Monique's Hair Story
For as long as I can remember, the process of doing my hair was associated with fear and pain. I feared the pain and I dreaded the extensive amount of time I'd inevitably sit there in agony, while getting poked, prodded and pulled. I was a toddler with pig-tales that resembled two fluffy balloons or chocolate cotton candy. My mother would wrestle with hair bands over those puff balls - that's if the hair band didn’t snap first.
In nursery school I had bangs. While other little kids slept with dolls and stuffed animals, My forehead was nestled up closely to a curler. I even took it with me to preschool in the morning. As the day went on, the curls would fall over my eyes and nose and I’d twirl them back up with my index fingers. I’d hold the bangs up with my fingers for as long as I could stand it, trying to make them stay up. Of course, the bangs wouldn’t do what I wanted, and as soon as I let go, they would fall right back over my eyes. Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore and I determinedly grabbed some shiny sparkling scissors and cut the bangs off right at the scalp. My mother flipped and told me my hair would look a mess for a long time. Turns out, she was right. This was my earliest hair lesson – if you cut off (or break off) your hair, it will grow back but it will "take forever."
My big sister got a perm (relaxer) in middle school. She styled it herself with heat, and often stayed out in the sun after swimming in chlorine. As a result she lost a lot of her hair. Taking these results on her first child into consideration, my mom decided that I would not be allowed to do the same things. “No perm, no heat, and no styling your own hair!” she declared.
I didn’t mind my signature puff balls until I started middle school. The kids in middle school were mean and taunted me with the nickname “afro-puff”. They also offered unsolicited advice that I "needed" a perm. I ate lunch in the bathroom on occasion to avoid them. I would run home and pile on the gel and hair lotion in an attempt to change the appearance of my hair. In high school, I advanced to small braids that seemed to hide the puff. When I would take them out I had a gigantic mass of crinkly kinks that I LOVED despite unrequested comments.
My senior year my mom finally allowed me to perm my hair. And after all of that waiting I eventually realized that I didn't even like the results. Through the next decade, I experimented with different looks – often with damaging effects. Somehow, even reaching a point where I wanted red spiral curls. Well, in that process, I broke off at least half of those curls. My hair was damaged so badly that it was actually growing weaker and slower than ever before, and breaking faster than it was growing.
The chemical damage, heat damage, color damage and neglect of my hair got me to this point. I wanted MY big hair back without the excruciating glacial pace and lackluster results. Throughout my efforts, I noticed a lack of plan and products to repair the damage and grow my hair longer. I decided to put together a program and a monthly supply of products to help those with this same dilemma. Thus marking the birth of Club Rapunzel.
Club Rapunzel is a hair growth program in the form of a subscription box membership. The 4 step program includes overnight treatment oils and a plan to grow your hair despite the damage from heat/chemicals/color or any other form of manipulation. Club Rapunzel is here to guide you through the growth and repair process to attain your true crown. Getting longer, stronger, healthier hair does not have to take forever and together we can achieve our hair dreams.
