Straight-Out Truth

A few years ago, I met a boy who was from the North-East. Man, was he handsome! He was tall, unlike most of his north-east Indian friends. And he looked like one of those hunks from manga books. If you don't know what 'manga' is, let's just say he looked a bit like this:

You should have seen his girlfriend. Soft features, long straight hair, doe eyes- she looked like a Korean movie star. Now, my skin would never be that soft and there's nothing I could do with my eyes, but since I was very drawn to this boy, I thought maybe having the same hair (straight hair, that is) might get me noticed. It all sounds very pathetic now, but we all do stupid things when we are young right?

The boy left my school and went away but my desire for straight hair remained. You see, it sounds very nice to say 'thick, wavy hair', but somehow, in real life, having long straight hair you can run your fingers through is just so much more attractive. The way straight hair always seems easier to manage. The way it falls on your eyes ever so gracefully. The way it fans out over your shoulders like silk. I could go on and on.

Plus, for all us wavy haired damsels out here, seeing people on TV and films and magazines flaunting straight hair can cause a lot of distress.

So, I twisted my curls around my finger for what I swore would be the last time and set out to set my hair straight.

The first idea was to use a product. I used a shampoo that made half my hair fall out but didn't straighten it. Then there was a serum which made my hair look a bit silkier but even that didn't give me straight locks. My mom wouldn't let me go to a parlour or blow-dry my hair. I was getting really frustrated, but I'm no quitter. I decided to pull out the big guns.

(Disclaimer: Do not try this at home. No, really.)

I did what a lot of women in the last century did- I used a clothing iron. Suddenly, the word fire hazard took on a whole new meaning, but it was working. My hair actually did straighten out. But do you see how risky this was? Well, I saw the risk when one day I overheated the iron and it burnt my hair. The strands became papery and fell off in tiny shards, as if my hair was falling in pieces. I couldn't help but picture what would happen if a slip of my hand caused me to touch the iron to my skin. And that was the end of the clothing iron.

So now I just wait for the perfect product to rid me off the frizz. And maybe the wait's going to end soon. Sunsilk is launching a new product and guess what it does! It straightens hair. See, miracles do happen with brands like Sunsilk around. You just have to wait and try some crazy alternatives before they come your way.

(This post is an entry for the Straight Hair Experiment blogging contest. For more, go here.)