HAIR: MY MUSICAL REFLEX

ABOUTHIM: This week's guest blogger is my youngest brother Immanuel Ramalapa, who was kind enough to share his hair-styling journey with us. I asked him to share his story here because hair is just as important image-wise for men as it is for women. Immanuel is a gymnast, a gymnastics instructor/coach and a first division judge of natioanal gymnastic competitions. He's also a musician who sings and plays the guitar. When the spirit moves him he can out-dance me. He is in short, my hero. In his own words:

My journey with hair has as many words as anyone else’s. Although the styles which men and women fashion themselves after may differ, our thought patterns about hair reveal more similarities than differences. Even for one such as myself, who chose to do his hair in a style most guys dared not.

D r e a d l o c k s

I began experimenting with my hair from an early age. Although I didn’t know it at the time, I wanted a way to express myself and my hair was an available outlet. My first major hairstyle was dreadlocks. I started out the same way most people who have dreadlocks start out – with a facecloth! I can still remember wading through the house while rubbing my head with a washing rag in order to get my hair to form locks. It was an interesting process, and I was fascinated by each phase.

The real change began when I decided to do things a little differently and cut my sides shorter than the top. In hindsight, it was a very provocative move, especially since in 2009, comb overs were not in fashion, and the only people who had shorter sides were those who wore fades. Within 5 seconds of looking at me you had to decide whether you liked my hairstyle or not. But irrespective of your opinion I enjoyed what I thought to be a great hairdo.

By simply deciding to take one step over the line and do something I felt was appropriate for me, I began to feel more comfortable with myself and confident with my decisions. If everyone, in some small way, could defy convention and do what felt right to them, they’d begin to feel more comfortable and confident with themselves too!

T h e J h e r i C u r l

Deciding to jheri (perm) curl my hair has to be one of my boldest hair moves yet! Not too long ago it was normal to see both men and women styling their hair in this way. However as time passed by and the world changed it has become a style reserved mainly for women. I saw things differently…

I have been a huge Michael Jackson fan for a long time. I tried my best to mimic all his dance moves. I wanted to be like him in as many ways as possible. As I grew older my fondness of him may have decreased but he still holds a special place in my heart.

After keeping my dreadlocks for no less than 7 years, I was officially done with them. For a couple of months I wasn’t sure what to do with my hair, and began to look for inspiration. Suddenly, I saw something about Michael that always stood out, but I never noticed … Something I would be able to emulate properly, and even make my own… the Jheri Curl

According to my calculations, it would suit me really well and I became determined to have it! I loved everything about it – the way it looked, the way it curled and grew to become long, and how surprisingly low maintenance it was. It didn’t take me long to get used to having long, wispy hair that glistened in the sun. I was sold then, and I am still sold now!

As with my dreadlocks, I wanted to put my OWN stamp on it. This led to a decision to cut my sides shorter than the top,and only curl the crown and leave the sides permed. This made the jheri curl feel like my own invention, a creation of my own to be enjoyed for as long as I was still fond of it . I have never felt more pleased with how my hair looks except for every day since I jheri curled my hair. If it’s possible for everyone to feel this way not only about their hair but about themselves, then I strongly advise doing everything in your power to make it as much of a reality for yourself as you possibly can!

Our hair styles reflect what has influenced us. Whether we acknowledge it or not, we are going to want to reflect outwardly what we believe and see in ourselves inwardly. It is how we are wired and instead of trying to change the system, we should focus on learning how we can use it to our advantage. Now every time I pass a mirror I am pleased with what I see looking back at me. Why? Because I am expressing myself accurately and completely. For me that is enough and as far as this post goes, that's all!

Happy Styling!