I have a very complex relationship with my hair. I love what it used to be and though I am actively trying to get it back there, it sometimes feels like it would be much easier to allow myself to get side tracked on the days it doesn’t co-operate.
I have never coloured my hair, but I did chemically straighten it so as to guarantee some amount of manageability and acceptability in my early teens. That has remained one of the biggest regrets in my life.
My hair has regained its curliness for the most part, but the lost volume still makes it feel like constant punishment. Moving and experiencing changing weather patterns have also contributed to the rather snail-like pace of its comeback and because of this I have developed an obsession with buying and investing in quick fixes.
Instagram doesn’t help. Most of my frustration comes from seeing girls online who embrace their curls and maintain healthy hair, which in turn leads to stress, one of many scientific causes of hair loss and thinning.
At some time or the other, most of us have faced hair dilemmas and very often we find comfort in solutions that are well marketed but not necessarily good. To want better hair or anything for that matter, we must learn to be comfortable with the reality; it is not a straightforward road despite how easy it may look for other people.
Stress
Telogen effluvium is widespread hair loss on your scalp. It typically occurs when the anagen phase of the hair growth cycle is halted due to an internal disturbance in your body (poor diet, vitamin imbalances). Growing up, I always felt that stress was something to accept and not necessarily something that you should run from. It forced me into neglecting my own self-care habits. I am slowly trying to accept stress for what it truly is and that is something that should be avoided with all cost.
Labels
I recently bought a bottle of pure argan oil. Before that most of the products I purchased were all more or less things that have been mixed with ‘essential ingredients’. This is probably why they have not worked. A combination of several good ingredients, and excellent packaging, is a recipe for a disaster. In many cases you find some products stripping away the face’s natural makeup.
While it goes beyond these two factors, it is important to remember and acknowledge the huge role the media plays in how we consume or reimagine ourselves as this can be both a blessing and curse.
