Hair Struggles _ Why it's not _Just Hair._

Hello. So it's important for me to be honest about something. I recently reached a point where I disliked my hair so much for such a long period of time that it took a considerable toll on my mental health and my ability to be happy with the way I looked. Why did something like hair affect me to such a drastic degree? Well, it turns out there's a little bit more to hair than we might first think, and today I'm gonna explain why. So while researching for this video, I saw a lot of articles and studies on how one's mental health can affect the state of their hair, but I saw pretty much nothing on how the state of one's hair can affect their mental health. So I've had to conduct my own research for this video based on my own experience. Now, it goes without saying that of all the hair issues, hair loss is the most devastating and detrimental to one's mental health, and that's completely understandable. So I will be touching on that a little bit later, but why does nobody talk about a general disliking for one's own hair and how this can negatively affect people? That's what I'll be discussing today because I'm pretty sure that if you're a teenager or adult, you have, at some point in your life, experienced negative emotions because of your hair, whether that be as simple as a bad hair day, a bad haircut, or something more long-term like frizz, damage, thinning, or an unusual hair type, or just downright unmanageable hair. These things can emotionally affect us more deeply than we're aware of, and although these hair worries are most prominently associated with women, men are certainly no stranger to them either, and they shouldn't be ashamed of that. But the tendency to be unhappy with our hair is so quickly dismissed as something that's not important enough to be upset about. For instance, if you feel self-conscious because you're having a bad hair day, you're too obsessed with what you look like. If you feel less attractive because your hair's not quite how you wanted it, you're too vain. If you can't bring yourself to cut your hair, you're too emotionally attached. If you cry because you don't like your hair, you're just being silly. Making videos on my own hair struggles, I can't tell you how many times I've heard, just accept it, it's just hair. Just be thankful you have hair. But here's why we need to stop dismissing hair struggles, because whether you realize it or not, hair plays a significantly large role on how we view ourselves. And a lot of people don't notice this because it's largely subconscious. And consequently, how content we are with ourselves and the way we look can have a huge effect on our mental health. It's like a domino effect. So it's easy to say it's just hair, but when you think about it, hair is deeply personal and it has been for centuries. Hair type, texture and color can be an indication of your race and culture. Hair can hold extreme cultural significance and in some places it has become tradition and a ritual. A perfect example is the Red Yao women of China who I made a video about a little while back. Their hair length and hair care is tradition to their community. They go through a whole ceremony when they reach a certain age where they cut off all the hair that they've grown throughout their entire life. And they keep that hair and make it into a wig which they then wear for the rest of their life and continue to grow the hair that they've just cut. Hair also influences the subconscious decisions that we make about others. So in most basic terms, it's an indication of your age. It can indicate your social group or even your class, your choice of style and your personal expression. Very often one's hair can be linked to a sense of identity. This is really commonly seen with public figures but it's also very normal for an individual to have a personal sense of identity connected to their hair. Hair is also a really good indication of one's personal hygiene and overall health which is why hair care is such a vital part of personal grooming, the beauty industry and beauty. And yes, the beauty industry and beauty are two completely different things. And we all subconsciously pick up on these things when we see a person, whether we mean to judge them or not. It's just something that gives us information. It's almost instinctual. This is why it affects us so much when our hair does not behave the way we want it especially if it's a long-term problem because it's subconsciously connected to so many aspects of the human condition. Dissatisfaction with our hair can open the door to inner thoughts, feelings and beliefs that can lead us down an emotional spiral of negative perceptions about ourselves. Anxiety about how others view us, the desire to fit in, frustration that we can't present ourselves the way we want to be presented, the way we feel inside, dissatisfaction with our looks, even just the desire to look healthy and normal. Dealing with hair that you genuinely don't like is a problem because after a period of time, it does start to have a negative effect on a person's mentality, just like any other self-image or self-body issue. And it's difficult when people tell you to accept it because each individual has their own preconceived ideas and preferences about their own hair that another person just wouldn't know. And of course, some people may genuinely just not care about their hair and that's okay because that works for them. But that's not to say that another person shouldn't care about their hair either. And you should never dismiss a person's feelings towards their hair, whether you think it should matter or not. And that goes with anything in life. I mean, if hair didn't have such an effect on us, there wouldn't be a whole industry and a whole market dedicated to it. We're indirectly taught that good hair is a part of looking our best self, both in terms of presentation, looks and healthiness. So if we don't feel our hair looks good or a best decent, it's no surprise that we don't feel good. One of the most evident and researched causes of emotional distress caused by hair is hair loss. And particularly when it's not caused by age. For both men and women, hair loss can be hugely devastating, whether it be genetic or medical. So although this is not the specific issue that I'm talking about in this video, it's so important to acknowledge it when talking about the realm of hair and mental health. Thankfully, there are solutions such as hair transplants and specially made wigs, but not everyone has access to these. So I've left some links in the description to how you can help those with hair loss. And I'll also leave some useful websites if you wanna learn more. Certainly one should be thankful that they have hair, but that's not to say that their hair makes them happy. The point I'm getting at is that it's normal to feel down about your hair and you mustn't feel silly or guilty about it because as I've discussed, your feelings are valid. But also we should recognize when it's causing ongoing dissatisfaction to the point where it could be damaging to our mental health and the way we see ourselves. There's no shame at all in seeking professional help or speaking to a therapist about it because in my own experience, it can be just as serious as any other self-image or self-body related issue or imbalance. It's just people don't talk about hair as a reason to be unhappy. So that's why I'm making this video. And although ultimately we should all love and accept the way our hair is, it's not always so simple when you think about how many complexities that actually are connected with hair. I myself am just starting to recover from one of the worst periods of personal unhappiness because of my hair. And this was actually due to a seven year hair journey that backfired and completely failed. And seven years of anything to fail, it's gonna have quite a big effect on anyone no matter what it is. I did make a video kind of explaining this story, but there's so many different elements and aspects to why it sent me down such a spiral, which I haven't spoken about a lot, but I will be speaking more about that in another video. But that's the gist of it. Yeah, it sucked. And I still don't like my hair all the time, but I am on the journey to acceptance and loving my hair. I'm so thankful that I have hair. I am thankful for wigs, for hair pieces, for hair gel, and I am enjoying, it's getting better. But if you don't know my story, please don't make judgments because there's a lot that you don't know. So just think before you leave a comment, giving your opinion. And I want you to know that if you are experiencing any kind of hair struggle, you're not just being silly. Your feelings are valid and you're definitely not alone. But most importantly, you are undoubtedly beautiful. Thanks for watching. Bye.