When I was a kid I HATED/DESPISED/LOATHED my hair!!! I had a thick head of crazy frizzy curls of red. I remember getting on the bus every morning with my sister (who also had red hair) and being called carrot top, fire head, etc... which would continue at school until I made it home. I remember being so disappointed that God would give me red hair. I just wanted to look normal like everyone else. Why couldn't he have created me to have straight blond hair... oh yes, and freckle free!! I begged my dad to let me color my hair, but he wouldn't so much as let me put highlights in it. I remember putting lemon juice in my hair during the summer and laying on in the sun, hoping it would lighten my hair. I'd settle for just a strawberry blond, but I had no such luck. My hair was stubborn and indestructible! It did not lighten with the lemon juice... or the sun-in spray... or even with the home highlight kit I secretly tried to put in my hair during a mission trip.
I remember all of my teachers loved my hair and would compliment it, and at least once a week I would hear an older person tell me "You have the prettiest hair" or "look at your cute freckles". I honest and truly interpreted those comments as "You are such a cute nerdy looking girl". I HATED getting compliments from older people because I thought they just felt sorry for me :P
Books and movies did not help my hatred for my red hair. What color of hair did the nerd or the ugly duckling have in all of the stories? Yes, you guessed it. RED hair. But not just red hair. CURLY red hair!!
Once I got in high school I started to learn how to tame my curls a bit. I discovered some glorious things called hair gell and hair spray! I started to realized that my curly red hair made me unique.... and I liked being unique. When I switched schools back to the high school where some of my childhood tormenters went I even got an apology one day. The guy who ruthlessly tormented me came up to me one day and said "I just wanted to let you know I'm sorry for making fun of your hair when we were kids. I actually think its really awesome now." That kind of made my day :)
Now I am all grown up and I can honestly say not only have I come to grips with God giving me red curly hair, but I have come to love my red curly hair. The past couple of years I have grown it out... it hasn't been long since I was 14... and I am actually proud of my long red locks of curls :)
I love your hair! And I loved doing your hair :) keep growing it out....it is gorgeous on you.
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