Cultivating Confidence with Psykhe Hair

By Psykhe Hair

Jennae Jensen’s life was in turmoil.

Year after year, she’d stood behind the chair of her hair salon, hearing the stories of women who were sad, anxious, and self conscious. She felt a lot of satisfaction in helping people look and feel better about themselves.

But now, it was her turn to hit rock bottom. With three busy young boys and the non-stop pressures of work and family life, her health was falling apart. With all the overwhelm, she’d stopped taking her thyroid medication and her hormones were out of whack. Her own hair was coming out in handfuls, turning dry, brittle, and breaking off. She felt embarrassed and ashamed—her sense of self worth an all-time low. As a hair expert, she knew that one of the first places that poor health and stress shows on a woman is in her hair, and it seemed it was all a bit of a mess. 

Struggling with hair becoming ever thinner, Jennae’s self confidence plummeted. That’s when a realization hit her—she knew clearly that she wasn’t alone. Many women had expressed sadness about thinning hair, but she didn’t have a specific solution for that. But then, an idea came to her of a way to add fullness through an invisible “tiara” of hair in just the right place, around the face. An idea bloomed that she could create a new product for this purpose that would help many women—not just the few who sat in her chair.

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ, she’d seen scriptures such as 2 Nephi 13 warning against vanity: “Because the daughters of Zion are haughty…walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet—the Lord will smite with a a scab the crown of the head…instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle, a rent; and instead of well set hair, a baldness…burning instead of beauty.” 

She couldn’t help wondering: Would focusing on hair be considered vanity? Is a hair product really something worth devoting so much time and resources to?

She knew God loves women, and that He wants them to feel secure and happy. She came to see that giving a little focus to a woman’s hair, in order to give her that confidence, was not the same as being proud, vain, or haughty. Instead of enmity toward God, it could help a woman feel the self-worth He wants for her.

Jennae set out to do several things at once. First, she had to get her health on track. Next, she wanted to create a way to help women with hair insecurities. And lastly and perhaps most importantly, she’d felt the whisperings of the Spirit that there was another baby meant for her family. She felt overwhelmed by all this, but dove in with faith.

Going off birth control and getting her thyroid medicine corrected gradually improved her physical well-being. She launched her new business, Psykhe Hair, following a long period of research and development to create the perfect product she’d envisioned. And, just weeks before her launch, she became pregnant with baby number four. 

It’s been a hectic journey, but every time Jennae sees a woman step forward with new confidence and feeling of self-worth, she knows she made the right choice in pursuing her business. 

From her unique opportunity to get to know hundreds of women, one on one, as she takes care of their hair, she has learned many things about women. One of the saddest, she feels, is that women are harsh judges—both on others and on themselves. She has heard story after story of women who have overheard the unkind whispers of others—judging how they look, their choices, or even how they wear their temple garments. She hopes women will extend more kindness and understanding to each other, but she especially hopes women will extend that same kindness to themselves.

She understands the feeling a woman might have of looking in the mirror and feeling like she sees nothing beautiful, nothing of worth. To these women, she wishes she could reach out and help them see themselves the way God sees them—strong, capable, and worthy of love.

Jennae says: “I only wish I could fully convey the emotions this journey has brought me, and the gratitude for those sharing their journeys with me. Some might say that hair can’t really make that big of a difference, or it’s silly to allow something like hair have so much power over self-confidence. But those of us who have experienced this kind of challenge know it’s more than just hair.”

Jennae reminds us that each woman’s challenges are unique—including some challenges that have nothing to do with appearance. Kindness will never be wrong. If we can each give each other a little grace, and give ourselves a little grace, we will all be in a better place. 

And if a little extra hair around your face makes you feel strong and happy, then Jennae is proud and grateful to have helped.

To learn more about Jennae, her unique products, and her story, follow her on Facebook and Instagram @psykhehair and her website psykhehair.com where she shares more of her journey and encourages women to find their self-worth and confidence.

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