Much Love Mondays - Hair

Welcome to Much Love Mondays! Every Monday, I'll be sharing something I love about my body, and then I'll be handing out compliments like candy at a parade (can you tell I like parades?). It sounds kind of odd, I know, but if you bear with me through this long post, I'll explain.

One morning last week, an idea suddenly popped into my head fully formed. That happens sometimes; I'll walk around experiencing life, reading, watching, taking it all in, and an idea just sits forming in the back of my mind, and when it's ready, it pops up and introduces itself.

This one was born from things I've read on Sal's blog, Already Pretty, and on a blog/website called Olivine's Charm School, which I found through A Beautiful Mess. Wow, that was a whole lot of links for one little sentence. I've read so many things about how very few women can honestly say that they love everything about their bodies, and even the most "ideal" women have something they would change about their bodies if they could. There is so much body hatred/loathing/shame out there, and the inspiring women whose blogs I mentioned above are trying to break through that and help other women love the bodies they're in.

Julie Wray (of Olivine's Charm School), wrote a series of posts called "In Full Bloom - A Self Care Ritual Series." One of the things she wrote about was journaling and affirmations, where she suggests that you write a love letter to yourself that you will receive at some point you choose in the future. She also suggests that every time someone says something nice to you, you should write it down in a little journal, which you can then read whenever you're feeling down. I love this idea, but I'm going to change it up a bit, post it here to get each week off right, and share the love with you all.

Let's start with hair. I cannot tell you how many times I've received compliments that are variations on the theme, "I wish I had curls like yours, but you probably can't stand them!" My hair and I have a long and volitile relationship (that's another post altogether), but I really do love it, and while I love other women in straight hair, I think that my curls look perfect with my face.

My hair is never the same two days in a row. In fact, it can't be counted on to look the same two hours in a row, and I kind of love that about it. I'm a geminii; I can't help it!

I almost always wear my hair down (it's longer now than it's ever been), but when I do decide to put it up, my hair will stay without much work, and without any extra products like hairspray. When I take out the pins at the end of the day, it still stays up by itself! I'm growing it out to at least 24 inches, so I can donate some of my beloved hair but still keep it long for myself. I know. Selfish. :)

Also, I don't wash my hair every day.

Haha. No, really. I don't. This is my day two hair. My day three and four hair is similar, but, you know, different, because it's never exactly the same.

But enough about me. What about those other ladies out there with gorgeous hair? Casey, I adore your hair, and I love how creative you are with it. After discovering one of your hairstyle tutorials, I did my hair like that at least once a week for the rest of the summer. Check this girl out!

Oona, not only are you an extremely talented (and creative!) sewist (sewer? seamstress? I'm undecided about which term to use), but you also have amazing hair. I love seeing other girls rock their curls rather than trying to tame them. :) Back when I was dissatisfied with my hair, I used to wish it were curlier than it is, and I would have killed for hair like yours (one of my cousins has hair just like this, but white blonde, and I used to be soooo jealous of her!).

I read a sewing blog once and forgot to save it to my blog reader, but the author had the most beautiful long, straight, gray hair I've ever seen (if you know who I'm talking about, please let me know!). If my mom is any indication, I won't be going gray for a very long time, but when I do, this woman will be my hair muse.