This post is near to my heart. Every once in a while I stop and reflect on how different my life is from what it was a few years ago. I think of how far I have come and look forward to how far I am yet to go.
I realise that in the grand scheme of things, a hair journey should not be given the most priority. I can honestly say however that I have learnt some life lessons, challenged myself, grown in more ways than I had thought possible and become a better disciple person as a result of my hair journey.
Here are some of the things I have learnt.
I have learnt to challenge my own views of what is possible
I know that with so many people with super long hair now on the internet, the idea of a black African Nigerian girl growing long hair isnt a big deal, we know now that it is possible. But at the time I started my journey believed I could not grow hair past armpit length.
Ladies it isnt even really about the hair…it is the fact that I believed something was impossible and I let this belief create a limits in an aspect of my life. I beleieved some goals were out of my reach.
So many of us are trapped into situations or positions and dont dare to dream big enough because of our own perceptions of what is possible. We stand in our own way and become our biggest obstacles.
When I got waist lenght, I honesty thought ” I wonder what other goals I can achieve with hard work and determination”.
I now have ambitions and dreams for my life that are much bigger than before my hair journey, even though I face a lot of challenges and dont know how I am going to get there yet, I hold on to the belief my dreams are possible.
That even lil ol me has something good to offer
I paused so many times before letting Hairducation go live because I kept telling myself there are thousands of hair blogs on the web, “why do you think yours will stand out, what have you got to say that hasnt been said before”?
I eventually concluded that I had nothing to lose. I did have an angle with my blogging approach, what I teach on Hairducation isn’t new, I believe however that Hairducation makes things a little clearer and easy to follow. Well this was my aim with the blog.
Two years on, the amount of positive feedback I have recieved, the trully touching direct messages I get, the improvement I see in readers hair when they send me their progress pictures, the nomination for the Nigerian blog awards and the growing readership have all proven to me that I do have something to offer…that my work can stand out.
Ladies, if you want to start something which you believe is oversaturated or played out, dont let that deter you. Have your own angle and you may be supriesed by how needed you are.
I have found much joy in giving
Hairducation is a labour of love, I believed somebody would benefit from it. The time invested in thinking up what to write, creating the content, responding to messages,etc is more than I initially anticipated.
Any and every blogger I have come accross has said one thing…… that blogging takes up more time than most people realise.
But I do it happily because it trully touches my heart when I get the little notes of appreciation, the thank you-s, the keep it ups, the strangers that walk up to me and say oh I read your blog and give me nothing but positive vibes, the events I’ve been invited to speak at, the oppourtunities that have come my way and the amazing people who have crossed my path….
If giving some of my time on Hairducation has brought me all the above then really am I not the one who has gained? Am I not the lucky one?
Knowledge is Power
This one is simple and dosent need much explanation. Having no real fact based knowlegde of hair care often results in damaged hair. Learning even just the basics of black hair care usually results in a healthier head of hair.
The same applies in everyday life, knowlegde only makes us better. Ignorance isn’t always bliss.
This is why I always sign off my posts with these three words: learn, change, grow.
That it is by Gods Grace
Having read through all the above, I have to conclude by saying it has ALL by the grace of God.
Ive always said and trully believe that I could and should work harder on Hairducation, I believe that I haven’t necessary earned all the credit I get given.
I believe that Hairducation has been so well recieved and that all I have gotten back from it has been through the grace of God. It is not by my hand. It is right to give Him the glory.
I assure you my life is NOT perfect, but I try to dream big, work hard(ish), pray and know that everything will fall into place…at the right time.
I hope this post inspires you……and I thank you for all your encouragement.
The next post will be the second in the series on how to buy hair prodcuts ( the deep conditioner edition). Come back soon.
x
Lade
Learn | Change | Grow
All glory to God. Keep the fire burning. I want to do what you do, teach ppl abt caring for hair in my state (Akwa Ibom) but it seems like such a daunting task. Plus my hairline at both sides of my temple have continued to remain sparse. Makes me self conscious and I think people will not listen to me if my hair isn’t ‘perfect’ to begin with. Do you attend to emails from ‘needy’ blog visitors? Would really like to talk to you and get tips too. Hugs
Author
Hello Eddy
thank you for your comment. I will admit that ladies are more inclined to listen to you when your own hair is in good shape. I too was guilty of this in the past.
I have written a blog post about losing hair on your hairline or edges which may be helpful.
I do get email from readers, I reply some but unfortunately cant reply to them all due to time constraints.
What I will say is that you should first try to find out what is causing hair loss at your temples. Don’t forget that sometimes hair loss is caused by hormonal changes such as childbirth.
best of luck with it all
x
Lade
The difference between rehairducation and other hair-care blogs i have visited is that, while every other blog mentions the importance of washing, deep conditioning every week,moisturising daily etc, you tell you readers not to squish that hair all together while washing and to do it in sections, you mention the difference in the water temperature used in washing out shampoo vs deep conditioner. You make emphasis on the little details that other bloggers think is common sense and expect their readers to already know. Your ability to write and communicate your healthy hair tips in a simple and understandable manner is what i love the most. It does feel like you blog from a perspective of your readers and those who are new to the idea of hair journeys. Thank you for your hard work 🙂 and if i may suggest, i dont think it would be a bad idea if at the end of each blog post you ask your readers what they want you to blog about next(if you have not discussed the topic in previous posts that is). I’m not sure if you already do that but if you dont then it would really be nice
Author
Thank you thank you…..you are far too kind 🙂
I am glad you find Hairducation helpful.
I do try to focus on readers who are either new to the hair journey world or ladies who prefer to keep their regimens simple and straight forward.
I do think about asking readers what they want me to write about but at the same time wouldn’t want to ignore their suggestions if it is something that I have written about before or would prefer to leave off the blog because it might be a topic that makes hair journeys seem more complicated than they ought to be.
But never say never…Its something I am happy to give more thought.
I hope you don’t mind or think I am being a bit of a control freak 🙂
x
Lade
Dear Lade, this post sounds as if you took some of the words right out of my head. My hair is nowhere near waist length, I am at shoulder length and aiming for BSL or atleast BSB by my next texlax. However, I have learnt some valuable lessons from my own hair journey which started with very short, dry, damaged, unhealthy hair. All the lessons resonate well with me, and even though I do not have a hair blog, a lot of my female relatives are now on some form of hair journey. Knowledge truly is POWER, and with the right knowledge, determination, and the Grace of God, the “impossible” can be achieved. Cheers!
Author
Ruqayya…..thank you.
You don’t need waist length hair to inspire others around you to take better hair of theirs. obviously your hair is thriving and that’s the key thing that makes those around you pay attention.
I hope that you continue to thrive and grow in your hair journey and more importantly in life…
xxx
Lade
Hello, your blog is so informative. I sent an email on Sunday 26th July, 2015 to Hair by Type4 requesting for information on making a wig but I have not received a response.
Is there another email to reach you on.
Author
Hello Ennigma
Thank you so much for the comment:)
I haven’t seen your email as yet but I will check the spam folder. If you do not get a response within the next 48 hours please resend your email. Thanks for your patience
x
Lade