When you Realise your Natural Hair is Enough

All Hair Types are Beautiful

At a very young age, I never knew that hair types were described as good or bad. To me, all hair types are beautiful. However, as we grow older and have several interactions with people from different backgrounds, what we thought was normal and simply beautiful can be overlooked by many. Oftentimes some people are not accepting of different ideals or those who fail to realise that everyone is different and everything about us is unique. The way we talk, walk, the clothes we wear, the foods we eat, what we choose to do in our everyday lives is what should distinguish us from one another. We all have different cultural norms that play a big part in how we view the world. Embracing your roots is a very difficult task especially in a society where being different or 'Weird' is considered deviant or going against societal and cultural norms. 

Conscious Awareness 

If you look closely at the image to the left you will see that the length of my hair was just under my ears. This was about one year and a half after I cut it to remove the relaxer that I used in my hair. 

Growing up I watched movies and Television shows that mostly represented people with bone straight hair. If there were people of colour on the screen their hair was either temporarily pressed or permed. It was the norm in film. 

I never realised the difference until I started to observe the behaviours of different people that I came into contact with. It was disheartening to see that curly and coily hair (mixed and black alike) were rarely represented both on and off the screen. 

It took a lot from me to become consciously aware of this. I believe that doing history in both secondary and tertiary level of education helped me regain the confidence I had of myself as a child growing up.                                   

The image below was taken about seven years ago. The hairdresser was amazed by the density of my hair. She was one of many people who encouraged me to never perm my hair. She pressed my natural hair and I could not believe how long and healthy it looked. 

At this point I never thought that a few years onward I would have gone into a mini-mart and purchase a product I knew nothing about and tried it not once, not twice but three times on my hair. On the third try, my hair began looking straighter than before. There was little to no frizz. Were you ever sceptical about doing something knowing that it would cost you in the long run but you end up doing it anyway? Oh boy, that was me.

The image below was me at the moment loving the straightness of my hair. I thought I had done something right. My oh my I was so wrong. Because I had never permed my hair before I didn't know how to manage it. By this I mean I always had many hairstyles that I could try on my natural hair that I could not do because my hair was getting very straight. 

I was unsure of my next step so I went to the salon with my mom. Sometime during March of 2016, I said good-bye to my straight hair and hello to very short hair. 

I thought trying to manage straight hair was a task but short hair proved me wrong. At that point, I was frustrated, furious and stuck. The first few months I was reluctant to leave the house. Whenever I did, someone would always notice my short hair exclaiming, 

"You cut yuh hair? It looks really short."

"Why did you cut your hair?"

"Look how yuh gone and spoil your hair" 

"What did yuh do to your hair?"

I honestly could not take any more questions. It definitely did not make the situation any better. I do not know where the inspiration or motivation came from to 'hit the restart button' but mid-2018 I was already seeing amazing results. 

Learning patience is a talent that not much people have. I had to be patient and tell myself that it is only hair and it will grow back eventually. I started a simple hair routine and because I was consistent I saw remarkable results after just over one year. 

Realistically speaking, this is not the movies and we cannot switch the length of our hair every day. But if we find a routine that works for our hair and maintain that routine, our hair will not just grow but grow healthy.




                        

Live a Little 

Every time I am feeling down or having a bad hair day I would look at the picture on the left and it helps me regain my confidence. To me, that picture represents letting go and living in the moment. Sometimes we get so caught up with life that we forget to live a little. Sometimes we forget to take care of ourselves. Many times we neglect ourselves to make others happy. It is like pouring all of our energy into someone or something and not having any left for ourselves. How could we truly help someone if our cup is empty? Stop forgetting to recharge and find positive healthy ways to refill your cup. Let it overflow if it will.                                                  

                          
Natural Hair is Enough 

The picture on the right is a representation of my hair journey late January-early February 2020. I get so excited about wash days and reapplying those amazing products in my hair. Your hair really does play a huge part in your moods, psychological and social well being. 

I would be lying if I said that I was not happier now. Seeing the massive growth and feeling the astounding strength helps me throughout my day. I feel refreshed and ready to conquer the world. 

After all these years I have finally realised that my Natural Hair is more than enough. I hope that you believe and accept that your Natural Hair is enough too.