How do you feel about your hair? Hair can be a powerful statement about who you are, where you come from, your past, and maybe even your future. Your hair can be your best friend and most flattering asset, and at times, it can feel like it’s working against you. What does your hair mean to you?

Your hair is yours. That means it’s your choice whether you want to create a signature hairstyle or constantly change it. You get to decide if you want your roots to reflect your cultural heritage or simply want to be stylish. 

There can be power in embracing your ancestors' hair traditions, and some people find strength in forging their own story. No matter what your path is, it's your story that should be told. Here are some inspiring stories about what hair means to others.

What hair means to me

We hear a hair story in the lyrics below, by Solange Knowles.

Don’t touch my hair
When it’s the feelings I wear
Don’t touch my soul
When it’s the rhythm I know
Don’t touch my crown
They say the vision I’ve found
Don’t touch what’s there 
When it’s the feelings I wear

We see a hair story in the Oscar-winning animated short, Hair Love. 

We can read about it from the words of women across the globe with different nationalities.

From a "Good Morning America" interview with Curlfest 2018 attendee, Shae.

Q: How does your hair make you feel?

A: It allows me to embrace my Blackness. Kinky hair isn’t really seen as beautiful. When I went natural, I felt like I wasn’t letting mainstream beauty standards impose on me anymore.

A summary from a beautiful post by blogger, Naturally Zez:

“My natural hair means more than I ever thought it could…Going natural was the foundation I built on to grow into somebody I am proud of today. To me, natural hair means many things but the key factors it represents for me are:”

♦ Education and awareness

♦ A healthier lifestyle

♦ Growth in confidence

♦ Genuine friendship

We recognize the cross-cultural implications hair has as we read the words from indigenous men like Julian Brave Noisecat. In an interview for i-D Noisecat states, "Growing out your hair—particularly as a Native man—is an expression of cultural and political pride and defiance against a brutal history of forced assimilation through boarding and residential schools where our grandparents were incarcerated, forced to cut their hair and become white."

An article in Sister Sky explains the cultural significance of long hair for Native people. “In many tribes, it is believed that a person’s long hair represents a strong cultural identity. This strong cultural identity promotes self-esteem, self-respect, a sense of belonging, and a healthy sense of pride.”

If we look to the Kabbalah, as explained at Chabad.org, there are many different ways in which hair has mystical significance, and there are rules to follow which have deep religious meaning. They state, “Hair, an aspect of our existence that has been exiled into banality and perversion, in Kabbala is recognized for its spiritual power, properties, and potential.”

Encouraging your hair to be healthy and natural

Getting your hair to be natural often means giving up a lot of products that you rely on to create the looks you’ve been wearing. The good news is that many of those products weren't the greatest for your hair anyways. They forced your hair into unnatural positions to change the way your hair hung, grew, and moved. The bad news is that, yes, your hair may have irreparable damage, which means nothing can be done to fix it. You'll simply have to wait for it to grow out and then cut off the damaged areas.

Once you’ve committed to natural hair, your first step is to dump those old products. Replacing them with a haircare routine with an all-natural foundation fueled by the best ingredients available will give your hair what it needs. Support natural hair with nature–it’s a logical move.

The Hair La Vie Shampoo & Conditioner Set is great for healthy, natural hair. It focuses on revitalizing and rejuvenating your hair from the inside out with nourishing botanicals that, when combined, give your hair an astonishing 21 naturally-derived oils, powerful extracts and vitamins, strength-building proteins, and vital amino acids.

Final thoughts

Hair can have deep meaning and significance. For some people, it's an expression of who they are, where they came from, and how they want to be perceived. For others, their hair is tied to their religious beliefs and has a power that reaches beyond symbolism to the core of who they are and their connections to the world around them. And for some, hair is just a natural accessory that's fun to experiment with. 

No matter what your hair means to you, everyone has a hair story. What’s your hair story? Are you on top of the curve and an Insta or a TikTok hair-trender, or are you reaching for a more natural plotline, focusing on health and your hair’s unique personality? These choices are all yours, and it’s your statement to make. And because beautiful hair begins within, Hair La Vie is here to help you achieve your hair goals.