An Open Update…

Hair… Hair… Hair…

This has been such an ongoing battle for me for about these last 8-9 years now.  My hair has never been amazing or coarse, but it was long and I had lots of it.  Almost a decade ago now my hair started falling out by the handfuls.  Although at first I suspected it was just part of having babies and it would recover eventually, this was not the case for my head.  My hair became more and more fine, it has become very brittle, thin to the point of not being able to cover up my scalp in several areas, and it has slowly broken off to up above my shoulders and above my ears in some parts too.

I know, I know… this is not the end of the world, however, I believe that God gave us hair and that it is part of the beauty we see on people’s exterior.  I also know that true beauty is on the INSIDE.  For me personally, this is a battle I have had to fight in my own heart.  I have three kiddos and two of them are daughters that I never want to view themselves in the light of their beauty being dependent on wearing makeup, having a perfect figure, wearing the most designer clothing, or what hair they may or may not have.  I also know that there have been soooooo many drastic changes in my health, emotions, appearance, and overall feeling and some of these vary greatly from day to day.  Because of these unknowns that I cannot EVER be in control of, I have been wearing extensions in my hair for the last 8-ish years off and on… mostly ON!  I have struggled with thinking it was vain.  I have had several heart to hearts with my kiddos about what beauty is, what beauty isn’t, and why I have chosen to change a part of me for the time being.  I have cried on my husbands shoulders about it more times than I can count.  For some reason, hair for me is one thing that I can be in control of with extensions and they help me still feel like a girl.  And you know what…  regardless of how I am feeling each day, if I can get out of bed just long enough to brush my hair and put it up in a ponytail or maybe go to the doctor with curls in it… I just plain feel better all over!

I just took my extensions out tonight… I have to take them out and have them put back in about every 6 weeks or so!

These are them… They will be re-taped in tomorrow evening!

I wanted to share this info because I’ve overheard many conversations bashing ladies for having “fake” hair.  I want to encourage people to have grace with others.  Whether you agree with something trivial like extensions, makeup, or other things that don’t really matter at the end of the day, they do not change a person’s heart, and maybe, just MAYBE they are dealing with something out of their control that you would never know and they just need a moment, a day, or a cute ponytail to feel a tiny bit better overall!

I may have extensions in my hair, it may be fake, it will never define me, but I am ok with them and am incredibly thankful for the people that donate their hair for my extensions and literally thank God for them each day that I brush or wash them… because of those women, I too can feel like a woman on the outside while striving to be more like Christ inwardly every moment for the rest of my life!

I also have to say a quick THANK YOU to the world’s greatest hairdresser, sweetest friend, and huge blessing in my life:   Jenna Ringer… you have done my hair so amazingly for soooooo many years!  I am blessed by you friend!  XO