It has been a whole month and then some of self-isolation and social distancing, praying and hoping things get better as well as doing what I can to help those I can while keeping safe. I’m sure we’ve all had our good and bad days, and for me at least my productivity levels have taken a hit. I have extremely high expectations of myself and I love that ecstatic feeling of accomplishment when I finish something. So you can imagine how difficult it is for me to admit and accept when I’m stuck in a rut or feel like all I want to do is binge on Netflix and not feel guilty over not being productive human being. See the thing is I’m a perfectionist, a bit of a procrastinator and my worst critic.

Last month, I had all these ideas of amazing content and would write it out in my head and for some reason, I wasn’t able to bear down and write. Every morning, I woke up, pumped and psyched over all the amazing things I planned to accomplish only for me to look at my to do list at the end of the day and feel riddled with guilt over having only fulfilled a few of the tasks I set out to do as well as some I hadn’t; exercised, check, complete a French lesson, check, journal/meditate, check, successfully psyched myself out of writing, check.

Most times in the past, I’d probably be stuck in that miasma for a couple of days but I’ve learned to work through those thoughts and feelings. I have conversations with myself and I’ve learned not to focus on the list so much but to accomplish one task at a time and not succumb to the pressure. I don’t take my mental health for granted and try to make sure I’m in a good head space; which is a good thing to strive to always but particularly in the times we’re living in at the moment. One thing we can all admit this period of quarantine has taught us is to tapping into creative parts of ourselves, we didn’t know existed; or maybe they were always there, and it took a pandemic for us to realize it. Either way, I think it’s great though I am thankful I wasn’t tagged in any challenges; I’m not sure I would have had the commitment to follow through on them but they were entertaining to watch.

One of the things I’ve had to figure out during this time is my personal grooming and we’ve all seen the tweets and memes making rounds making fun of how quarantine has us looking…well, raggedy. I’m all about no bras while in isolation #freethenips, but not having access to the salon, allowed me to develop a deeper level of appreciation for hairdressers, but also figure out how to get through  be self-sufficient and figure out how to get through it, looking somewhat put together.

Some things have come easy for me, like manicures and pedicures, which are a breeze for me, some I’m still learning like figuring out how to deal with hair.

On the count of three…

Anyone who has ever waxed in their life knows there’s a high level of trust and hygiene for obvious reasons as well as some pain that goes hand in hand with this activity. I’ve been waxing for years now and for one main reason, I just don’t like hair in my pits or privates. I love the smooth as a baby’s bottom skin feeling, simple. Back home, there is only one person I could trust, called Maggie. She’s located at Pam’s Salon at Capital Centre and honestly, she’s such a darling. I can’t actually remember which one of my friends introduced me to her but the first time I went to get waxed, I was apprehensive, of course. However, something about her demeanour immediately put me at ease and I was able to relax. We got to bond over subsequent sessions, as she shared her sharing waxing experiences with other clients as well as her own, to talking about our personal lives.

I knew I was going to miss her when I moved to the Netherlands but more importantly, that I’d need to find a new waxing place; I wasn’t ready for that. Thankfully, despite being in quarantine, I was able to figure things out and managed to get a professional wax set so I could attempt waxing at home. It featured, 1 wax heater, 4 packs of 100-gram wax pellets of different scents though it just smelled waxy and plastic to me, 100ml calming oil and 10 resin and wax spatulas. The instruction manual instructs you to keep the heater on high for 5 minutes or until the wax melts and then reducing the heat to medium. I turned mine up to slightly above medium to keep the wax malleable and at a temperature that wouldn’t burn my skin. The wax beans melted quickly, and I found spreading it out to a thickness of about 3 millimeters made the hair removal easier.

I consider myself to have a high threshold for pain but at first, I didn’t think I would be able to go through with waxing myself; I thought I’d chicken out. After a few tries, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy and not as painful it was and was done in about 30 minutes. Looks like visits to waxing parlors are off the table for now!

What’s my hair type again?

Still on matters hair, I’m very basic in terms of what I like, but I’ve tried a few things and I’ve always trusted my hairdresser to get it done. As was standard for most us when we were younger, I had my hair permed and when my natural hair grew, it would be braided. Eventually, when I started managing my own hair, I transitioned into texturizing it and braids or cornrows were my default protective style as usual. I’ve cut my hair a couple of times and coloured it but that’s as experimental as I’ve been with my hair.

Because of working out, I tend to stick to protective styling simply because it’s easier to manage it and I simply don’t know what to do with my hair, when it’s not in a protective style. I’m not sure I even classify as a lazy natural; currently, I’m really just trying to salvage what’s left of my edges and keep it from falling off. You laugh, but all I really know is wash, deep condition, treatment and moisture is my hair’s best friend; I don’t even know for sure what my hair type is. Flat twists, twist outs and all that jazz are an extreme arm work out for me so three-strand plaits a.k.a matutas are as good as it gets most of the time.

When I first visited the Netherlands, my hair was texturized and I had it treated. I didn’t anticipate how strong the winds would be and what they would do to my hair. I stayed for a week and let’s just say I was only able to comb my hair three days out that week before I couldn’t put a comb through it. The water also felt hard, probably because of minerals, I don’t know; it felt and tasted different from water back home. I wasn’t sure what to expect once I moved not to mention the high prices for getting a protective style done on your hair.

I took out the braids I had gotten done, thinking I’d get to have a to get a new protective style done afresh when the quarantine was announced. So, I had to figure out what to do with my hair to keep me from shaving it off; I’m not sure I can rock a bald look though I wish I could.

Anyway, I got a few supplies: Aunt Jackie’s Deep Conditioner and Curl Cream, African Pride Leave-In Conditioner, Jamaican Black Castor Oil and Almond Oil to mix in, a spritz bottle, scissors because my split ends needed to go, sectioning hair clips to help my attempts at parting my hair and of course shampoo and conditioner; I wasn’t sure which brand to get, so I just erred on the side of hydration, moisture.

I set off to work on my hair and the scariest moment was when it came to trimming the split ends but with my husband’s help and a little patience I got it done. My hair definitely felt soft, moisturized, manageable and while it was still damp plaited my matutas. A week or so later, I attempted chunky braids with some fluffy kinky braids I bought when moving. Before you think about it, no; there shall be no photos of that hot mess, at least not until I ever get good at braiding.  Besides, they served their purpose, which was not having to manipulate my hair in any way for at least two weeks. Now that restrictions in the Netherlands have eased up somewhat and salons are open, your girl will be scheduling an appointment to get her hair done professionally.

So where do we stand on my hair at the moment: I’ve gotten the hang of waxing and slowly figuring out what works for my hair and how to best care for it; oh and yes save the edges!

Let me know how you’re surviving being in isolation,share your personal grooming tips and I’ll see you on the next one!