Having your hair done is not a luxury; it’s nourishment for the body, mind, and soul. Beauty services are essential for maintaining our physical health, mental well-being, and social connectivity. Often taken for granted, these services play a crucial role in enhancing self-esteem, providing human touch, and improving overall quality of life.
Most people don't think about being without these things because they are readily accessible to them. Your running water works just fine so you don’t need to think about what happens when it doesn’t, why would you? You can probably switch from having low self-esteem to good enough self-esteem to pursue that new job. You likely don’t think about the last time you experienced human contact unless you’ve gone months without a hug, or the simple touch of the hand by a manicurist. When we go without these seemingly mundane things for long enough, all of a sudden, we begin to crave them.
That’s why getting your hair done and having beauty services are not just luxuries to indulge in if you have extra money. These services are vital. What worries me is the misconception that beauty professionals offer nice-to-haves only for the elite or well-off. The idea that a massage is for when you have extra cash or a facial is for when you can take a day off is misleading. These services are much more than luxuries. Luxury is an overused buzzword that has lost its meaning, much like the so-called “luxury” apartments built out of cheap chemical filled materials.
Beauty services go beyond the surface. They make us feel good on the inside, boost our confidence, and make us more capable of showing up for ourselves. People who have been underserved often need these services more than the rest of us. The lack of accessible resources often pushes self-care to the bottom of their priority list.
When a person is taken care of, they are more equipped to show up for themselves and others. This simple ripple effect can transform our world. The way we can heal each other through beauty services is astounding.
Yalaina's Story
Yalaina, a recipient of The Beauty Project Foundation’s Beauty Without Bounds Initiative, exemplifies the profound impact of having access to beauty and self care services. Struggling with depression and housing insecurity, she moves between different motels daily, trying to balance the fluctuating costs. This instability affects her ability to secure work. Being housing insecure is a lonely place and having a program that cares about her deeply, matters.
Yalaina values the time spent with each provider. “They are giving me their time, and by doing that, it reminds me that I matter and that I am cared for even though I am going through a hardship right now. Even though I feel insecure and lost and don’t have stable housing, these appointments recharge me. They give me a moment that is priceless. The Beauty Project is saying, ‘You may be lost right now, but you matter.’”
There is power in vulnerability and community through talking to one another. A salon or service space can offer this when we go one step deeper. It’s not far; we just have to take that first layer of armor off, doing so allows for so much sharing to happen.
Having access to beauty services gives Yalaina peace of mind. Her hair can be difficult to manage, and she struggles with it. Access to resources to help her take care of it removes a burden from her shoulders. It helps her feel confident, building trust with the providers. She feels that she, too, can be beautiful. Often, she feels like beauty is for others, not for her. But access to these services helps build her confidence to focus on other aspects of her life, like securing stable employment.
The power of touch has a significant impact that we often overlook. “There are people out there that have not had a simple hug in years,” she says. “I can't remember the last time I had my handheld. Community is the antidote to loneliness, which is the number one killer. Lack of touch is killing us all.”
Simply having the appointment is helpful because it gets her out into the world. It’s something for her to look forward to. “It’s going to interact with another person. Once I am done with the service, I see the world differently. Once I see the world differently, I interact with the world differently,” she says.
The Beauty Project Foundation has helped Yalaina believe in kindness again. There are people out there who deeply care for you, even if they don’t know you. They know nothing of your history, but they want to help. And that’s simply it, not because they will get something out of it. It is because they solely want to help you feel better about yourself. “For me, The Beauty Project has given me confidence to know that there are people out there that really care about me just because. Working with people that really want me to feel and look better reminds me that it’s all a process. Beauty is in the process,” she tells me.
Taking care of ourselves through beauty services is not just about vanity; it encompasses a comprehensive approach to well-being. It’s about maintaining physical health, supporting mental health, and enhancing social and psychological aspects of our lives. Investing time and resources in beauty and self-care can lead to a more balanced, healthy, and fulfilled life.
Yalaina sums it up beautifully: “Beauty, to me, is many things. It’s about looking in the mirror and feeling good about what I see, and it’s about how you feel about yourself as a person. Both aspects are interwoven. I am beautiful because I’m not giving up. I matter, and I’m cared for.”
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