Growing up, I was bullied, taunted, and harassed. Many people around me did not understand how to take care of my hair, and I remember hearing ” difficult, hard, too much” as ways to describe my hair, and I took that in as a child at a very young age. My hair was never the problem, but the words and actions surrounding it were. It made me feel ugly, and that my hair was something to be “fixed”.
My hair journey started when I was 18 years old, and my hair fell out in the shower in clumps due to chemical relaxers. My hair had been overprocessed because I was so ashamed of my curls, and I refused to show up to college with my hair in its curly state. Once it fell out, I knew I had to make a change and learn to embrace my natural hair. I couldn’t go through something like that again, so I decided to hop on the internet and youtube to do research. I started documenting my journey on social media, so others can know they are not alone in learning to embrace their natural hair, and how it can take a toll on your mental health. No one was talking about how important it is to learn how to SEE yourself with your natural hair and EMBRACE it, as well as understanding how our subconscious mind plays a big role in negative self talk. A lot of what I saw was focused on products, so I started showing up online as someone I wish I had seen as a child. Focusing more on the mental health approach and learning to see yourself in a new light!
Your natural hair IS NOT something to be fixed, but something to be CELEBRATED! Your natural hair is NOT ugly, too much, messy, or unprofessional, it is ART, it is MAGIC! When people say things about your hair, even family members, it has NOTHING to do with you. You and your hair are something special, unique, and no one can take that from you unless you LET them. The most important thing you can remember is that….NO ONE IS YOU. THAT IS YOUR POWER! Never dim your light for the comfort of others. YOU and your HAIR are beautiful AS IS!
– Aly Masters / Naturally Aly