What is a Mane Captain anyway?

So you've been visiting the blog for a while and somehow can't figure out what the blog name means and how I came about the name. Perhaps, the title of the blog is self explanatory to you, but you would like to know about its conception.

In case you're wondering, the online Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines these words as:
Mane: "long heavy hair on a person's head" 
Captain: "a person who is in charge of a ship or plane"
In other words, a Mane Captain is a person who is in charge of the hair on their head. 

At my last meetup in the GTA, I gave the following characteristics of a "Mane Captain" as someone who..
• is in complete control of his/her hair in terms of styling and general hair care
• is hairducated and knowledgeable on the different features of his/her hair and isn’t afraid to try new things in terms of techniques, styles, products and tools
• flaunts his/her hair openly and proudly

How did I come up with this name?

Like many naturals, I've had to acquire knowledge on Black hair and I even acquired a lot of products and hair tools as I gradually built my mini home salon. My past experiences with hairstylists who were so aggressive with my so called "full, thick and coarse new growth" always gave me the motivation to style my own hair at home. Also, living in China really forced me to rely on myself as my own personal stylist as the few hair braiders that did my hair all had a complaint about my natural hair. 

Although I could make things "easier" for these stylists by doing a blow out, however, the time that I would have to spend doing this, along with the time spent going over to a stylist and then having to pay them to abuse my hair just wasn't worth it. And so I started this blog to empower women like myself to take complete control of their hair so they won't have to be a victim of bad hairstylists, like many women have in the past or still are due to a lack of knowledge on Black hair care. 

This is my warmest winter sweater, so you'll see it in a lot of winter photos.
Pictures were actually taken on different days :)

Who's eligible to be a Mane Captain?
Anyone who...

• has been a victim of bad hairstylists
• wants to be able to take care of their hair by themselves without having to go to a stylist all the time
• can't access an educated natural hairstylist due to financial and geographical reasons
• wants to be able to change up their hairstyle a few times in a week or month without having to pay for every look
• lives in a city or country where there isn't a stylist that knows anything on Black haircare but still wants to be able to wear their natural hair out

Disclaimer: This isn't an anti hairstylist post, it is only intended for those who simply don't have the access to a good hairstylist and are looking for ways to achieve healthy hair on their own.

Are you a fellow Mane Captain? Would you say that you've had to promote yourself to be the captain of your own hair after going natural?