Life doesn’t stop, and in today’s bustling world it’s hard to remember to take a breather every now and then. Add that enormous pressure to the standards college students hold ourselves to and you can instantly get an overwhelmed individual. It’s important that we take a step back to remain calm and remind ourselves that although life doesn’t stop, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t at times. This is exactly what Raeanna Murray intended to remind women as she shares her own journey with self-love and acceptance. I got a chance to sit down with Raeanna to talk about her self-love journey, natural hair and discussed some fun self-care tips!
Her Campus (HC): Tell me about yourself.
Raeanna Murray (RM): I am a senior majoring in Retail Entrepreneurship, a natural hair guru and self-love advocate. I really feel that people should simply embrace their natural selves. Take away the fancy jewelry, hairstyles and makeup, and embrace the person you are when you wake up in the morning.
HC: What does self-love mean to you?
RM: Self-love means putting yourself first. It’s doing everything that makes you happy. Doing things that will benefit the future you, things that the future you will thank the [present] you for. Think about when you love your family and friends. When you buy them gifts, check up on them, buying things for their birthday, the things that you write in their birthday cards. Take all of those acts that you are doing for others and do for yourself. Embracing yourself and treating yourself like you love you—that’s self-love.
HC: What are some of your favorite ways to show yourself some love?
RM: When people think of self-love, they think of putting on a face mask, eating their favorite cookies or ice cream, doing everything that they like—sometimes spending lots of money. We often attribute self-love to these material things, and I don’t think that is practicing true self-love. I think that actually practicing self-love is something that comes from within, and it’s not something that comes overnight. It’s something that you learn, something that you teach yourself, something that you grow into. I think it’s a never-ending process. Self-love is a journey. It’s not one night of sipping on wine with a face mask on, in a robe. That’s not self-love, that’s taking a break—indulging. So, to answer the question because I didn’t answer (chuckle) the way that I practice self-love is by retreating alone from the world, doing things that are fulfilling to me and make me feel good. Filling my body with what it needs, eating a great meal, taking naps, relaxing. I take care of myself, then I indulge.
HC: Can we get a peek into your hair product stash? Which products are your favorite?
RM: From my last count, I have about 80 different hair products. I honestly cannot pick one in particular because there are so many great products; however, one that I have purchased multiple times is the Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie — that is my holy grail! I love the Jamaican Black Castor Oil and Coconut & Hibiscus lines from Shea Moisture. Some other brands that I enjoy are Ms. Jessie’s and the Mane Choice. Ms. Jessie’s line is pretty much trial and error. You’re going to find a product that you love you just have to take the time. The Mane choice is more on the expensive side, but it is so worth it — bomb.com!
HC: How do you promote self-love on your channel?
RM: I don’t directly make videos for self-love or self-care on my YouTube channel but I will say that the way I present and carry myself is a reflection of self-love. I don’t wear make-up on my channel; I wear my natural hair in my videos. I use YouTube as a personal outlet, a place where I can be authentically me and it just so happens to entertain and help other people. My videos are really just for me, I enjoy making them. I guess you can say me being authentically myself and sharing that with the world is a reflection of how comfortable I am with myself naturally. And hopefully the girls that are watching my videos are inspired to just be themselves and not feel like they have to do their makeup or alter their hair to be comfortable.
HC: What advice would you give to those struggling with self-love at the moment?
RM: I just want people to know that the self-love journey is nothing quick. Tis is probably a journey that you’ll be on until you are in a comfortable place in your life–it is ongoing. You will constantly find new ways to love yourself. However, I would say the first step is cutting out the bad energy—bad people, bad things, bad places, bad habits. You can’t possibly practice self-love without cutting out the bad things. If its harming you more than it’s helping you, cut it off! You have to do things that are fulfilling to you. The self-love journey is one about finding yourself. You can’t love someone you don’t know. Accept who YOU are!
You can follow Raeanna on Instagram and check out her channel here!
All photos courtesy of Raeanna Murray.
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