This week I’ve been wearing Korina.
For those of you who don’t know, Korina is my silky, straight, almost shoulder-length wig. I was sick with some cold/flu/exhaustion bug (I slept 12 hours – I haven’t done that since I was an infant) and on Sunday afternoon, I decided that this was going to be a no muss, no fuss week. So, after I washed it and went through the motions, I did a couple of flat twists, slapped on the wig cap and the wig, threw up the deuces and called it a day.
Now wearing this wig, I’ve noticed a couple of things:
- Why does it feel so messy on my head? Strands are all over the place and the hair itself isn’t staying put – the hair isn’t doing what I want it to do. Granted, it is a wig, but did my relaxed hair behave like this? I think it did – at least right after a relaxer. I’ve grown used to my twists staying in place. Yes, sometimes they do what they want (I need them to curl left and they decide to curl right… or not curl at all), but for the most part, I go with the flow and so does my hair.
- My colleagues like straight hair. Now, I don’t know if this is because most times there is something kinky happening on top of my head and they just aren’t used to the straight hair any more. It doesn’t really bother me one way or the other because someone liking or disliking my hair isn’t my problem – I choose to wear my hair how I like my hair. This week, I like straight and silky, but be sure that next week my kinks and curls will be back.
- I don’t feel as confident. Maybe it’s because I’m wearing a wig that I feel somewhat false. The wig serves its purpose: I don’t have to manipulate my own hair for a week or two, but I just don’t feel quite like me. It is amazing how hair/how you look affects how you feel. I still feel OK, but I don’t have the same kind of oomph in my step that I had last week.
This is a love/hate relationship with wigs and weaves. I can do braids or twists without a problem – maybe because the assumption is that it is not my hair. With a wig or weave, although I’m not pretending that the hair is mine, I’m not shouting to the rooftops that I’m wearing a Yaki blend. I love the fact that I can protect my hair and change up my style, but I hate the fact that I don’t feel like me. I feel like an impostor of sorts – and I’ve felt like that from the first day I wore it. I think I look cute and not too wiggish, but I just don’t feel right.
Whatever. I will be wearing Korina until the end of the week, then I’m busting out a flat twist out. For real!
So readers, when you’re wearing protective styles like a wigs, weaves or braids, do you feel out of sorts or do you feel like yourself?
The Accidental Natural 
“I can do braids or twists without a problem – maybe because the assumption is that it is not my hair. With a wig or weave, although I’m not pretending that the hair is mine, I’m not shouting to the rooftops that I’m wearing a Yaki blend. “
that is exactly how I feel about wearing straight hair/weaves. To me it feels more like trying to fit into the ‘accepted look’. Whereas when I wear braids, I feel they are still looked at as ‘different’ and inherently a ‘natural’ look [even if they are longer then my own hair]. I don’t quite feel as if I’m faking. But even when when I used to relax my hair, I constantly felt fake, because you’re obviously trying to achieve the caucasian straight hair look. And my biggest peeve, is black women [and this is probably the majority] with badly relaxed hair with no movement to it, it’s too short to ‘style’ and it just looks wrong. If you’re going to relax it, then go all the way. Have it done right and upkeep it properly, so that it is cut in a proper style, it does move, it does look healthy. I hate that combed flat, jaggedy edge, no movement look – which is why when I did relax my hair, I NEVER wore it ‘out’. It was always pulled into a bun or such.
Maybe that’s what it is — I feel like I’m ascribing to a certain look… When I bought the wig, I wanted to have one so I would never have to straighten my hair. When I felt like rocking a straight look, I’d wear it. But it just doesn’t feel right. It doesn’t help that I’m used to playing with a coil or a kink during the day and now I’m just dusting shedded strands off my shoulders.
My pet peeve is unhealthy hair. Since going natural, I’ve been watching people’s hair entirely too much. And it seems that a lot of women just don’t know how to care for their hair — relaxed or natural — especially in the winter. When I was relaxed, I would hate to see people who refused to trim their ends although they were scraggly (I used to do that when I was younger). What’s the point of having so-called “long hair” if you can spy through it because it’s so darned thin?
yes, the ‘holding onto length’ syndrome, when it just doesn’t look healthy. So true.
I’d love to do a nice short look relaxed. I loved when I first went natural and it was super short and SO eash. Literally wash and go hair. The problem with a short relaxd [or not] is the maintenance. You do have to commit to regular trims/cut to maintain the style – and I’m not up for that. But for the women that do, I totally love it.
I used to be all about weaves and wigs, loved them (still like the variety) but i’ve noticed that since I went natural, i feel like the biggest fraud with one on. Whenever I go out with my natural hair, any other naturals see me and we smile, wink, maybe chit chat. With my wig on, I felt like I was turning my back on them, got no smiles, winks, or anything from my natural girlies because of course they couldn’t see that I too was “one of them”.
It’s just more fun with my own hair, but I knew that I had to protect it this winter, so I would twist it and wear the wig anyway, because my healthy hair is more important than me trying to wink and wave at people, lol.
http://socialitedreams.wordpress.com/