They Cut The Water While I Was Washing Out a Relaxer

As I think back to the days when I was relaxed, I can’t help but remember the time I was stuck without water with the relaxer left on my scalp and hair.

I was living in an apartment and on a random day during the week decided to treat my hair with a relaxer. It was like any other day; nothing new, as I had been doing my own relaxers for years.

I put on my favorite playlist and got to work. When it was time to wash it out, I hoped in the shower and started to rinse. I wasn’t in there for more than 60 seconds when the water pressure slowly started to go down and the shower went to a slow drip. WTF! I screamed as I turned the faucet on and off while wondering if by chance I forgot to pay my utility bill.

No, it wasn’t just my apartment. I forgot about the notice we had received just 2 days prior about how they would have to cut the water for a period of 3 hours during the middle of the day for the entire apartment community due to maintenance.

Unfortunately, I had recently moved to this town and didn’t know anybody. I was about 45 minutes away from anyone’s shower or sink I could use. In a panic, I ran to the fridge in the kitchen and grabbed the last couple of water bottles I had and emptied them onto my scalp. They were ice cold and gave me the worst brain freeze of my life.

I was so afraid of my hair falling out, but in all of my distress was able to think quickly to throw a generous amount of the neutralizing shampoo, a shower cap*, and a beanie on, and hop in the car for an impromptu trip home.

Luckily, by the time I made it to my mother’s house and was able to wash out the perm, all of my hair was still intact. To this day we still laugh about the crazy incident.