Is it time to reinvent your look?

A friend tweeted a picture of me six years ago. My hair is the same shade, nails a slight variation of my typical polish, and the dress, I still have it. I am happy to say it fits!

Except, when I looked at that picture I had to wonder: have I had the same look for too long? Is it time for change? I put myself through a test and here are the results:

1. Do I suffer from hair envy?

Yes. When I see women with natural hair falling past their shoulders in kinky, soft, African glory. Since my hair is still natural I am on the right path with that one.

If you however have been staring at a look/picture for months or even years and keep coming back to it, seeing in it a more interesting, confident, actualised version of yourself where all those things you imagined attaining exist in a parallel universe, then it’s time for change. Yield to it.

2. Have I had just had a baby, divorce, new job, break-up, marriage (insert life changing upheaval here)?

Well, no. Women reach for scissors in the throes of a very deep seated life shift. Think of this like a death, a severance. You died in one form and re-emerged in another; representative of a new you.

The more drastic the chop the greater the awareness of a shift from who you used to be to who you have become. New mums can claim shedding weight or needing time to take care of the baby – thing is, your life has permanently changed.

3. Did I just add to my life?

I embraced my weave not just as a social experiment but a study in my femininity.

Unlike the chop, extensions are driven by a need to recognise fullness. It could be a glamorous rendition of self, shift in social circles, a promotion, a new man, recognition of something extra, new, that can’t be ignored.

You can’t disregard length. It adds to your schedule – grooming time, expenditure, lifestyle, all adding layers to your life. Women who did not have long hair previously and embrace long weaves smacks of an influence from something external. There. I said it.

4. Do I spend more than 30 minutes styling my hair each morning?

A disclaimer here. My afro does take 30 minutes each morning so, hello braids. But, fussing with your hair without any idea how it will turn out in the 31st minute means it’s time for a change. Who has the time? Really.

5. Is my hair dull, lifeless?

As a result of No.4 above, hair wilts under such scrutiny. Too much handling of African hair causes breakage, loss of volume, dullness from trying so hard to manage it you amp your styling products. It is upsetting when you can’t handle on something that grows out of your own body.

6. Have the compliments disappeared?

I think I should wear a hat next time I go to The Junction. Next! Seriously though, do people give love to your hair, want to touch it, admire it? It is your crowning glory after all. I assure you, this is not vanity.

7.  Am I so bored with my hair I could weep?

I went red so you too can leap into something unknown, find excitement, edge. Life was too humdrum to bear. Red reminded me humdrumness is the twin of safety and to be bold and fearless required an action that was, well, bold and fearless. Boredom is dangerous. It makes you do things like that. But, if you think of it as an opportunity you are ripe for change. 

8. Have I changed my wardrobe?

There have been additions thanks to TV, but the essence is pretty much the same. Clothes tend to shift with careers, social circles, babies, new man.

9.  Am I taking my hair for granted?

I wish! Here’s the thing. When you don’t pay attention to your hair it means it is in terrible condition. Healthy hair demands. Even bald women need to burnish that shine every week or two.

10.  Does Rose (stylist) ask me – “what are we doing today?”

Yes. Because she doesn’t already know. But, if you plop on the chair, close your eyes and leave looking exactly as you have the last few years, you need a refresh. Every hair change requires commitment. Not just the maintenance of it, but idea of who you have now become.

Hair, as much as people always think of it as just hair, carries a lot of weight. As a woman, your hair story truly is your life story.