Black Girl Hair Depression | A Conversation with Experts | Episode 5

Hair Depression is a very quiet but loud conversation happening in many places online. Black Girl Curls makes space to have this conversation with licensed Psychotherapist Ce Anderson.
What is Hair Depression?
Within the Black community there is the phenom known as Hair Depression. Hair Depression typically accompanies mood swings or mood changes that are bought on when we aren't necessarily feeling like our best selves when our hair changes or isn't what we desire it to be.
A thousand thank you's to Ce for making space for Black Women to be seen, felt and heard.
You can find Ce
www.ceanderson...
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mystyle-list.com
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[@Blush210]

“IT NEVER LOOKS AS GOOD ON CAMERA AS IT DOES IN PERSON” !!!! we really need to take how seriously of an issue that really is in the day of social media!!!

[@Lisa_Flowers]

This is such an interesting conversation. One of the things I love about BGC is that I finally have some basic idea of how to determine the basic behaviour of my hair. Knowing what the baseline is, what is and isn't possible, what is and isn't normal for me specifically, really helps me have realistic expectations about what my hair can do, and also learn to love and appreciate it for those things too. It doesn't mean I like my hair 100% of the time but it isn't chaos and confusion anymore. It isn't me trying to make it do things it can't do, or things it _can_ do but I'm just going about it wrong, and feeling angry and disappointed and like I have bad hair because of it. Because the combination of most of us not knowing what to do with our hair _and_ the stigma and expectations that are constantly thrown at natural hair is enough to frustrate anybody! People tell you your hair is supposed to do _this_ or it can't do _that_ or you should want it to look like _this_ , and everybody is talking and everybody has different opinions, it's exhausting. But someone once said that the BGC introduces people to their real hair, and I think that exactly nails why it's helped me be more accepting of the hair on my head. It no longer feels like I'm fighting a losing battle, it's not a battle at all. I'm not fighting my hair, I'm trying to understand her and see what we can do together. Sometimes what I want isn't possible, and sometimes I can do things with my hair I never thought I could. But it feels so good to just be able to understand what's going on and embrace the process of learning to understand my hair and mastering different styles in a way that is practical and sustainable.

[@BlackGirlCurls]

Yaaaas! Our whole approach has always been about introducing to the hair growing from your scalp.

[@antoinettejohnson6251]

This was so helpful to me on multiple levels. I went natural way back before it was trendy or all these products… let’s just say it’s been a lot and my self-esteem surely suffered. I’m so relieved to find out that hair depression is a real thing 😢 I’m not just lazy 😮My lacks of wellness and energy really does impact my soul/being😮 Thank you, ladies, for creating a safe place to just be and learn and to practice acceptance. It’s past time for this 60 year old soul to embrace self love with confidence.✌️

[@lizh6578]

I knew a white woman with curly hair who was afraid to wear it curly. She spent hours straightening her hair. I was going natural and she decided to try it. She came in with her hair in it’s natural state. Next day it was straight again. She was afraid of hair discrimination. In the seventies and before white women were getting perms to get curly hair. It’s crazy!

[@BlackGirlCurls]

It’s so wild how we internalize things said to us about our appearance

[@user-gs9ip8se7v]

The Cosby Show and Essence Magazine exemplified the diversity of natural hair during that time. I still remember the cover photo with Joi (Spike's sister)Lee😊

[@acebutterfly2725]

Many ppl don’t realize it, but The Cosby Show had a Blk psychologist, Dr. Alvin Poussaint, on staff. Everything was filtered through him, I.e. the script, the casting etc. It was very intentional, that’s one of the reasons why the show had such an impact.

[@Honey_Vee79]

You just made me feel sooooo much better about how my curls look in photos. I’ve been so confused why it looks so good and voluminous to me in person and then in photos it’s all small lol. I was thinking that’s what people are really seeing and I’m wrong about my hair looking good in person 😆 I’m glad it’s not just me because I be looking at some of the influencer girls and they must know some tricks that I don’t to make their hair look so good in photos.

[@katinakellum9559]

This was a great discussion! My biggest learning from BGC is the mindshift I made around my own natural curls. Learning to accept my own curls, how to care for them and partnering with a stylist has become my favorite form of self-care.

[@theplantainchiplover]

I’m so glad you mentioned hair irl vs. on camera! For a long time, I was confused as to why my hair looked so small in pictures compared to irl lol

[@BlackGirlCurls]

You’re welcome! It’s not something that’s widely known

[@KimmieJ1920]

And we will “sleep pretty” which is the worst sleep ever. All in the name of trying to maintain that hairstyle and look cute.

[@lehhjones2208]

I loved everything about this conversation❣️ It’s definitely deeper than hair.

[@ossier2796]

I can relate to my hair not looking as big on film as it does in person. This is a good conversation. There’s also a good movie with Sanaa Lathan called Nappily Ever After.

[@afuanieto4438]

I appreciate this conversation. Thank you. 🙏🏾

[@BlackGirlCurls]

You’re welcome !

[@jaytee419]

Living for these podcast episodes and guests!!!❤

[@geneticallycurated]

Needed dialogue! Self-deprecation is seen behind the chair, sometimes, presenting when the curl formation (curl pattern) desired doesn’t grow naturally from the scalp. Thanks for bringing this exchange to the forefront, Ladies. Our hair is beautifully dynamic!

[@BlackGirlCurls]

You’re welcome! So happy to hear that this conversation resonated with you.

[@kourtney101]

I support this message ⚖️💯✨️ When you mature & acknowledge that you are Psalms 139:14, you don't want to cover up HIS glory with someone else's hair; therefore, you learn to appreciate & care for your own 🗣🔥✊🏿

[@disneytoysr4fun975]

This was such a pleasant watch. I forgot how much I loved your talks.

[@BlackGirlCurls]

Thank you for your kind words! More to come!

[@disneytoysr4fun975]

@@BlackGirlCurlsof course! And i forgot to add that the biggest thing I took away from BGC was that natural hair doesnt have to be all about reaching length goals. Its crazy how most naturals didn’t even fathom having fierce cuts and shapes before you ladies came along! No wonder the relaxed girlies were hesitant to go natural, we were giving Mormon and little house on the prairie with our grown out mullets😩😂.

[@sharonray1287]

No, It does not look the same when you take a photo. My hair was looking cute for my driver's license. When I saw the picture, it looked terrible. The lady had to retake the picture which did not help.

[@BlackGirlCurls]

Mad annoying!!

[@curlsncoilsnwaves7324]

This was a dope conversation!! ❤️🤗

[@BlackGirlCurls]

We’re so glad Ce provided so much perspective to our experiences.

[@reverlyevans-higgins5357]

That reminds me of the girl in The Help and her mother trying to tame her curly hair.

[@Jesusgirlcrochets]

I was saying and thinking "pickaninny" before Ce even said it. I remember that term well. For reference, I'm class of 1986 and also from Chicago.

[@lizh6578]

I thought the term went out in the 60s. The 1860s.

[@Jesusgirlcrochets]

@lizh6578 perhaps that is when it was most popular, but I've definitely heard it used in my lifetime.

[@lizh6578]

@@Jesusgirlcrochets sad, isn’t it.

[@Jesusgirlcrochets]

@@lizh6578 sad indeed!

[@acebutterfly2725]

58:36-1:00:37 🎯 Great discussion, great guest. The time stamp sums up everything. Most BW have this issue, there would not be a $19-billion dollar fake hair industry without what the host said in the time stamp. I hope more BW watch this video.

[@BlackGirlCurls]

Just know that number encompasses the entire industry.

[@acebutterfly2725]

@@BlackGirlCurls Okay, thanks for providing that info. I got the number from a Blk Ph D that published a study that said the fake hair BW use is treated with a car cin o gen.

[@laearth0330]

Men have the same relationship with their hair just like woman do

[@BlackGirlCurls]

This doesn’t surprise us one bit.

[@laearth0330]

@@BlackGirlCurls what doesn’t surprise you? Men and woman are on the same level when it comes to natural hair. I grew up with brothers, they had to teach me how to grow my hair. I didn’t have woman like that in my circle, so I’m not surprised either that woman wouldn’t understand that men and woman are understanding when it comes to hair

[@BlackGirlCurls]

@@laearth0330 you mentioned in your initial response “men have the same relationship with their hair” I was simply agreeing that men having that type of relationship to their hair like women not being surprising. As Ce said in our chat that our hair is apart of us…that logic also makes sense to describe any human with hair.

[@laearth0330]

@@BlackGirlCurls yeah I was agreed with her on that too because it’s like with alopecia, which I have too, like it felt like I was losing apart of myself when my hair started coming out and I had bald spots

[@laearth0330]

@@BlackGirlCurls I never knew there was more alopecia names