I see more and more local female celebs who were once quite “sexy” have started wearing the hijab. I even followed some of the celebs’ hijrah stories and was truly amazed, not just by their appearance, but also how they have totally changed and become better Muslimah – even better than those who have worn the hijab long before they did (that would be me). MasyaAllah! It just shows that the Almighty can give His hidayah to whoever he wants.
As for me, I started wearing hijab when I was 9 years old but only at school. It wasn’t until I reached the age of 14 that I started wearing hijab full time.
Well… I didn’t actually decide it myself; it was my parents. They had been telling me (and my sisters) since we were small, that once we hit puberty, we will be accountable for all our sins, bad deeds as well as good deeds, and that they will no longer be responsible for our sins. So on top of not missing the 5 daily prayers, fasting in Ramadhan and other do’s and don’ts, we were also told to wear the hijab. Being a good daughter that I was (I still am la, ok hehe), I obeyed them without any protest. It wasn’t that easy tho.
One of the biggest issues I faced when I first wore hijab outside of school was styling it! I had to ditch my skirts and dresses and switch to wearing only long pants. And because I was the eldest, I didn’t have anyone to turn to for fashion advice. I had zero sense of style and didn’t know how to dress up especially with hijab. My sister’s friends used to ejek the way I wear my hijab and called me “tudung empat segi” because of the way I shaped my tudung that made my face looked squarish. Pffft. But seriously, when I looked back at my old photos when I was a teenager, I would cringe. No wonder I sulked in all the photos. I looked hideous!
Trust me, I’ve tried and tested all sorts of hijab styles. There was even a time when I wore a floral tudung with a scarf ring down the middle – with a denim shirt and cargo pants. 8-O I don’t know what I was thinking! But oh well, we’ve all had our fashion disaster moment, no? Hehe. So yeah, that was one of my biggest struggle when I first started wearing hijab, which actually lasted for a decade! I wanted to cover up but didn’t know how to do it nicely… and I felt ugly. My self-esteem was at the lowest point at that time (didn’t help that I also gained weight!) and I felt selekeh all the time. I just wanted to be invisible!
Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t hate the hijab. I just hated that I don’t know how to look nice wearing it. And I feel offended when I was told that wearing hijab “tak standard and outdated”. Sigh.
As years went by; as I grew older, I slowly started learning how to improve my appearance. After more than a decade, I finaaally “mastered” how to wear the hijab without looking selekeh (took me so long haha). I also started dieting to lose weight (but umm well, I’ve gained them back after my pregnancies woohoo). Honestly I never thought of becoming a lifestyle blogger and that people would actually ask me for style and fashion tips (seriously, guys? haha).
I am no fashionista, but I still think that just because you wear hijab doesn’t mean you cannot look good. I still think that you can still be modest and look chic at the same time and just be confident with yourself. Looking and feeling good don’t always mean wearing fancy clothes, the latest bags and shoes, and thick, heavy makeup. Sometimes something as simple as wearing deodorant and nice-smelling shampoo can make a huge different.
I find that my head feels so much more comfortable and “lighter” in hijab when my scalp and hair are clean and smelling fresh. I love how Sunsilk Lively Clean & Fresh gives my hair that clean and fresh feeling because nothing is more annoying than an itchy scalp and hair full of dandruff – not even if you’re “free hair”.
And because I wear hijab, I feel the need to shampoo my hair every other day to maintain the cleanliness and freshness. It makes wearing my hijab a lot more pleasant and I love when I get a whiff of that sweet fruity-floral smell of Sunsilk shampoo, even when I had my hijab on (yes, you can actually smell your own hair even underneath the hijab!).
Sunsilk Lively Clean & Fresh is actually co-created with scalp care expert, Dr. Francesca Fusco, and the shampoo and conditioner are enriched with Vitamin Citrus Complex that cater specially for hijab-wearing women to give that fresh, itch-free and sweet-smelling scalp, even after a long day or wearing hijab. It also helps to remove excess sebum to give a clean and fresh scalp.
I no longer feel selekeh now; in fact I love my hijab and I feel confident donning it. It is a part of me and I would feel incomplete without it. My hijab is going to stay with me for the rest of my life, insyaAllah. I do admit tho, I am not a perfect Muslimah. Modesty is a never-ending journey and there are a lot of things I need to improve myself as a Muslim woman, and I hope God will ease my journey.
Sunsilk understands the challenges and struggles that hijab-wearing ladies are facing, and they want to encourage women to share their hijab journey in their digital contest on Facebook, Menemanimu Sejak Tahun 2000. The Grand Prize includes, RM20,000 cash prize for you to achieve your aspiration, as well as Sunsilk products and t-shirt with your tudung journey illustration. There will also be 10 consolation prizes – RM3,000, t-shirt with your tudung journey illustrations and Sunsilk products.
I’m sure every one of you hijab-wearing ladies have your own challenges and struggles that you faced in your hijab journey. Share it here and who knows you might win yourself one of the cool prizes!
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