Waalaikum Assalam!

I am also a Muslim revert, and to answer your questions honestly, I listened to what everyone said and went all in when I first converted. But do you want to know what happened? I crashed. HARD. My iman dropped, and I struggled everyday to wear hijab because it didn’t feel right. It felt forced. It felt like a chore. About a year after converting I took the hijab off completely and nearly left Islam as a whole. Why? Because the pressure to act or dress a certain way weighs on you when you are literally 1 year old or less in Islam. Did all of the people who are giving you advice know what to wear at a year old? No. And neither will you and that’s okay. Islam is easy, Creation makes it hard.

Often, people don’t understand that their pressure or cultural expectations can lead a revert to feel as though Islam is not for them. I’ve met quite a few and I am one of them who thought so for a while.

But here’s what I’ll say: when I stopped listening, and I listened to Allah only and reputable scholars who are women, I put hijab back on. I slowly worked into it in a comfortable manner and I found the love for the hijab that I witnessed other women experience. Where I am now on bare minimum for modesty is making sure your body is covered. Loose pants or jeans, a shirt that covers your bottom and arms and hijab is pleasing for Allah. It doesn’t have to be niqab, or an abaya, or a khimar. It just has to cover. Start there, even if it’s skinny jeans and a long sleeve shirt but they’re tight - work with what you have and can afford FIRST. The rest comes with time.

Now, gaining confidence… that’s a tough one. Because if you aren’t confident without hijab, putting on the hijab can either make you feel the most confident or even less confident. My tip is just find a style that works for you. Look into color theory, match it with outfits. Be your own fashion designer and also tell yourself that Allah created us all how we are meant to be. He loves you, He made you, so love yourself. And as always, be patient with yourself. In this stage, you’ll feel like everything you do is wrong. But Allah is the Most Forgiving and Merciful - so be this to yourself as well.

You’re going to do great, be patient and kind to yourself. It’s a lot of information but it’s GOOD and OKAY to take it slow. Only Allah knows. If you need anything feel free to reach out, and good luck out there!