Island hair.

When I moved down to the island, I had shoulder-length, permed hair. I cut it off into a pixie within months of moving here because the constant wind and salt mist make permed hair a tangled rat's nest. I maintained the pixie pretty much my entire time down here until recently, because I want it to get long enough to wear in a ponytail for surgery.

In growing my hair back out, I got a surprise. You see, I have always had straight hair. In high school I had to wake up at 5am to blow out my hair and use hot rollers to give my pin-straight, lifeless hair any body whatsoever. Later I got perms. When my mom was visiting last week, she couldn't get over how my hair looked. It looks like this:

I promise, no curling irons or hot rollers went into this. This is just how my hair dries now. I don't even know how, but somehow the island has gifted me with naturally curly hair. Dr. Carter calls it "island hair". She says no woman looks like herself down here, and it's actually quite funny to hear comments from people who met down here once they get to clinics in the States because our hair goes back to its natural state from the frizzed out, crazy mess it exists in down here and we start looking normal again.

I dunno, though. I kind of don't want to lose the curl. I've grown to like it, and it's cheaper and easier than getting it permed (although less predictable).