Having curly hair is definitely both a blessing and a curse. Those of us who have natural curls know that there are many struggles that accompany the attention-getting hairstyle. Some of these struggles can be relieved in time, like growing out a bad haircut that has your curls begging for mercy. Other struggles will never cease to affect those of us bestowed with curls, like the constant struggle with humidity. That being said, some of the nicest compliments are received because of your hair, which makes the struggles (somewhat) worth it. Some days you just want to shave your head because of frustration, and other days you are rocking the curls like Shirley Temple. There is definitely a love/hate relationship that we all experience with our untamed tresses, and those of us with the blessing of curls can attest that we have experienced all of the struggles and occasions that follow.

1. There have been multiple times in which you lost a bobby pin, a hair tie, or any other small hair accessory in your curls. You actually have had to search for one of these items in your unruly mane, leading to frustration, and eventually throwing in the towel. Then, you end up finding the hidden object hours later when you begin washing your hair. Sigh.

2. You contemplate what life would be like if there was no such thing as frizz. And humidity. Both are so incredibly detrimental to your perfectly planned/imperfectly executed hairstyles.

3. You get asked “Is that your natural hair?” at least three times a week.

4. People tend to assume that your whole family is full of curly-locked individuals, but when you inform them that indeed you are the only member with the blessing of bountiful curls, they give you a look of shock. You then explain to them that you indeed have many cousins or other distantly related family members who belong to the Curls Club.

5. Two words: triangle hair. It is nearly inevitable when you see that your hairdresser took off just one-eighth of an inch of hair too much. Then poof! You can suddenly brush up (weak pun intended) on your geometry with your very own head of hair!

6. Good luck straightening your uncontrollable frizz-fest. If you think you should straighten your hair, you always ask yourself these four questions first: Is this for a special occasion? Is there even a slight chance of rain in today’s forecast? Do I have at least an hour of my time to complete the hair straightening process? Am I prepared to keep my hair straightened for at least the next two days? (You need to take advantage of the painstaking process). Those of us with curly hair know that if we do not answer “yes” to all four of the questions stated above, it is simply not worth it.

7. You have a Pinterest board filled with cute hairstyles that you secretly know will never work in your hair.

8. You never dare to put a brush to your mane unless your hair is wet. Bad things happen when you brush curls. Bad things.

9. You have that group of hair products that you know just work for your hair. Except, you can never just used the recommended “quarter size” drop of the products. Your experience has taught you that it is simply just not enough. This is quite unfortunate, because you then run out of your hair products at an alarming rate, which burns a sizable hole in your budget. Hair products are really, really expensive, people.

10. You tried bangs. You hated bangs. Your curls hated you for the bangs.

11. You have never had the pleasure of using a curling iron on your own hair. And most likely, you have wondered what you would look like if you curled your curls, but then you realize what a waste of time that would be.

12. Your hair just doesn’t look right when it is down and in a baseball cap. It just kind of mushrooms out of the hat and you sigh at the fact that you will never have the luxury of rolling out of bed and putting a cap on your natural hair. And if you somehow get your hair rock the hat look, the hat hair that you experience can only be described as insane.

13. It puzzles you that people actually pay money to have their hair styled like yours. It makes you think, “Wow, I guess I should feel kind of lucky that I don’t need to expend effort to make my hair curly.” Then you recall how much you spend to get your hair to behave and you don’t feel so guilty anymore.

14. As you have matured, you have learned to embrace and rock your curls! Because curls have more fun! (That’s the saying, right?)