It's ok to not like doing your hair

If I'm completely honest, I don't like doing my own hair. The fact that I am a hair specialist might make this a little surprising, but it's the truth. I don't enjoy spending hours washing, conditioning, steaming, moisturising, drying, and styling my hair, so I just get it done at a salon. The amount of time it takes to wash, dry, and style my thick hair is one of the main reasons I don't do it myself. We all have unique personalities that give us certain likes and dislikes and doing my hair happens to be one of the things I dislike.  

I've found it interesting to learn that many people feel ashamed of their dislike in doing their own hair. Over the years I have had lots of conversations with women about their hair care regime. Many of them feel embarrassed to talk about their hair care routine, or lack of one. It's usually not until after I tell them that many women go for a month or more without washing their hair that they relax and are more comfortable talking to me about their own hair care habits. Being able to have an honest conversation with someone about their hair care regime is important because it enables me to find a regime that suits them best. 

Over the years I have realised that there is a widespread pressure among women that makes them feel that they should happily desire to do their own hair. So where does this pressure come from? I think a lot of it comes from the days when the luxury of going to a salon was just not available like it is today. There was a smaller number of salons in operation, and that meant we just had to do everything ourselves. This includes taking out plaits and weaves, washing numerous times, conditioning, steaming, moisturising, drying and spending hours styling if you had to plait your hair again. Many people aren't unhygienic, it’s just that the thought of spending several hours doing your own hair can feel extremely daunting.

On the other side of the coin you have women who genuinely love and embrace the idea of doing their own hair. They carve out a specific time in the week usually a weekend to spend solely on treating their hair. This can be a half day or even a full day devoted to washing their hair. I think that this is fantastic because it can be a really special part of your week where you are doing something that you love to do.

You may read this and ask why am I saying how important hair care is when I don't even like doing it myself. The best example I can give you is if you take something like mopping or washing dishes, the majority of people will not be jumping for joy saying they love these chores. I think that hair care can be looked at in the same way. People who don't enjoy washing their hair do it because they have to, not because they want to.

Of course it's important to learn how to look after your hair because there will always be things you have to do to maintain your hair in between washes. 

The most important thing is to look after your hair in the way that fits your needs and personality. You should never feel ashamed of going to a salon if looking after your hair is a physical or emotional burden for you to do it on your own. Honestly, if you force yourself to do your own hair when you don't enjoy it, you probably wont give it the treatment it truly needs. This isn't necessarily on purpose, but you will most likely not spend the proper amount of time that you should to really treat your hair properly. So shop around and find a salon that you really like, and do what's best for you and your hair.

At the end of the day it's all about balance. Different people have different desires, and we each need to find that balance of what we can handle so we can enjoy our lives. We should respect each other as women, and support each other's choices.