I’m going to be vulnerable and open up about a condition I once suffered from in the hopes I can help others out there. That condition was wig blindness. My case was severe; lifting lace that didn’t match, a nonexistent part. I didn’t think I’d ever be cured.
No amount of Got 2b gel or foundation for my closure cured me. The thing that finally cured this horrible infliction was simple and in front of me the entire time: Embracing my natural hair.
All joke aside, there’s been a lot of talk on TikTok lately about various forms of beauty “blindness” impacting women. From being a victim of Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow in 2016 (eyebrow blindness) to wearing extremely long and unflattering eyelash extensions (eyelash blindness), it seems we’ve all at one time or another been caught up in a bad trend. The videos on wig blindness hit especially close to home for me.
READ MORE: How to stop hating your natural hair
Before I embraced my natural hair in 2019, I wore weaves almost exclusively and tried a wig once. Through all those years, I had a lot of terrible weaves and a very wiggy looking wig. My edges were extremely thin and my hair was broken and dry from neglect. I finally got fed up and started wearing my natural hair.
Tatiana White, a content creator, made a YouTube about wig blindness and how constantly wearing wigs and weaves messes with Black women psychologically. White said she relaxed her hair when she was in middle school because she wanted to fit in with her friends but cut it out because she didn’t think she looked good without volume. “I’ve been natural since then,” White, who is now 22, told me in an interview.
“When you choose to wear these non-textured weaves … you’re essentially becoming your own personal billboard ad for low self-esteem,” White said in the video. “You start to think you look better in something you can’t grow yourself and you’re shocked to see what’s under the wig because it’s in direct contrast with what you’re putting on your head.”
When I first started wearing my natural hair, I felt so uncomfortable and barely recognized myself in the mirror. Constantly seeing myself with hair that wasn’t my natural texture gave me some type of hair dysmorphia I had to work to overcome.
In an interview, White said that women who are struggling with accepting their natural hair need to rip the band-aid off. “I think the first thing you can do to help improve your confidence is admit you that you have a confidence problem and don’t try to overcompensate for it,” she told me. “And then pull yourself away from people or things or blogs that make you feel bad about yourself.”
Wearing weaves and wigs to switch up your look or protect your hair once in a while is fine. But when you get to the point where you think a bad wig looks better than your natural hair, you’re holding yourself back from your true beauty and potential.
There are so many great textured extension brands on the market now that there is really no excuse for not at least attempting to wear your natural texture! When I look back at pictures when I had wig blindness, I don’t cringe, but I have a lot of empathy for my old self. It’s difficult to take the plunge and let go of wigs and weaves but when you do it, it’s so worth it.
READ MORE: My favorite natural hair extensions
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