I know that TT stands for “Team Texture,” but in my opinion, it is "The Truth!”
Who knew that a heat hat would change my perspective on and increase my love for my hair at 53! While scrolling through some YouTube shorts, I came across a clip of this beautiful black British sista’ with beautifully textured hair, talking about the benefits of using a heat hat. Seeing that short clip made me remember back in the day, when I would actually take the time to deep condition my hair (with heat) with every wash, and how my hair thrived as a result. During that time, I relaxed my hair, but my stylist would always comment about how my at home maintenance made her job so much easier. This moment of reminiscing of “better hair days” caused me to go to the Team Texture website where I found out that her name was Paige, and that she was the creator of that heat hat. That day, I read every bit of info about the hat and found myself returning to the site over and over again over the next few months….debating on whether or not to make a purchase.
One day, I made the decision to put it in my cart, and just before checking out, I changed my mind, due to entertaining several thoughts to justify not making the purchase. My thoughts included excuses like: ” I can just use my hair dryer and my dryer bonnet attachment” (which I had stopped doing because it “took too much time”); and “Since I’m in the U.S., it’s going to take weeks to arrive, then there’s shipping, and custom fees” and before I knew it, I deleted my selection and left the site. For a few weeks after, I was committed to using my hair dryer and dryer bonnet attachment for deep conditioning. But every wash day, I found myself going back to the Team Texture site. Finally in February, I made the purchase of the hat (in the fun tropical print), shower cap, and headband and figured I would have to wait about 2 weeks or more to receive the items. Much to my surprise, my package arrived a week later. The funny part was that on the same day that I placed the order for the heat hat, I ordered items from a company here in the U.S., and I received the heat hat before the arrival of my U.S. items! First of all, all the items were packaged with care and came with a monogrammed TT drawstring bag for storage. I read the instructions carefully and decided to use the heat hat (with the shower cap and headband as suggested) for my weekend wash. Per usual during my deep conditioning sessions, I gathered my tablet, earbuds, snacks/drink and settled into my comfy chair. Admittedly, I was a little concerned about the size of the shower cap (because I have a big head (lol)) and “Charli” (the name of my afro) is fairly dense, but it actually fit! I plugged in the heat hat and set the initial setting on 7 (because I didn’t know how “hot” it would get), set it for 30 minutes, and waited. I soon realized that there was no need for earbuds because there was no noise! With use of the dryer/bonnet combo, there would be so much noise from the dryer that the earbuds were absolutely necessary in order to hear whatever I was watching. But with the TT heat hat, there was no noise, just this gentle, soothing, relaxing heat that genuinely created an environment of calm and relaxation. I didn’t even use my tablet because I was able to watch/hear the tv with no issues. After the first use, my hair felt soft and moisturized in a way that it had not felt in a long time. Since that initial use, I absolutely look forward to my weekly wash days and will reschedule them if I do not have time to use my TT hat for at least 30 minutes. Deep conditioning with the TT hat for each wash is now mandatory for me. Actually it is more than a moment of deep conditioning, it is a self-care experience that forces me to stop, breathe, and relax. And “Charli” loves it because she is much more manageable and easier to detangle, she retains moisture better, accepts styling products better, and is seeming to really thrive. My love affair with “Charli” in her natural state started during the pandemic, but I love her even more now because of the benefits of the TT hat. I no longer view her as a problem I have to deal with, but a blessing I get to interact with. So ladies, if you are wavering about purchasing the TT heat hat it, just do it! Your hair and spirit will thank you! Paige, thank you for this marvelous invention, for making it available to us in the U.S., and for empowering us to love our afros! The TT hat has changed the game for me (now I need to purchase the book), and I know it’s going to change the game for the hair care industry and for afro-rocking girls everywhere.
