I partnered with Wigs.com on this post. All thoughts are my own.
Do you have a love/hate relationship with your hair? I do. It's amazing how something as simple as human hair can be so very complex, and weigh in on our emotional state. As a woman in my mid-thirties, I've been disappointed with my hair since I was a teen. I've been the recipient of what I would deem undesirable and unwanted hair issues, and have struggled throughout my life trying to cope with the fact that my hair will never look the way I want it to.
My hair has changed a lot over the years. I've inherited thin, fine hair from my mother and grandmother. As I am part Italian, I have an olive complexion, along with oily skin, which leads to oily hair. Add the thin/fine hair elements into the mix, along with a high forehead and what I believe to be a receding hairline, and what's left is a woman with low self-esteem, wishing for a non-surgical way to achieve the look she's always dreamed of having.
I stopped coloring my hair before my husband and I married in 2007. He told me that he didn't know what my real hair looked like, so I went out on a limb and grew out my natural color. I haven't dyed my hair since. When I became pregnant in 2009, and then again in 2015, I was excited to have 'pregnancy hair,' which was much thicker than what I was used to having. But as they say, all good things must come to an end, and sure enough, I lost those extra strands of hair and then some about three months after each child was born.
For months after my hair began falling out, I cried as I watched it collect in the shower drain, or as it seemed to gather in clumps in my hand as I rinsed shampoo out of my hair. My youngest child will turn three in April, and while my hair is longer than I've ever allowed it to grow in years past, I can see it changing before my eyes. It's thinning, silvery-grey strands are coming in more and more each month. I struggle with my hair feeling squeaky clean at the end of a long day, and struggle to be able to do anything with my hair style-wise because it's so thin.
I'm among millions of women who share these same struggles, and you know, it's really an emotional thing to see your body going through changes that you're not ready to face and have no control over. When our hair looks good, it makes us feel good- plain and simple. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't wash and attempt to fix my hair. Most days, I'm left feeling frustrated, and as I look toward taking prescription medications to help with stress and anxiety management, I can only imagine the toll that will take on my hair.
You might be surprised to hear that I've actually been looking at and thinking about buying a couple of wigs and have found so many gorgeous styles at wigs.com. I think that wigs sometimes make us chuckle at the thought of wearing one, but over the course of the past fifteen years, I have known so many incredibly beautiful, strong, brave women who have stepped out and gained back their confidence after illnesses, cancer treatments, postpartum hair loss, and even just for the sake of changing up their look.
An amazing woman in my life debuted a stunning short hair wig after going through chemo treatments and losing her natural hair. You know what? I had to do a double take because she looked exactly the same as she did before she was diagnosed with cancer. Her natural hair wig was so beautiful, and I know it made her look and feel like her beautiful self while she was in the fight of her life.
I'm in no way ashamed of the way I look, and I'm proud of my heritage, but I'll be honest- my hair is definitely the one thing about myself that I wish I could change. I'm incredibly self-conscious about my high forehead and thin hair. I see so many beautiful hairstyles and updos that I want to wear, but can't because I simply don't have enough hair.
Back to the idea of wigs. My thoughts on wearing a wig really aren't far-fetched. There are lots of women who have multiple wigs, take proper care of them, and still take proper care of their natural hair. You can style wigs lots of different ways, and choose a wig that is close to your natural hair. I'm looking at wigs that are close to the same length and color of my natural hair. I want to be able to experience full hair that can be worn in a variety of styles without having to worry about it falling out of place or looking gross at the end of the day. My thin, oily hair actually keeps me from going out after a certain time of the evening, because at that point, my hair is done for the day, and I don't have time to re-wash and style it again.
As I narrow down my choices and reach my decision in which wig to try out first, I feel excited, rather than anxious. I'm excited for the ways something as simple as a wig or new hairpiece could literally change my outlook on life. I can feel confident again, knowing that my hair isn't falling out all over the place or isn't looking disheveled or overly oily or flat by noon after washing at 6 am.
I'm looking forward to the ways that owning and wearing a beautiful human hair wig will help me achieve looks I've always dreamed of having, and walk into the days ahead with confidence rather than being riddled with insecurities.
Here's to achieving your hair goals at any stage in life!
Have you ever thought about changing up your look with a wig? Let's chat about it in the comments or on MBP social media: @mommysblockparty on Facebook or @mommysblckparty on Twitter and IG.
Thanks for writing about this subject. My hair has never been thick but it's gotten far thinner since I had my 4th child 3 years ago. It's a source of embarrassment for me. I have also considered wigs. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one going through this.
ReplyDeleteWigs seem to be making a comeback. When I was a kid, lots of women wore them.
ReplyDelete