We curly haired people know these struggles all too well. The constant maintenance, brushing, and frustration often makes us wonder why we were given such difficult hair in the first place. Here are fourteen things only people with curly hair can truly understand.
1. Using an ungodly amount of conditioner
I remember hearing as a child that it's best to use a dime sized amount of conditioner. Those of us with curly hair know that it's more about a quarter size, or actually, an entire palm full. The conditioner bottles are always running out faster than the shampoo, and you find yourself applying conditioner more than once much too often.
2. Never being able to use travel sized hair products
Those travel-sized conditioner bottles just never seem to be enough. You always bring your own bottles of shampoo and conditioner because the little ones in hotels just don't ever seem to work.
3. You can only brush your hair when it's wet
Your friends with straight hair frequently ask you, "why don't you just brush your hair," and that momentary time period of frustration kicks in. If you brush your hair when it's dry, it looks like a poofy mess, which means you most likely spend at least ten minutes in the shower trying to get out every last knot. Why don't you just brush your hair? Because you can't.
4. Breaking more hairbrushes than you can count
Your hairbrushes have suffered traumatic losses and injuries, and you often times fear borrowing brushes from friends for that very reason.
5. Not being able to use combs
You envy the girls who can simply comb their hair like this^. You often see a comb and just laugh, knowing that any attempt to get a comb through your curly locks will end in utter failure. Stick to the hairbrushes, because those combs don't stand a chance.
6. Taking hours to straighten your hair
You take at least an hour to straighten your hair, and often need to go over one piece of hair at least three times. You have difficulty understanding how some people's hair just dries straight because straightening yours often results in a stiff neck, an awful burning hair smell, and third-degree burns.
7. Atrocious bed head
No matter how hard you try, your bed head can just never be tamed. Every morning your wake up with a curly headed mess, no matter the circumstances. Can't the hair gods just give us one good hair day?
8. Once your hair is in a ponytail, you can't go back
Don't even try to take your hair out of a ponytail after a long day...unless you want a tangled mess with a massive ponytail dent. Putting your hair up is always a big decision because once it's up, it's not a pretty sight to have to take it down.
9. Constantly breaking hair ties
You know this struggle all too well. Whether they snap while you're trying to do your hair or gradually get stretched out to the point of no return, you go through more hair ties than you can begin to count. Sometimes you have to wear two, or maybe even three just to get your hair to stay. RIP all of those broken hair ties.
10. Having major hair braiding difficulties
Unlike those girls with straight hair, you can't just braid your hair as you please. Any braid requires some major untangling and superhuman strength and patience. You feel bad for anyone who tries to braid your hair, and when they do, you hear them constantly say "let me know if I'm hurting you" as they consistently rip your hair from your skull.
11. Having to brush your hair after getting out of the water
Whether it's getting out of the pool or out of the ocean, once you get out of the pool, those picture perfect beach waves are only a sad fantasy. The knots take loads of leave in conditioner to handle, and your arms are often tired after having to brush your hair for so long.
12. Two words: frizzy hair
No matter what products you try, the frizzy hair is just seemingly unavoidable. Your hair just simply cannot be tamed.
13. Humidity
Humidity and curly hair are one of the worst combinations ever. As soon as it gets humid, your hair just can not and will not cooperate. Frizzy, tangled hair galore! Summer is a real struggle with curly hair, but then again, when isn't it a struggle with curly hair?
14. Wondering why on Earth people with straight hair wish they had curly hair
People with straight hair frequently come up to you saying, "oh my god I wish I had your hair," and you sit there in awe wondering why anyone would ever inflict such pain and struggle upon themselves. After all, people with straight hair can brush it whenever they want, braid it whenever they want, and save so much more money on hair care supplies: why on Earth would they want to deal with the maintenance of curly hair...if only they knew.
Despite all of these constant struggles, I guess curly hair truly is both a blessing and a curse. Sometimes, that one good hair day makes you say, "wow I really love having curly hair," and hey, at least we don't need to use hair curlers. Besides all of the difficulty and frustration, curly hair makes us unique, and I guess we have no choice but to embrace it.
