There was absolutely, positively, no scratching my scalp because if I did, when I would get my hair relaxed again later, the chemicals from the perm would sting the areas, causing a scab to form. “Aaah!” exclaimed my ex-boyfriend, a high school teacher, after I explained this to him a few years ago. “I was wondering why I only saw black girls doing this. Didn’t want to think it was a ‘black’ thing.” No, babe, you were right; patting our heads like they’re the bottoms of ketchup bottles is indeed a black thing.
