Loving My Natural Hair
Blumseed Team - Jan 19 2022
Growing up, my mother was a very important influence in loving my natural hair. I still remember all the beautiful styles and accessories that she would add to my hair, and my sister too.
Often times she would leave out the front of our hair so we could style it the way we wanted. This taught me how to take pride in my hair, to see the versatility in it and to have the patience required to take care for it. My mom always stressed the importance of beautifying myself and loving my unique hair. I believe when you look good you feel good and it resonates in the world and defines your experiences in it.
I have learned so many important things on my natural hair journey that I’d love to share with you:
1. Self-acceptance: I learned that it is important to start your journey with self-acceptance, embracing every part of you. Everyone is born with a unique hair and scalp type. Therefore, the focus should be to go inward and listen. Really listen to what your hair is telling you it really needs. You want to use products that work for your unique hair type. Wear styles that you like and that make you feel free and expressive (not what others claim as beautiful or acceptable). This can be hard at times, especially living in a society that pushes certain beauty standards. You have to push through the noise and do you! For example, I wear the Hijab (Muslim head covering), my go to style is the “Two strand twist” because it looks good, its simple to braid and easy to care for. However, when I put on the Hijab, the style protrudes through the scarf. Most Hijabis wear a sleeked-back ponytail for a smoother finish which over time can cause a receding hairline. I made a decision to go with what I believe looks good on me and what works best for my hair to remain healthy.
2. Patience: Being patient with the process. A lot of women are obsessed with having super long hair and treat their hair harshly by covering it up with wigs or extensions when that desire is not attained. This can cause more damage by slowing down the hair growth rate. Hair generally grows at a rate of 1/2”/ month. The curlier the texture, the greater the shrinkage. Shrinkage Is Real! So, you might as well be patient and have fun with the process.Focus on the health of your hair and you will surely see it grow. Develop a daily, weekly, monthly regimen and stick to it. Everyday of healthy hair practice count! My regimen consists of scalp massages 3-4x a week, bi-weekly cleansing and conditioning, bi-weekly deep conditioning, finger detangling, mid-week re-moisturizing of my hair and scalp, protective styles, wearing a silk scarf every night, eating a balanced meal daily and drinking lots of water.
3. Styling: A signature style is another great one! It’s a great way to simplify your hair journey by giving yourself more time to do other things. We all live busy lives and simplicity helps us to stick with what works. In the beginning you can start by testing out different styles to determine what works best for you. Ask yourself, is this easy to maintain? Does it keep my hair healthy? Is it easy to do? Do I love it? My go-to as mentioned is two-strand twist because it checks off all my boxes.
4. Products: Experiment with quality products. Now, do be cautious with this one because there are so many products on the market, it’s easy to get lost given all the choices. First off, start by “knowing your hair”. Seek to understand her! Read books, speak to those more knowledgeable for information that explains hair structure, type and needs. Once you have a foundational understanding, research products that are for your particular hair type. Investigate the ingredients, benefits, drawbacks. Certainly, read product reviews before trying a patch test. If it works – great, if not – don’t get discouraged; move on to the next until you find your staple product.Your product arsenal may look like this: A good shampoo, conditioner, deep treatment, leave-in conditioner, hair oil and styling cream/ butter/ gel. Before I started making my own products, the most important thing for me was having mainly organic ingredients that were in line with my values of a holistic lifestyle.
5. Balance: Last but not least is being healthy emotionally, physically, socially, spiritually and intellectually. Being balanced in these 5 areas maximizes your personal wellness, impacting the quality of your hair. Yes, it goes that deep! If you lack in any of these areas it can cause issues like hair loss, slow hair growth, dandruff, dry/ brittle hair or hair breakage. Whenever I am stressed, I lose more hair than normal. So, for me, going for a morning run, painting, drawing are great outlets for distressing. Other hair loss triggers are depression, bad eating habits, certain medical conditions and the list goes on. If you are dealing with any of these challenges it may be a good idea to see your doctor to get your health back in check!I must say, loving my hair has been a beautiful journey in celebrating my uniqueness. A journey that starts with self-love. My mother was a huge contributor to my journey and I am really grateful for her. I have learned that honouring my crown means that I have to honour all aspects of who I am in order for my hair to grow and flourish.
My hair journey continues and I hope that I have inspired you in some way to honour yours!