My Hair is Gone Y’all!
Ok, so Im being a little dramatic but my beautiful natural hair is damaged!! I have worn my hair out for a while now and I knew it was time for a protective style. Those of you who aren’t familiar with the natural hair process.. at times, we must wear protective styles such as braids, weave, wigs, or some form of set style that will allow us to go days/weeks without manipulating our hair. It gives our hair a much needed break. But I have also been wanting to add some color. Ive been so proud of myself lately with how my hair was growing and developing. I tried so hard to avoid this but it happened to me yall! People have been asking me for years to straighten my hair, flat iron it, etc but I was adamant about my no because I didn’t want to damage my hair.
So here’s what happened. I tried to be a responsible adult and get my hair colored by my stylist. I usually just do everything myself because I’m just really funny about protecting my natural strands. But I trust my stylist and he’s colored my hair plenty of times before. The color was beautiful! But I noticed something different. My hair was super dry, brittle and….shorter?! And before you think something about shrinkage, my hair was blow dried so my strands were stretched. That night, I prepared to twist it. I started separating it to detangle and moisturize… and it was shedding. Light shedding is pretty normal for me so I wasn’t too alarmed even though it was more than normal. I sprayed water and my moisturizer on it and my biggest fear became reality. IT. DID. NOT. CURL!!! It would not go back to its natural state. AND it was coming out by the handfuls. It broke off bad! My heart dropped!
I don’t know exactly why or how this happened but it did. Now I’m forced to start my hair process all over to get it back healthy. I was essentially forced to deal with this major change (with my look) that I was not prepared for- ever. Now I know I may sound a little vain and I know that it’s just hair, so you don’t have to leave that comment. But I was so proud of my hair. I looovved my hair. I have been working so hard to keep it healthy and growing. And I had big plans for my hair- my look- my brand. What do I do now? Embrace the change. I have to. There is no other plan- no other option. Thank you God for the revelation!
Have you ever been so attached to something or someone and you just never saw it coming that for some reason, it would not be a part of your life anymore? Been there!!! Out of nowhere, we are forced to change. No other choice. Adjusting to surprise changes are harder because we aren’t prepared for them and we didn’t necessarily want it. So how do we deal? Here’s what I’ve been thinking about because of my hair damage.
1. Embrace the change! Ok, so things happened and there was a shift in your life. Once the change happens, embrace it immediately. There is no point in me crying over damaged hair. The time wasted complaining and staring at myself in the mirror could’ve been used treating it and starting the repair process. The longer you take to embrace, the longer it will take you to get back to a healthy place. Don’t get stuck at the disappointment.
2. Think about the signs you missed. I believe God always sends signs or messages before a major change. It’s up to us to strengthen our relationship with him so we won’t miss those signs. There were two signs I missed, that should’ve told me this wasn’t a good idea. The first one was my stylist forgot about my appointment the first day. And that was totally fine, because it allowed me to have a productive morning. I rescheduled for the next day but wasn’t able to make it on time because I had an anxiety attack. It took me forever to get myself together and I contemplated on not going, but I did anyway once I recovered. Now that I have recognized the signs, I know I need to pray that I become more sensitive to God’s voice.
3. Don’t make hasty decisions. I knew I needed to get a protective style for my hair. It was past time. But as soon as I saw the color I wanted in a picture, I made my appointment immediately. The color idea wasn’t thought through. Before you make moves, make sure you weigh your pros and cons.
4. Know that regardless of the outside change, you are still you. It is indeed just hair, lol. And regardless, people will still recognize me. No matter what change you are forced to face, if you still have breath in your body- you are still able to make an impact in the world. Focus on that.
5. How can this change make me better? If God allows something to happen, there is always a reason. What is the lesson that I need to learn? With my light hair situation, Ive learned to listen to the signs and take better care of myself. If God gives you something great, it’s our job to be a good steward over what he has given us. That means nurture it, do things that will promote growth, and don’t stress it. Are you nurturing your gift? Are you bragging and showing it off? Or are you overusing it? Not taking the time to rest and reboot? Are you letting someone overstay their welcome? Are you putting others before you allll the time? Who's hindering you from progress? Are you growing? Sometimes, forced change is a push to your better. We may not feel it when it happens, but we'll know it in the end.
At the end of the day, change is here. With this change, I will repair and strengthen. Lesson learned.
By the way, my stylist hooked me up with a bomb sew-in like only he can! Bloop.
Grow & Glow
-Kimii
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