This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Pantene. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Pantene. All opinions are 100% mine.
Pantene reached out to me and asked me who my beauty inspiration was. Who inspired my beauty ritual and how I took what I learned and implemented it into my current routine. With their new Nutrient Blends Collection in full swing, including ingredient blends inspired by cultures from all over the world, it didn’t take long for me to respond to who that inspiration was for me.
As the youngest of three girls, I grew up waiting my turn to get my hair done, but at the same time, watching and learning the best beauty routines from my two older sisters and my mom. In my family, we take self-care very seriously and a huge part of self-care is feeling your best and most confident. I feel very fortunate to have learned best practices and implemented methods at a very young age. I learned how to braid my hair by the age of 8, and by middle school, I was great at nourishing and styling each strand perfectly to greet my peers each day. So, when I think about my “Hairitage”, I cannot help but think of the times my sisters, mom and I took a full day or two to wash and roll our hair. Beautifying ourselves for everything, from school to Sunday Church Service, where we all showed up dressed alike, was one of our favorite pastimes.
This past Thanksgiving, I planned a photoshoot with my two sisters and my mom. We all got ready together, and we reminisced the yonder years when we would tussle our tresses with products and experiment with styles. My mom would tell us that before rollers, my grandmother and her five sisters made their hair rollers out of paper bags or newspapers. My “hairitage” is obviously creative and exploratory. I can imagine the fun they had creating the tools to manifest not only beautiful hairstyles but healthy hair. Better yet, before relaxers, my grandmother would press and style my mom’s and my aunt’s hair. It was always their pastime too.
When my mom and aunt got older, and both had girls, they made sure my cousins, my sisters and I were all set with the perfect hairstyles on holidays like Easter. My mom would run around getting the best products and trying new styles on us as if we were her baby dolls. She taught us techniques such as wrapping our hair in satin bonnets each night to protect it. She taught us that washing our hair at least once a week was not only practicing good hygiene but also very beneficial to healthy hair. She taught us to be open to exploring what our hair was capable of doing. For instance, if we made sure our ends were trimmed, it would grow.
Most of my friends grew up going to the hair salon at least once every other week. My hair salon was my mom’s kitchen on a Saturday. She’d prop each of us up on the kitchen counter and use the sink as a salon sink. I know what you’re thinking, not where you cook, but I can assure you we turned the kitchen into a salon expeditiously and vice versa just as fast. I will never forget these experiences. The smell of the shampoo… the head massages… the rotating of each of the four of us sitting under the dryer for deep conditioning treatments are all still prevalent memories to me, and I’ve continued them throughout the years.
As my two sisters and I grew older, we learned how to care for our specific types of hair under the direction of my mom. We’ve even taught her a few things that we learned about our hair. My older sister, Valerie, has dreadlocks. My middle sister, Kayla, has naturally blonde streaks that she has always had to particularly nurture as her hair is more light and course attentively. I’ve had my share of hairstyle mania from braids to weaves to wigs to growing out my natural curls. Through and through, I resort to what my mom taught me all those years ago.
Our “Hairitage” is rich and vibrant and strong. I’m so proud of the inspiration that has been passed down through generations. I can only hope that I have daughters to share the routines with. We all have a rich “Hairitage,” and that is why I was so interested in trying Pantene’s Fortifying Damage Repair with Castor OilShampoo and Conditioner, a part of the Nutrient Blends Collection. On top of its moisturizing and repairing properties, it is free of sulfates, parabens, dyes, and mineral oil. It was also discovered and curated by Pantene’s worldwide team of scientists. My family has always been a faithful user of Pantene because the products cater specifically to different hair types. Pantene products have always been creative and culturally aware of the needs of women across the world. The Fortifying Damage Repair with Castor Oil is enriching and sure to nurture each strand of your hair. If you have hair in need of a pick me up, you can locate the product here.
