Many of you may have noticed that I cut off all my hair a couple of years ago. This was due to a combination of factors. I had my hair dyed at the salon, and he didn’t quite get the colour I liked, so I had another hair dresser redo the colour barely weeks after, hoping to get the right colour. That didn’t work either and the result was limp unhealthy hair that I downright detested.
Having had reasonably nice healthy hair for a long time, I found this rather annoying to handle. So one day in April 2010, when my hair was due for a relaxer I just walked into a barber’s salon and asked him to cut off all my hair. My son reckoned I was having a ‘Britney moment’. I figured I’d try short natural hair for a while and then re-grow my hair all together whenever I felt like it.
Cut the long story short, I have kept a combination of short hair styles, from ‘daavi’ to braiding, cornrows, even curly perms, wigs, weaves and back to my natural hair. I’ve got to a stage that I don’t want to cut my hair again, and I never really enjoyed weaves plaits and wigs. To be honest, what the past two years taught me was, ‘I look far better with longer hair’. I am glad though that I was daring enough to dispense with what has been known throughout the ages as ‘a woman’s glory’, and let the world see me for who I am.
I also think this hair thing was a reflection of what I’ve been going through the past four years, the stress and frustration of the protracted divorce and the state of my life right now, but that will be another story.
I am back where I started. I am going to re-grow my hair again, and this time set myself on a Healthy Hair Journey (HHJ). My goal is to have healthy long hair by the end of this year, two years at the very least. No more chemical dyeing for me.
The idea of a HHJ came to me when I accidentally came across so many hair blogs online a couple of days ago. It never ceases to amaze me what is available online. My stylist had recommended I use Henna to dye my grays, which have been rather rampant recently. I used to know about Henna ages ago, probably in my teenage years when I couldn’t afford a lot of salon conditioners.
With regards to my grays, I am really ok with them and I never minded them showing of in full glory. I figured it showed my ‘wisdom age’ and I have never been one to fear ageing. What I found though was that so many people were rather concerned for me. Every time I proudly exposed my grays anyone I met would comment or try and give me ‘helpful’ suggestions as to how to hide my grays. That started getting rather annoying but I suppose people simply cannot help themselves.
Anyway, my stylist’s recommendation to use Henna led me online to find where I could easily get a good supply of Henna in London. I first came across SimplyIntoMyHair, which led me to people like Nunaavane and Miss Kibibi. Quite an evening! This has really motivated me to start my own HHJ.
My hair is really short now, exactly 3 inches, or 7.75cm long (yes, I got the tape measure out) and I had it relaxed again yesterday. I will put some pictures on here soon to document my HHJ. Don’t worry, I cannot see myself doing tutorials on hair on YouTube, but I figure this is something I am going to enjoy so please come along with me to Healthy hair. Plus, I have two daughters who have hair far longer than mine right now but who could use some healthy hair tips, even if this is coming from Mum.
As I said, please come along to my HHJ!
“From Money, Wealth & Prosperity, to Marriage & Divorce, and now Hair! What next?” You tell me.
Margaret Ntifo you are the most inspriational woman I know i enjoyed reading you story back to front. Please keep posting.
Posted by: Jessica | April 13, 2012 at 11:50 PM