In my younger years, my relaxed hair wasn’t in the healthiest condition. It hovered around my neck and it never grew past that. As a child, my close family members told me my hair would not grow because it’s so coarse, dry and damaged. Over the years, I’ve remembered those comments and have always felt “less than” because of it. My relative’s negative attitude about my hair affected my self-esteem and how I portrayed my relaxed hair.
For as long as I could remember, I was constantly told my hair was dry and brittle. My hair stylist, at the time, constantly reminded me that my hair was dry and absorbed the relaxer too quickly. She would slap on the relaxer all over until my entire head was completely covered in relaxer. Just to make matters worse, she made me sit with the relaxer on my head as if it was conditioner. No wonder my hair was thin and over processed! My hair was constantly breaking! It was common to see broken hairs on the bathroom sink, floor and my shoulders. My hair didn’t have the opportunity to grow healthy and retain length. Internally, I was not satisfied with the overall health of my hair.
Since I began my hair journey, I started to educate myself on healthier hair care practices and implement them into a regimen to better suit my needs. As my hair began to improve, my confidence increased. Now it’s soft, thick and shiny and shows how far I’ve come. I’ve learned that the health of my hair has played an important role in my self-esteem. I’m no longer self-conscience of my hair; the positive comments from family and friends about the overall health of my hair are the complete opposite from years ago. I see the change in my hair and because of that I feel much more confident, content and comfortable with the state of my hair. My hair is the healthiest it’s ever been and I’m loving it. I enjoy wearing my hair out in public, whether in a bun, straight down, or in a braid-out. I’m a huge fan of health over length and the improved health of my hair has made a positive impact in my life.
Valerie Bremang founded Hairlicious Inc. Social Network in 2008 as a platform to educate, inform and encourage women that they can achieve healthy hair.
