What Happened When I Let My Boyfriend Style My Hair For A Week
Let the games begin!
Michelle Spollen My hair is ridiculous. It's curly, frizzy, dry, and regularly defies gravity.
On a good day, I comb out no less than six pounds of knots — but only in the shower, because if I dry brush it, the curls will eat the brush (RIP to the shower drain). I use no less than three hair products a day, and between you and me, only wash it about once a week.
Normally, I wake up and shove the curls into a top bun. It's efficient and has the added effect of making me look taller (important when you're only 5'2").
Curls are no joke. So obviously, I jumped at the opportunity to hand the reigns, wide-toothed comb, and leave-in conditioner to my boyfriend for a week.
His response, when I asked him to style my hair for the week? "Depends... would you be willing to look like a dang goddess for a week?"
Challenge accepted.
Here's what happened when I let my boyfriend style my hair for a week.
Day 1: Boyfriend Buns
My boyfriend was hell-bent on starting the week off with a braid. I like braids. They're cute and stylish, and keep my hair out of my face. One problem: he had no idea how to braid.
After ten minutes of watching (and feeling, ouch!) him struggle, I pulled up a YouTube braiding tutorial.
"Your hair is so bouncy. It just bounces out of my hands," he said. "How do you deal with this every day?"
Um, I ask myself the same question every single day.
After about 15 minutes of tugging at my hair (and no doubt multiplying the frizz factor), he gave up. "How am I supposed to get three strands when I only have two hands?"
He settled on Boyfriend Buns instead, which looked like uneven koala ears.
Day 2: The Nest
Not one to accept defeat, my boyfriend decided to give braiding another try.
This time, he looked to Pinterest for inspiration and settled on a milkmaid braid. He, of course, needed the YouTube tutorial again (seriously, what would we do without the Internet?), parted my hair in two, and got to work.
The "braid" on the left side was really just a twisty knot thing with a hair tie holding it together, but he did a decent job on the right side (third time's the charm). Then he did some kind of swoopy thing with the braids and tucked them into the rest of my hair. He even covered up a little leftover bald spot — what a guy!
I surprisingly liked this style and left it in for most of the day... until it fell apart mid-afternoon, because of curly hair.
Day 3: Hair Don't
At this point, I was pretty sure my boyfriend was sick of my hair and resented me for asking him to take on this project. I didn't wear this out in public.
Day 4: Au Naturel
"I can't do this today," he said when I told him it was time to do my hair. "You're going natural."
I smirked because he was starting to understand one of the greatest struggles of being a woman.
Day 5: "Turd-le Head"
This style brought us back to braid-sics (ha, ha). He decided on a simple plait... and told me it looked like I had a turd hanging from my head. How sweet.
Day 6: The Napoleon (Dynamite)
It was 4 PM, and my boyfriend and I were both still in our pajamas (perks of working from home). We were leaving in a half-hour to meet up with friends when I reminded him that he had to do something with my hair.
He didn't want to. "I didn't realize how annoying this was going to be," he said when I asked why he agreed to take this on in the first place.
Drawing inspiration from Deb's classic Napoleon Dynamite look, he pulled my hair to the side for a cute little pony.
Day 7: Curly Curls
I told my boyfriend I wanted to curl my hair for a night out.
"Curl it!?" he asked. "But your hair is already curly..."
Yes, yes it is. As I handed him the hot curling wand, I explained that curling it when it's already curly helps take the frizz out. It took him a few tries to get the curl right, but he did a good job overall — and didn't even burn me with the wand.
Side note: makeup is a wonderful thing.
Before taking on this challenge, my boyfriend sometimes pointed to other women when we were out and asked me why I never wore my hair "like this" or "like that."
I'm pleased that this experience has made him realize that it's impossible to make your hair look flawlessly, professionally styled every day — especially when it's as curly and unruly as mine.
Micki Spollen is a YourTango editor, writer, and traveler. Follow her on Instagram and keep up with her travels on her website.