When I first decided to grow my relaxer out, I was super eager to try all of the hairstyles and products that I researched. I literally had a folder that contained links to products and hairstyles. In the beginning of my journey, I was not knowledgeable of products, techniques, etc. There were few resources available compared to now. A lot of my embarrassing hair stories are from the time when I was just trying to figure my hair out.

Once, I tried a new product combo on my TWA before I was heading to work. The products did not fully dry before my shift and I still had white residue in my hair. I did receive strange looks from people all day and a co-worker even attempted to touch my hair before asking for permission. Her excuse? “Oh, I just wanted to rub the stuff in so it can go away.” What lesson did I learn? If you do not have the time to experiment without rushing, push it off for another day.

You are probably thinking that I learned that lesson really fast, right? Nope, the same thing happened again not too long after my first moment. This time, it was right before I was heading to my boyfriend’s house. He actually put his fingers in my hair and kept calling my hair juicy. It was awkward.

I really enjoyed using lot of hair accessories and I probably went over board with some. Yes, I had plenty of flowers clips that were probably bigger than my afro. And again, people stared a lot. I wore a lot of headbands, and scarves (I was called Jimi Hendrix a few times when I wore my scarves”>. I was just having a lot of fun with my hair. But I do have my moments when I look back at old photos and I wonder why did I wear that? What lesson did I learn? Be yourself, no matter what others say or do. I enjoyed these hair accessories at the time and they really made my hair journey easier.

We are all going to have embarrassing moments, but it may be easier if you are prepared for them a little. Here are some tips to guide you through an embarrassing hair moment:

• Remember, this moment is temporary and will end at any second. Yes, you may replay this moment over and over again like your favorite song, but eventually you will forget about it and laugh in the near future.
• Be confident! You know who you are. Just smile your way through it.
• Try to find a lesson. Did you learn something that can probably help you with this in the future? We can always learn something.

What are some of your embarrassing hair stories? How did you and your curls bounce back?