I am pretty low-maintenance when it comes to hair care, so perhaps that means that I don't really 'take care' of it the way I should.
I made a post a long time ago that I was going to start deep-conditioning, but didn't. So, that is something for me to consider.
But, I will say that I do enjoy 'having' my hair and do not feel it is a chore or time-consuming to maintain. I try to do a pre-shampoo treatment once in a while with an unrefined shea and olive oil mix. But I just put that on my hair before I go to bed and put on a plastic cap and my scarf, so it doesn't really feel like I'm 'doing' anything, yet it gives great results. Other than that I mainly just wash, condition, and air dry once or twice a week, and that is fast and easy. I do my own relaxer/texturizer touchup every four months or so and that takes about twenty-five minutes and only costs about $6 per relaxer ($18 per year!), so I love that! I do a jazzing color about twice a year, I guess, and that is quick and simple too.
I like trying different styles with my hair but it's never anything time-consuming, though some people seem to assume it is. It's a bit annoying waiting for it to air-dry but at least I don't actively have to do anything to it while I'm waiting. I used to have the patience to sit under the dryer for a wet-set, but don't anymore. When I had shorter, layered cuts in high school and college, it took more time and effort to get it to look nice, so I don't know if I could deal with that again.
The only thing that ever 'bothers' me about my hair is when someone assumes I have a hard time managing it -- that it must tangle, take a long time to wash, be hard to comb, or that I spend a lot of time and money on it in salons or in front of the mirror in general because of the length/thickness, when I don't. Things like a compliment followed by, "Oooooo, 'Jane,' look at how much hair
she has. Wouldn't you hate to have to deal with
allll that hair? I wouldn't want to comb
that (shakes head).
I don't have
time for all that."
Fortunately, people don't usually say such things (as far as I know). But you see how I remember it, right.
I just think to myself, 'why does she think it takes a lot of time to comb my hair? I run the comb through it three or four times -- that takes a minute, if that. So what? I mean, dag, it's not like my hair is in knots, so why would anyone look at it and assume something like that?'
It bothers me when someone assumes similar things about my skin, nails, make-up, 'feminine' style of dressing or whatever else as well. I am a do-it-myself, low-maintenance, 'get-ready-quick' kind of gal, no matter what people imagine in their minds, or actually say out loud. In my experience it takes as little (or less) time to take care of my long hair as short, or to put on heels and a skirt as it does for someone else to put on sneakers and jeans, so I try to impress that upon people if they suggest otherwise (if I know them well-enough to care what they think).