Since I was born, I've always had thick, curly hair and I swear it's like having to control another life force that's attached to you. It has a mind of its own at times and sometimes that mind can leave you looking like a lion for days. That being said, here are a few of the best and worst things about having curly hair.
1. Messy buns are always on point.
Others with sleek, straight hair might spend an exuberant amount of time perfecting that "I barely tried, but actually I spent an hour on my hair" look. As for those of us with curly hair, texture and volume comes at ease, which leads to mindless seconds of throwing your hair up and owning that "I literally gave zero effort" look.
2. Hair spiders.
Yes, that's exactly what it sounds like. This one goes for pretty much anyone, curly to straight, who's ever experienced that moment where you think a small ball of hair is a spider and you don't want to get close enough to decipher what it actually is.
3. Wash days are sacred days.
I don't know about you, but the showers that I do actually get to wash my hair are the best. For one, it means I get to spend extra time jamming out to my music. And second, feeling freshly washed and soft bouncy curls is the best feeling in the world. I honestly feel like I go through an awakening and come out as a whole new person.
4. The Mia Moment
For those of you who are unsure of what this is, I'm referring to a Princess Mia from The Princess Diaries when she's getting a complete makeover and they have to tame her wild curly hair. This moment where the brush gets stuck in her hair and ends up breaking is iconic. This only really happened in my early childhood and my mom had no idea how to take care of my curls. I swear I can still feel the headaches caused by those monsters people call brushes.
5. "Fluffy"
I hate when people tell me my hair is "So fluffy!" It may seem like nothing at first, but what I hear is "It's so frizzy!" The self esteem I had growing up with my hair was always at rock bottom. I mean, I hated my hair because everyone always had straight, completely tamed hair. And when people, completely harmless, came up to me only trying to backhand compliment me by touching my hair, it only made me want to hide even more.
6. At the end of the day, it's my hair.
I realized a bit over a year ago that I can't hide behind my hair forever. I shouldn't waste my time worrying how to hide what I was born with, when I know it's something that I can love. My curls are one of my favorite things about myself now and whether I wear it in a bun for a week and down for the next, it doesn't change the fact that my curls are a part of what makes me who I am.
It's my hair, and I should own it. And whatever type of hair you have, or some other quality about yourself that makes you feel less worth than what you truly are, you should let it be welcomed as a part of you. And own it.