What Long Hair Means to Me

If I could sum up what long hair means to me in one word, it would be gift.

I have been drawn to long hair my entire life. Since I was a very young girl, I remember desiring it for myself more than anything else. I saw the possibility reflected on others and wondered if it would ever become a reality for me.

There was a stretch of nearly fifteen years where long hair felt like it continually eluded my grasp. During that time, I relied on extensions, carrying the quiet belief that if I couldn’t get what I wanted naturally, I could at least buy the appearance of it. That story belongs to another Script entry.

Understanding the Gift Beneath the Strands

At a deeper level, I always knew long hair represented more than length alone. It wasn’t simply about inches on my head. I was being drawn toward the power of healthy hair—regardless of where it landed on the body.

Healthy, lengthy hair, grown to whatever length someone desires, reflects consistency, fruition, and beauty. Those qualities mattered to me long before I could articulate why.

And I wanted that gift.

Letting Go of What Prevented Growth

After years of trial and error, around 2010 I made the decision to stop relaxing and coloring my hair.

Brief aside—yes, I used to relax and color at the same time. That’s a story for another day. Shrieks in voluntary bald-headedness.

Returning to the point: once I released those practices and began learning foundational principles for caring for my supernatural crown, everything changed. I reached waist-length hair more than once. In 2019, I locked my hair and wore locs for five years. When I combed them out, I cut my hair into a bob, knowing without question that I could grow it well past my waist again. The new goal became tailbone length.

Passing the Gift Forward

Child’s long natural hair reflecting intentional hair care over time

The most meaningful part of this journey is realizing that I gave myself a gift—and then, in 2013, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl who entered the world with a full head of hair.

I chose to steward her hair with the same care. Princess’ hair now extends past her waist, and all she has ever known is the gift that keeps giving.

The gift I once longed for, I now maintain intentionally. I give it to myself. I give it to the one who came through me physically. And I give it to those who desire the same—for themselves, in whatever healthy length they wish to grow.

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