Are you tired of hiding your natural hair?
Me too girl! Me too!
I've been 'natural' since 2007.
Natural --as in no perm-- and it has been no easy walk in the park.
I've made countless mistakes along the journey. I wish I could go back and make things right. Make things right with my hair, my confidence, my patience..all of it.
I always think to myself If only I knew what I know now my hair would be so healthy, long and beautiful right now.
All I ever wanted was healthy, lengthy, moisturized hair. I just didn't have enough patience to leave it alone. I kept trying different things to make my hair 'look' better. All along, not knowing -- it was fine the way it was. Maybe needed better products but that's about it.
The thing is I can't go back in time and life without lessons would have no purpose. So I'm going to keep going through this journey - a little bit wiser day by day and hopefully inspire girls along the way to not give up on the journey. The mental hair journey.
Black girls have a very emotional attachment to their hair. Our hair determines the course of our whole day-every day. Our hair dictates our confidence level. Our hair is the way we express ourselves. Our hair is our strength. No matter what's going on in your life, as long as your hair looks nice, you'll be fine.
Women go through a break-up and what's the first call they make? A call to their hair stylist. It's how we say 'F You!'
The thing is though, for Black women our hair has always been a struggle.
For me, I have tightly coiled hair. Which means no matter how long it is, it will look extremely short in its natural state. My hair is also very fine(thin) so I can't achieve as much volume as I'd like.
When I started my natural hair journey I was in 10th grade. I didn't personally know any one else with hair like mine that was natural so it took a lot of confidence - confidence that I faked because it was a challenge for sure- to actually wear it out.
I wore it out though. Even with all the uneasiness and stares - I would wake up everyday rub my products on it and go to school.
Eventually I reverted back to sew-ins and bleaching my hair because the reality is -- my hair just wasn't the standard of beauty and I caved.
Fast forward to my adult life, I convinced myself that I'd start over with my natural hair journey but I'd hide my hair under my wigs until its long enough.
*sigh*
Wigs are great because it allows me to wear a variety of cute styles, leave my real hair alone to thrive and the best part is-- it gives me the flexibility to still take care of my hair every week because I can take it off, wash and treat my hair.
I will forever be a lover of this option. Especially because heat is damaging to our natural hair and every now and then some straight hair is fun.
But it's exhausting to do 24/7.
& Honestly my hair will never be good enough if I don't change my perspective on it.
With anything in life, you have to be strong minded. You have to be willing to take the road less traveled to get to the place you really want to go.
I'm tired of hiding my hair. I'm tired of preaching to my daughters and everyone else about confidently wearing their hair meanwhile making excuses for why I don't wear mines.
I'm just tired.
I've cut my hair off umpteen times. I've bleached it. I've colored it. I've shaved the sides. I've done everything to my hair you can think of, except -- fully embrace it.
& That's why I kept failing with it.
You truly just need to embrace the journey of learning about your hair and watching it thrive.
It's a beautiful journey if you stop looking around at everyone else.
The Hey Growth Hey products were initially created from my frustration in trying to find better, purer products for my hair and my daughter's extremely dry hair but the heart behind the brand was the mental journey of it all because I know that before you get it right outwardly -- growth has to be done inwardly. It's a mental hair journey.
This is what that journey looked like for me.
Comment below if you've found yourself having these same struggles.