If you tap on links we provide, we may receive compensation.
I wanted passersby to notice my blithe hair flip.
I coveted the adulation of my friends, playing it off like my curls were effortless and uncomplicated.
@gouldhallie / Design by Zackary Angeline
They were my version of a security blanketif my hair looked good, nothing else mattered.
It might not soundlike a big deal, but to a 13-year-old with a burgeoning beauty fascination, itmattered.
Well, notallof it.
ImaxTree
But the inches added up just enough to throw my smug long-hair strut off-balance.
(You know the one Im talking about.)
I would continuously forgo haircuts only to watch my dry, damaged ends continue to split.
I began researching miracle-grow products online, and spent hours reading Yelp reviewsto no avail.
After a consultation, I practically skipped into the salon, bright-eyed and eager to get started.
The more I wore them, the more compliments I received.
And I wouldnt dare leave the house looking less than polished.
They were a part of me, like another limb.
But I also kept them a secret.
Which again brings up the notion that were supposed to “be” any sort of way at all.
What’s wrong with wanting to look great and feel confident?
And doing so by wearinghair extensions?
I’ll tell you: nothing.
Though, that’s an idea I only arrived at when I decided to take them outfor good.
I started spending more time worrying about gettingfound outthan enjoying their aesthetic attributes.
Plus, the heavy, itchy sensation they created on my scalp certainly wasnt awesome.
Like somehow they masked insecurities that I was feeling in other aspects of my life.
I even went so far as to get my hair blown out every Friday to ensure of it.
I realize now that what began as a fun confidence booster became a crutch.
I wanted to bethat girl.
And, frankly, the comparisons toJemima Kirkeand Blake Lively didn’t exactly suck, either.
But after nine years and countless curling irons, Ive replaced my reliance on them with confidence and certainty.
The extensions were just a vehicle in getting me here.
The moral of the story?
They’re a great way to mix up your beauty look.
However, if your experimentation ever veers into self-doubt, it’s time to unclip and regroup.
Youre stillyouno matter what your hair looks likeremember that.
