Appreciating Progress on My Natural Hair Journey
Question of the week: What goals have you set for your natural hair journey? More importantly, are you reaching them?
Hair goals and our ability to achieve them can sometimes be a very sore subject. Appreciating your progress can be subjective and often underwhelming. Success on this journey takes patience, the right work, and consistency. Unfortunately, without the proper expectations and understanding of our hair, we don’t find this out until its too late.
I can honestly say that even now, sometimes I question my progress on my natural journey.
Health – check!
Moisture – check!
Curl definition – check!
Length…..
That one always seems to trip me up. I have learned, though, that these tightly coiled curls can be very deceptive. We all know shrinkage is real, but there is something about applying that knowledge that can sometimes be very difficult.
Confession: My vision is sometimes shortsighted
When it comes to natural hair care, sticking to what you know vs. what you feel can be a challenge. I am the first to admit that I am often moved by what I think I see instead of what I know. When it comes to natural hair, perception is everything, and sometimes what we perceive to be true can often be very misleading. To maintain confidence in what I know about my hair, and it’s progress, I have to make sure I have the right perspective. Keeping the right view encourages me to use what I know about my hair to guide me and keep me from doubting the process.
Things that keep me on track
It is easy to lose sight of how far you’ve come. These three things help me appreciate my progress on my natural hair journey and help me to trust the process.
Knowledge – knowing the key characteristics of my hair helps me to appreciate my progress and understand why my hair looks, feels, and behaves the way it does.
Knowing my hair is healthy – while some changes are harder to notice and appreciate, the benefits of healthy hair will be apparent in the way my hair responds to styling, its manageability, curl definition, and its ability to maintain moisture.
Pictures – it isn’t easy to appreciate your progress when you see yourself and your hair daily. Photos are a great way to visualize the changes that have occurred over any given period.
Appreciating your progress on your natural hair journey is a process in and of itself. We have to remember to trust the process. We need to understand that the right work will produce results and maintain the proper perspective. Rely on what you know about your hair. Use this information to guide your expectations. Make the health of your hair your ultimate goal, and when its hard to appreciate the progress on your natural journey, reflect on how far you’ve come.
Need help trusting the process, appreciating your progress, or setting goal in your natural hair journey? Visit Bold Kulture Beauty and let me help you on your journey to success
