Guest Blog- Fighting The “Helmet Hair” With Jourdon Delerme
My name is Jourdon Delerme-Brown, I’m 20 years old and a college athlete. In 20 years I have tried almost every hairstyle. From long hair, an assortment of mohawks, fades, and even a clean-shaven, bald head. Throughout all styles, my naturally curly hair has always been a part of me. No matter the length of the style, my curls were apparent and added to the style I was trying to make uniquely my own. My curls helped me accomplish this time and time again. Each time I told my Mom of the hair style I wanted to try, she would respond with, “you want to try it? Okay” and the more she allowed me to experiment with my hair, the more I realized that my hair was a vessel of self-expression. Like me, as I grew and began to change, so did my curl pattern. The introduction of recreational sports changed my body early on to be able to endure long hours in the heat, cold nights, and gradually raise my pain threshold. My hair also began its own transition from loose, delicate curls to tight, thick, voluminous, and often tangled curls. The evolution of my hair in conjunction with my growing involvement in athletics brought about the need to know how to take care for the hair I was blessed to have. The constant tug of war between healthy hair and helmet hair left me yearning for the best means of hair care. Luckily for me, my Mom embarked on her own natural hair process years before. As I listened and became educated in the difference between a co-wash and wash, conditioner and leave-in conditioner, I also realized that everyone must find their own unique hair care routine. Once again, I fell in love with the opportunity to display my individuality through my hair.
As I watched my Mom, I began taking pride in taking care of and nurturing my hair. With this came the desire to grow it out and see how my hair would manifest itself. Over time I grew more and more confident in my hair, which in turn caused me to take better care of it. I realized that did not mean spending more time styling it, rather it meant making it healthy so it could grow. As I did, my teammates who also had naturally curly hair began to inquire about my hair routine. It was at this moment I realized that guys aren’t limited to cool hairstyle, instead there was an avenue for guys to focus on celebrating their natural hair just like the beautiful black women we loved and admired. My goal is to help guys who look like me convey their swag through their hair while maintaining its health. I know if I never learned was educated on natural hair care and products, such as Mixed Chicks, exploring my natural hair would be quite intimidating due to my lack of understanding.
