Too Much Hair Care

In western society we are constantly told that the more you shower, the better your hygiene. LIES! Well, to an extent.,, Over the long weekend in Manu’a it was just so hot that I got into the habit of putting my hair up in a bun as soon as I got out of the shower. It was very nice and cool to not have my hair touching me and I kept doing it after I got home. The week when we were back it was extra hot, and I was taking two (occasionally three) showers a day to try to feel clean and cool and not like I was about to keel over from heat.

Yesterday when I jumped out of the shower after school and got ready to head to our Thursday night dinner I spun around and smelled something kinda gross. I spent the next few minutes searching the kitchen all around me to discover what the smell was only to realize that it was my hair! The hair that was always in the bun had actually started to get some mold growing! I immediately realized that this made perfect sense – I had been washing my hair at least two times a day, and throwing it up into a bun wet.

Heat + Constantly Wet Hair + Time = Moldy Hair

After the initial shock, I could only laugh at the craziness of the tropics and let my hair air dry. After a few good scrubbings and some serious hair drying my hair was back to normal, but when it comes to hair I will forever empathize with sloths.