Learning Humidity the Long Way
A Silk Press Moment on South Beach
Two years ago—six months after taking my microlocs out—I was strutting through South Beach in a red ball gown near the Setai Hotel. It was a grand day. My hair was done… or so I thought.
Standing in the Setai lobby, I took a selfie. My hair was sincerely doing everything I’d ever dreamed it could do. Smooth. Fluid. Obedient. I walked through the lobby, cut past Jaya’s restaurant, waved at a few familiar faces dining at Ocean Grill, and made my way onto the beach boardwalk.
That’s when my assistant—who is also the princess I’ve been entrusted with—noticed something while filming me on the DJI. My hair had completely blown up.
I went from silk press wonders to something closer to a half-afro, half-fried situation. Hair crisped by humidity, expanded by wind, and unwilling to revert or comply—just there, doing its own thing to spite my desires.
Life Without Chemical Dependency
Since 2010, I’ve enjoyed not having chemical processes dominate my supernatural crown. I was used to my hair in its coily nature—twist-outs, stretched styles, and for nearly two years straight, a low sleek ponytail.
In February of 2019, I finally locked my hair. I wore my locs for almost five years, and in the summer of 2023, I decided it was time to let them go. I combed them out and made a decision: I wanted to wear my hair silk pressed.
I became what people like to call a “straight natural.”
But that walk on the boardwalk made it clear—my dream hadn’t caught up to reality yet.
Understanding Hair in a South Florida Climate
Still, I knew one day I would figure it out. And I did.
Today, my hair does not revert—even in the hottest South Florida humidity. My curls and kinky tresses return faithfully on every wash day, and I’ve been granted what I wanted all along.
Hair without dependency on detrimental chemicals.
Hair that responds beautifully to naturally occurring elements—water, light, heat.
Hair that understands the territory we live in.
This wasn’t about forcing straight hair to survive humidity. It was about learning how hair behaves here—and working with it instead of against it through the refined haircare 101 rhythm.