How to be a Confident Woman 

We’ve all been there, searching the internet for answers on how to be the best version of ourselves. Maybe you’ve been through a tough break-up, motherhood has taken over or you’re just feeling a little lost? Every woman loses her confidence sometimes, including you and me. But where can we find it again and what does it mean to be a confident woman?

Here at Stranded, our mission is to inspire everyday confidence in our customers, with our content and luxury products.

You know that feeling you get when you walk out of a salon with a perfect blowdry, bouncing with every step you take? What if you could bottle that feeling and spray it on like perfume? That's how our customers feel wearing our products.

However, hair extensions may not be the answer you’re looking for. Maybe you’re looking for inner confidence, a change in mentality? In this article, we’re going to look at why you’re not confident in yourself, the qualities of a confident woman and how to improve your self-esteem.

 

Why am I not confident in myself?

Confidence comes from so many different places, both within ourselves and from outside sources. Lack of confidence is never a lack of self though. Ask yourself these key questions:

• What has changed since you last felt confident?
• What habits or moments make you feel confident?

When I asked myself this question, I thought about a night out with my girlfriends. We were all celebrating different successes and used this as an opportunity to dress up, do our hair and have fun together. I felt confident by making myself look good and having my friends around to hype me up.

What are the habits of a confident woman?

I talked to the staff in our office about our female confidence icons - you know, the women we all want to be, who inspire us with their unshakeable self-confidence, wherever they are. These are the qualities we noted, of our confident women:

They see their ‘failures’ as lessons

Life is filled with obstacles, some of which can feel so overwhelming in the moment. But women who embody deep self-confidence see these challenges as opportunities for growth. They look for the lessons in tough situations and apply these learnings to their next big move.

Never be afraid to set goals and go after them! Confident women let go of hard days, always look for the silver lining and live outside of their comfort zone because they know that’s where the real magic happens. Take time to manifest your growth.

Think about the lessons you have learned from past experiences.

They’re aware of their strengths, weaknesses and opinions

Knowing yourself can be an incredibly powerful thing. Confident women know what they’re good at and aren’t afraid to ask for help when they need it. By evaluating their strengths and weaknesses, along with aligning themselves with their own opinions, confident women are self-assured when taking on new challenges and authentic to their beliefs and values.

Don’t people please! Be your own authentic self, who strives to overcome challenges with the awareness of your powerful strengths and areas you need support.

Take a moment to note down your top 5 strengths, weaknesses and core values.

They celebrate their uniqueness

Whether it’s listening to different music, pursuing random hobbies, or trying out a new look; these women aren’t afraid to throw trends to the curb and embrace their true, authentic selves. You’ll rarely find them comparing themselves to others, as they understand that everyone has their own unique path to follow.

Here at Stranded, we know that the most confident women look like themselves. That’s why we have such a vast range of hair extension products, so that our confident customers find the look that makes them feel most empowered and beautiful.

Talk to those closest and see what unique attributes they love about you.

They use confident body language

Ever wondered how confident women emit such a relaxed, happy vibe? They maintain eye contact during conversations, keep their chin up with a warm smile and have a straight posture with dropped shoulders. They gesture with open palms and take up space unapologetically.

Try to keep fidgeting at bay and avoid putting your hands in your pockets or crossing your arms. If you’re feeling anxious, it can be tempting to flick or twiddle your hair, but this can be distracting, so try to keep hair play at bay! Keep your head up, body strong and stand proud in all you are.

Recognise and adapt your body language in social situations to exhibit confidence.

They know that looking good feels good

Looking good can make you feel unstoppable; whether you’re at work, on the school run or going out for the night. A self-assured woman knows the importance of self-care and the small indulgences; whether that’s a peaceful 30-minute bath, spritzing on perfume or clipping in her favourite hair extensions.

We’ve talked about that post-salon moment. Hair can have a major impact on your self-esteem and dramatically affect how you go about your day. At Stranded, we believe that great hair can inspire confidence. Our Wand Wave collection was designed to give you that salon finish, whenever you need some everyday luxury.

Make a list of all the small indulgences that make you feel like your best self.

5 ways to improve self-esteem

At Stranded, we know that hair extensions can’t be the ultimate cure for low self-esteem (although we wish it was that easy!). Mind, a mental health charity, recommends many ways to improve self-esteem or self-confidence that you can apply at your own pace.

1. Be kind to yourself
Being kind to yourself is a fundamental part of building self-esteem and confidence. Take time to think about who you are as a person and what makes you happy. Challenge negative thoughts with positive ones. Practise saying no to others and avoid comparing yourself to them. You are brilliant just the way you are.

Draw a mindmap of everything you know about yourself - is there anything missing?

2. Try to recognise positives
No one can always have a positive mindset, but dedicate time to indulge in positivity. Celebrate your successes, however big or small, and accept compliments from those around you - sometimes others can see your greatness before you can! If you feel comfortable, why not ask people what they like about you?

Make a list of all the things in your life that you are grateful for.

3. Build a support network
Support networks are your family, friends, neighbours, colleagues - all the people in your life who want nothing but the best for you. Talking to those who we trust can help steer us away from self-critical mindsets, so nurture those positive relationships. If you don’t have those people, talking therapy is another great option for some one-to-one support.

Send a message to a friend you’ve been missing and arrange a catch-up.

4. Set yourself a challenge
What is something you have always wanted to do? Maybe it’s learning a new hobby, taking that dream holiday or climbing Mount Everest. However big or small, challenges give us the motivation to chase after what we want. The question is, what’s stopping you? How can you overcome the barriers?

Create a checklist, breaking down your goal into manageable, achievable steps.

5. Look after yourself
We’ve all heard the phrase ‘your body is a temple’, but I prefer the phrase ‘tidy home, tidy mind’. What habits in your life could you tidy up? Proper sleep hygiene and diet can have such a positive impact on our mental well-being - rest and food keep us going! Exercise can too, as endorphin release can relieve pain and reduce stress.

Think about all the habits you could tidy up. What feels like a great first step?

What next?

You came to this article wondering how to be a confident woman - a question that has an age as old as time. We’ve explored why you could be experiencing low self-confidence, how to improve it and the key traits of confident women. But why should you trust us?

Our mission here at Stranded is to inspire everyday confidence in our customers, with our content and our luxury products. We know that sometimes good hair can get you through the day, and make you feel beautiful and empowered - that post-salon feeling. But how can you make it a reality?

Think about why you came to this article. Read back over the article and look at the actions underneath our advice. Are they relevant to you? Are they worth trying?

Alternatively, you may have come to this article wondering if hair extensions are an investment in your confidence. Read our reviews here to see what our confident customers have to say about us!

For that post-salon feeling, we would recommend our Wand Wave collection, specifically designed to mimic a salon wave finish. Start your Stranded journey today, by ordering a colour sample or uploading a picture of your hair for our customer service team to match for you.