My Hideous Locks of Frizz
by: Samantha Schrader

Through my years in elementary school, my hair was always straight and smooth. The summer before I attended seventh grade, however, my hair began to display a slight wave. I did not think much about it until it got worse and became dreadfully unmanageable. My dad, Rusty, always had wavy hair, and my mother, Vicky’s entire family seemed to be cursed with a mess of curls and frizz. Somehow, my gene pool must have met a delay because my head looked like a downright frizz ball by the time I started high school. Since then, I have tried my best to manage all I have. My solution to the problem at this point of my life has consisted of excessive de-frizz gel, tons of conditioner, and the alternation of three hairstyles: a tucked under ponytail/bun duo, a ponytail, and a disordered bun. These differentiate according to what I decide to wear for the day.
Having unmanageable hair like this can be highly frustrating from time to time. The biggest hassle included in mornings before school is spent with the awful mop atop my head. To assure myself that I will have time to accomplish styling my hair in the morning, I make it a ritual to be up by 5:30AM to be aboard my bus at 7:00AM. Being that I am a high school student, I tend to undergo large amounts of criticism from my peers. The girls in my classes ask things like, “Why don’t you ever have your hair down; you wear it the same way, like, everyday.” To attempt to remedy this problem, I try my best to keep myself from wearing my hair the same way two days in a row. I have to admit that I get jealous watching the girls in school with the sleek, manageable hair. Meanwhile, I cannot even possess the luxury of running my fingers through mine without getting them caught.
I suppose if I stop to think about it, my hair does hold its own positive aspects. For one thing, it is unique. Not many girls around here seem to have hair with my texture and body. Therefore, I am not one of those girls who want to do everything just like the cliques of girls who think they are absolutely perfect. The other characteristic that I enjoy about my hair is its curl. I let a lock of hair hang beside my cheek on each side of my face, and all I have to do to curl both of them is run gel through each piece. In seconds, the tresses each spring upward in a controlled spiral. Even as my hair tends to get on my nerves, I deal with it because it proves my natural flaws as a human being.