Rhianne in Lincoln, England
Before Quarantine:
When I was 16, I shaved my hair off and wore it like that until I was 21. I decided I wanted to grow it out, but every time I tried to style my natural hair, I felt like I looked like a 12-year-old. So, I wore weaves, wigs, and braids all the time.
I live in a predominantly white city, so I have to travel a few hours to get it done. That was getting really expensive, but I do feel stressed when trying to style it myself. Sometimes, I felt like I had failed as a Black woman by not being able to do my own hair.
During Quarantine:
I've been wearing a weave for a while and was due to get it redone. Once lockdown happened, I knew that wouldn't be possible, so it was time to start to learn to care for my natural hair. I wanted to learn different ways in which I can style my hair without resorting to heat. I've been following a lot of bloggers and YouTubers who seem to do it so effortlessly.
Now, I hope that I can reach a place where I feel happy with how I can style my hair so I don't have to rely on wigs, weaves, and braids all the time. I do like to switch it up, so I will still use those styles — I just don't want to be dependent on them