"A few weeks ago, I stood beside my Aunt Rose as she deftly used a heated brush roller and curled her short, brown hair until it was rounded and flipped toward her face. "Try it," she told me. I just had cut my long braid to absolutely nothing and wasn't sure how to work with my hair. So, I tried her curling iron.

It worked well on my really short hair. I felt like one of those people on television who gets a make-over; I was pleased that day.

When I got home, I bought a curling iron just like the one used by my Aunt Rose. I heated it up and started the process. I wanted my hair curled really well; my hair is naturally straight and thick, and it takes a lot to curl it. So, I wound the iron up clear to my scalp.

That was a mistake. The roller got stuck in my hair, and I couldn't get it out. It was hot and burning, but it seemed the more I tried to pull it, the more tangled it got."

Get the Story:
DORREEN YELLOW BIRD COLUMN: Forget iron: Gimme my hair (The Grand Forks Herald 2/26)

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