A dime sized amount of conditioner...and other lies we tell
Now that I have your attention…if you are a naturalista (did I spell that right)?, then you know why the title of this post is funny, and true. Let me explain. If you look on the back of almost any conditioner bottle the instructions will read “apply a dime sized amount of conditioner, leave on for x amount of minutes and rinse off.” A dime sized amount?! Do you know how small that is? Of course you do. Is that enough to cover an entire head of curly, natural hair? Of course it’s not.
So what’s the point? The point is, companies are lying when they imply that a dime sized amount of conditioner is enough for your hair, and speaking of lies, we’re going to talk about the lies we tell ourselves. Since COVID hit, I’ve been more anxious than normal, and i’m sure several of you all have as well. I’ve had more time to look on social media, more time to scrutinize over my insecurities, more time to compare myself…basically more time to do all the things I shouldn’t be doing. I’ve been lying to myself a lot lately; believing that society will never return to “normal”, saying that I need to lose/gain weight (it really depends on the day), I’m not pretty enough, my hair isn’t long enough, I don’t have enough money…etc. Do you see how this can be dangerous? If you keep repeating those things, eventually they will stick, and will become your truth.
Now, unfortunately I can’t keep companies from mislabeling how much conditioner we actually need for our hair, but I can tell you how you can stop mislabeling yourself.
Recognize that you’re doing it. The first step to unlearning a behavior is to identify it. It may sound easy, but if you’re a person that’s been doing this for a while, it can be tough to even notice that you’re doing it.
Realize that it’s not true. If you have to, tell yourself aloud that those thoughts are false.
Replace that thought with a positive one. Moves and countermoves.
Don’t beat yourself up. Trust me on this one. It only makes you feel worse.
It’s not easy, and it won’t happen overnight, but you got this. I believe in you.
And remember, the next time you’re tempted to lie to yourself:
Love always,
CDOG