by Bennii Blast of the Culture Pine
For as long as I can remember, I have constantly been on a mission to reach that day when I am truly happy with the hair on my head. No matter what, I was never completely satisfied with the style I was wearing, whether it was straight, curly, red or anything else you can think of. Just what does hair satisfaction mean to me you ask?
- A consistent amount of days where I do not refer to my hair as a ‘problem’
- A period of time where I am not thinking about the next hair style when the current one hasn’t even been in 24 hours.
- A time where my hair is healthy, healthy, healthy!
- Most importantly, a time when I am genuinely in love with my hair
Guess what? This week I realised that this is the longest period of time that I have not stressed over my hair and just gone with the flow. You know what else? I have finally found my happy hair space and it feels damn good! When you have constantly been in a battle with your hair such as I have, it is hard not to cling on to these isolated moments where I am hair happy. If you, like me, don’t experience this often, I have some tips in mind that may help in making it a regular thing:
- Note down the regimen you have been using at the time it is experienced. This way you will know what is working for you e.g: products, styling methods etc.
- Acknowledge your surroundings – are you experiencing new places or maybe hanging out with certain people? Your surroundings could possibly be influencing the positive way you are feeling about your hair
- Strike a pose! Take pictures of these happy moments so that when you have your down days, you have photographic proof that it CAN be achieved!
- Enjoy it! Make the most of this time and share your hotness on every occasion you can. After all, why let a good thing go to waste?!
Transitioning can be hard and requires a lot of patience, so being able to enjoy these occasions can definitely make all the difference and has definitely given me the boost I needed =)
Have you found your Happy Hair Space yet? What is hair satisfaction to you?
I truly found my happy space about a month ago when I did my BC! I transitioned for 10 months and I had a little bit of shedding, and the process was just so tedious! I found out I was preggers and the baby was taking all of my energy so I found myself in a battle with trying to keep up with my hair regimen. So finally I said that was enough, I had gone 10 months and now it was time for me to say goodbye to those limp relaxed ends, and as my sister was doing away with them(relaxed ends) I had no feeling about losing them, it was like I felt a weight lifted. I haven't looked back since, just forward with a smile on my face and so happy that i decided to do it! I love my hair routine right now, co-wash, shampoo once a month, and my hair styles right now are twist, twists outs, and & a puff with 2 braids in the front LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!
I love my hair i did the the Big chop last week! 🙂 So glad i did it,my hair is glad too and so co-operative.I am happy with my hair i just need to be gentle with my edges.It is thicker and fuller than i thought and i love big hair so that is fine with me.
Hey ladies
@chai thanks for being as excited as I am lol
@NancyM I totally relate. I am so surprised that I do not miss getting relaxers one bit! Which is great after so many years of them being a regular thing. Well done for making it 10 months already!
I'm glad that others are happy with their hair also, as I have been spotting so many articles recently that seem to give the impression that most women aren't (black women particularly).
For those who haven't yet, I use to get so worked up in the past and would tell myself to just 'deal with it'. It was definitely the wrong attitude as no one should live with something they're not happy with right? So, don't give up on reaching that point when you are happy with your hair, or anything in life for the matter, because you will definitely be grateful you didn't when you achieve it.
And you WILL achieve it!
Bennii –
Great article! It took me over a year, but I finally found my happy hair space, and I intend to stay there. My wish is that every natural out there will eventually arrive at their happy space, too!
yay! congrats on reaching your Happy Place, love the tips;))
I will be happy with my hair again when my edges grow back. I have been shedding for the past two months & notice that the hair around my hairline is all gone. I'm praying & applying castor oil & hope that the shedding stops & my hair grows back asap.
I'm almost there…my happy space with be fully reached when I do the big chop. I'm currently transitioining (almost 10 months).
However, I will say that I'm happy with not getting relaxers any more. I do not miss the burn at all! Even though I'm a borderline product junkie (PJ), I'm saving hundreds of dollars on salon visits.
I'm also happy that my transition is going well. At first, I was worried that it would be a nightmare. Roller sets and buns have been and will continue to be my saving grace during this transition.
Well, let's see:
– I've saved thousands of dollars and tons of time by becoming my own hair expert rather than leaving it all up to some stylist.
– I know what my natural texture looks like and I am amazed by and appreciate it almost every day. (And yes, I have 4b hair)
– I know what my natural HAIRLINE looks like and I know what to do to keep it healthy and thriving.
– Even on those very rare days when it's not cooperating with me, I know when to just pull it back into a puff and keep it moving. The notion of getting a relaxer doesn't even cross my mind.
– Most importantly, I have cured myself of the notion that I and my hair are inferior because we don't conform to the beauty standard.
Can you tell I've found my happy space? 🙂