Childhood Hair Care Memories

[Smiley79]

I was looking at some pictures from my childhood to tween years and I couldn't help but take a moment to zero in on my hair. My hair was natural, coarse, full and fluffy. I never had long hair but it was beautiful nonetheless. Then i started to think about how simple the haircare regimen was back then....shampoo, conditioner and grease. Lol. I guess simpler really is better.

What are your childhood hair and haircare memories?

 

[AgeinATL]

I remember hot combs, long wash and detangling sessions, crying (because I was so tenderheaded), braids with beads and the smell of Blue Magic. I had VERY thick, long hair and because my mom didn't know much about hair and was tired of all the fighting and tears, she slapped a relaxer in it. 30 years later, I am back to natural hair.

 

[Smiley79]

Who can forget that big jar of Blue Magic

 

[Prettymetty]

I remember my mom doing presses in the kitchen for special occasions. I had the pink ear protectors lol. I remember sleeping in foam rollers to get really tight bouncy curls. I remember wearing braids a lot, because my mom and I were both style challenged. I had a relaxer most of my life and kept my hair between neck and shoulder. No one wanted to deal with my thick 4b hair so the stylists kept it short.

In college it actually started to grow, because I wasn't going to salons for trims anymore. I became a diyer and later I found hair forums. Now that I understand my hair texture I am comfortable growing it to longer lengths.

 

[LdyKamz]

I remember getting my hair washed and my mom blow drying it into a nice, tall, thick high top all so she could braid it up. She used to do the little braided bangs with maybe like 4 or 5 braids across and put barretts on the end and then either a few celie braids pulled back into a little bun with those shoelace scrunchies we loved so much. You couldn't tell us our hair wasn't laid.

The first time we got a perm we were like 9 and I remember my hair being so long and flowy. My sister and I ran home after school to play in the mirror. My mother called from work and the first thing she said was "y'all bet' not be playing in that hair!" LOL Then we got to junior high school and wanted to do our own hair and everything went to hell. I'm only now recovering.

 

[cravoecanela]

My mother NEVER did my hair. I got a perm shortly before the 1st grade and I went to the salon every week after that, until I went natural after the eighth grade. I remember very clearly the smell of pink lotion, and how pretty I felt after my hairdresser put it in my hair (because it was pink, lol). My hairdresser would also occasionally use the green dax.

 

[GGsKin]

I remember green/ yellow Dax and Blue Magic where the regulars. In my childhood, my mum was the one that everyone brought their daughters to, to get their hair plait. She used to wash and plait my natural hair (mainly canerows) every 2 weeks. After washing, she'd plait in into some doodoo plaits and put me under her dryer. On special occasions, she would roller-set my hair or maybe use the curlig tong on a fringe piece. I used to plead to have 'out' styles, or bunches- which was a rarity.

I would sit between her legs as she dreamt up her new creations- tilting and turning my head to her desired angle. If I tried to feel what was going on, she would knock my offending hand with the comb. Always finished the style off with a ribbon- I'd hold my ends while she tied it.

The most annoying thing was how she would style my hair in canerows, and then randomly cut my hair in these plaits to form a fringe/ bang....anytime she wanted smdh. Surprised I had any hair left, for how often and how much she would lob off.

As soon as I could take control, I became a straight-haired natural. Pressing with comb on the stove and pink oil or beeswax lol.

I started raving way young (14) and would sweat out my press something terrible. I started requesting a relaxer at 15 and my mum was never feeling the idea. At 16, I finally wore her down and with her permission and overseeing, I saved up and paid the salon visit myself.

 

[MizAvalon]

I remember hot combs, long wash and detangling sessions, crying (because I was so tenderheaded), braids with beads and the smell of Blue Magic. I had VERY thick, long hair and because my mom didn't know much about hair and was tired of all the fighting and tears, she slapped a relaxer in it. 30 years later, I am back to natural hair.

This pretty much sums it up for me.

 

[flyygirlll2]

I just remember that it was pretty thick and my mother would only wash/condition, put some pomade, and twist it. The detangling sessions and wash days became a chore for her, so she eventually relaxed my hair at a young age. I will say that she always took excellent care of it so I can't complain even though I relaxed really young.

When I spoke to my mother the last time about going natural, she took a long pause on the phone and said" Chile, that hair was a lot of work!" Lol

 

[LivingInPeace]

My mother would wash my hair and press it every two weeks on Saturday. She would tell me it was the day for my hair to get done and I would immediately run and hide. I was very tender headed. I always hid in the same spot, under the desk in my room with a giant foam frog in front of the opening to conceal me. She would gather all the tools and supplies, have some coffee, do some housework then come and snatch me out my hiding place.

 

[CodeRed]

Then i started to think about how simple the haircare regimen was back then....shampoo, conditioner and grease

That's my current regimen and the one I had when I was little... except I oil my scalp a few hours beforehand and replaced the grease with a leave in afterwards.

 

[CodeRed]

LOL Then we got to junior high school and wanted to do our own hair and everything went to hell. I'm only now recovering.

That's the story of my whole hair life

 

[DarkJoy]

In my house it was Royal Crown

Saturday was wash and press and curl day. No conditioner!! I dont need to tell you the comb out experiences after a sulfate shampoo that leaves the cuticles wide open cuticles was like.

We would get washed in the sink and pressed right there at the stove. The smelle of hot iron and burning hair filled the house! My dad would sometimes come in and complain that it was too hot, she was burning our hair cuz he could smell it on the other end of the house! She would say it's not getting straight enough and remind him to mind his business My hair stayed short. Never past SL.

sometimes we would get braided with beads. Those were always my favorite.

 

[rileypak]

I very distinctly remember the HUGE bucket of barrettes I had, Pink Oil Moisturizer, Pompeian Olive Oil in the glass bottle, and Blue Magic.
My mother first worried I'd never grow any hair because I was pretty much bald until just over a year old (not exaggerating, I was literally bald the first six months of my life and after that I only had peach fuzz). Then my hair started growing in and it made up for lost time. By age 3, it was super thick and tall. She struggled and was sick of it and slapped a JFM in at age 5 or 6. That was also around the time my mom decided I could do my own hair.

 

[trclemons]

As a child, I remember getting my hair washed, my scalp greased with Sulfur 8 & Vaseline on my length.

Then, my hair would be combed, brushed and plaited. Because I was tenderheaded, I would bend away from my Grandmother and after repeatedly telling me to sit up, she would pop me with the comb and tell me to sit up she was almost done. But for Easter, I would always get candy curls and my Grandmother would heat the iron on the stove and when she was curling it, she would click and twirl the handle until the entire piece of hair had been curled into the iron.

As a tween, I remember going through the wash process & my Grandmother using Vaseline on my length to press my hair. I also remember holding down my ears when she was ready to press that area.

In high school, I remember using curling irons without heat protectant and having it so hot that it would burn my hair. I also remember putting spritz on my hair before curling it and would hear it sizzle when I used the curling iron.