is good. Thank God for the roll and tuck hair style.
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Your list is on point and all too familiar – except for the hot water, I never run out – so I feel for those who do. I would also add “their,” “there”, and “marinates”. I believe that marinate is a culinary term. Oh and “congrads.”
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Off topic but “Happy New Years” no ‘s’ on the year. Oh and “mines”.
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Lol!
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Lol. I am so with you on many of these. I always seem to leave a stray piece of hair out when twisting my sections.
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hahaha! i experience all of these on a regular basis. there is one cluster of hair in the back of my head that always manages to evade my twists and braids….it cant be tamed lol. i also always have the issue of a piece of hair being in the wrong section. but being the lazy person that i am, i just leave it be.
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Omg I miss being on here!!!! But YES to all of them!!! And you can add to that…”you got Indian in your family?”, knots Knots KNOTS!!, curls that are crunchy at the end,drippy hair morning (hair drips down neck all day)…..
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I usually get … “What are you?” “Black.” “But where are your people from?” “New Jersey.”
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