It’s a Grower not a Show-er
Mine’s a grower not a show-er! And I’m ok with that.
Fascinating isn’t it? I ask when I suddenly caught my Caucasian husband staring at me through the mirror. He’d been standing there for ages; but so had I!
Five years into my natural hair journey, it still intrigues me. Outside the normal upkeep, I’ve spent hours in the mirror tugging at my locks. Like sunset, It’s a phenomenon I look forward to most days.
There’s no predicting what this man has in mind so I’ve stopped expecting that. I pick out my outfit for the next day, then select a range of neutral hair accessories; which one I wear will be determined by what my hair is doing on the day; long, short, wild or style-able!
Ok, Let me explain. A gentle tug at it in dry condition would see my 7 cm Afro double in length, the tight ringlets desperate to recoil, In damper conditions, on a good day I can get a good 21cm for my luck.
So much for brand image consistency! Time to get creative… and cross my fingers.
Dare I say it, relaxed hair was less drama. The decision was made when I trapped myself in the madness of routinely visiting the hairdresser to chemically straighten my hair, I loved the new length but hated the flat look. I’d patiently await some undergrowth to give it volume, then it’d be perfect for like a little while, until the dreaded day when comb would get stuck in the undergrowth then I’d get my roots chemically straightened again. The cycle continued. I told you; Madness.
Natural hair it is, I decided one day! And whereas I’m not particularly thrilled at having “secret” long hair – only evident after hours with a straightener or a pre-planned stretchy hairstyle. It offers some benefits. I haven’t found it to be vastly cheaper either but I take comfort in the abundance of volume and the delight of ridding myself of the harmful relaxer chemicals.
Is natural hair practical? Most of us live in the real world, and as much as I admire the vloggers who make natural hair upkeep look like a breeze, that has not always been my experience day to day.
Given plenty of notice and access to the best hair care which give the same perfect results consistently, your girl’s got no problems! However, in my world of spontaneous outings, different climates, and the expectation to show up on camera everyday, that hair routine would quickly eat into my productive time and affect me earning those coins:/
In addition, the ever changing look from stretched coils of varying sizes, an evenly patted down Afro and the occasional wild blow out look means you may not exactly meet the lady you’ve seen in my marketing materials from the photo shoot I had only 2 days ago. Go figure!
The bewildered look on my husband’s face waking up to a new woman each day; as he describes it to mutual friends who are equally intrigued at the 50 shades of Linda, is priceless. Of course this isn’t helped by the occasional wig I wear on days when I really CBA.
Is it all that bad? Hell No! My natural hair care and journey brings with it some very useful life takeaways. Well coiffed, I’m Mrs Kick Ass Coach, with the fro; I’m still the way to go and in between; well that just keeps them keen!
Too easily, we define ourselves and others by looks. I say unbox yourself, embrace the multifaceted you, and if you feel like it, reach for enhancements. No judgment here!
Long or short, grower or show-er, one thing’s for sure… you’re a Showstopper!

Linda
@MyCheerLinda
0044 74600 22292
hello@careerandmindset.com
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