Bad hair days are a part of life - everyone gets them. There is no one in this world (except maybe Beyonce) who doesn’t have a day when their hair is just not on point. Maybe your extensions refuse to blend properly. Maybe your baby hairs won’t slick down. Maybe, your hair refuses to stay put in a bun. Any number of issues can arise when it comes to hair. For some people, however, a bad hair day or bad hair moment goes beyond a fashion faux pas. It ends up making them feel bad and affects their mental health. Times like these, when getting access to hair salons and hairstylists is much harder than normal, can lead to a cycle of negative feelings and low self-esteem. Let’s discuss advice and perspectives to keep in mind to prevent a bad day from derailing your mental health.
Hair may be a crowning glory - it's not your only glory
Many of us view our hair as our crowning glory. Hair is one of the first aspects of our appearance that people notice, and sometimes we wrongfully think that it is the most important part of our appearance. That’s totally wrong. It’s great to have pride in how our hair looks, but when we start to believe our hair is everything, then when it looks “bad”, we think we look bad - which is awful for mental wellbeing. Sometimes we think that when our hair isn’t laying the way we want it to, nothing looks good. Do we stop and think about how our outfit looks? About how our skin or makeup look? Do we think about how radiant our smile is? Do we think about how our personality lights up a room? Hair is definitely an important part of our identity, but it makes up just a fraction of all the things that make us beautiful both inside and out. When we start getting down about our hair, it’s important to step back and look at all the amazing parts of you. Try to stop and realize that a bad hair day doesn’t even begin to chip at all the radiant features you have.
You don't owe the world perfect hair
Some of us were raised to believe that our looks send a message to the world. We were taught that our external presentation communicates how we see ourselves and how we view the world. Many of us were taught that you could not show up to your Grandma’s house or church without your hair looking pitch perfect, because that was a sign of disrespect. An issue with this sentiment is that certain people can internalize this notion into thinking that they owe the world good hair days. It says that if you step out in a messy bun, you are telling the world you don’t care about yourself and don’t care about the people you encounter. That is beyond false! Having a day where your hair is less-than-perfect does not mean you are sloppy, and showing up to see the people you love with your hair all over the place is not remotely close to being a sign of disrespect.
Don't let a bad hair day spiral into a bad day
When we look good we feel good, but when we look “bad”, we can feel worse. Studies have shown that when people’s hair doesn’t look how they want, their self esteem can take a nosedive. This self-esteem plunge can, unfortunately, spiral into people doubting themselves and their capabilities, which can cause a cycle of unfortunate events. It’s so important to leave a bad hair day at just that. You can not let your hair define your day or let it detract from all the other goals you have set forth. Far too often, we let our external appearance affect how we view ourselves. It’s so important to remember that you need to still push to feel your best, even when you don’t feel you look like it. You are worth so much more, always.
