Despite my mom’s pin straight hair and dad’s ultra-shiny baldness, genetics provided me with an untameable mane of curly hair, but I didn’t always have a borderline fro. Back in my baby days, my hair was straight & silky. The second my 6-year-old self pulled the trigger on front bangs, sure as all heck, I turned into a frizz monster. Now, my curls aren’t straight off the curling iron with perfect, symmetrical spirals. If anything, maybe one piece takes on the American-Girl-Doll-type perfection, but the rest are wild and wacky with complete minds of their own. So for those of you in the curly hair club, hopefully you can relate to the knowledge I’ve obtained from 18 years of off-the-wall hair.
The most prominent feeling every curly-haired person feels at least once in their lives, no matter how much they love their hair, is straight hair jealousy. Straight hair seems to be effortless, and curly hair is anything but that. Mousse, cream, lotion, serum, oil, keratin treatments-- you name it, a curly haired person has tried it and even spent hundreds of dollars on it, only to wind up wishing that maybe just once it could all be straight & simple for a day. Only from the heat and damaging effects of a flat iron can we then achieve the neat and tidy satisfaction of pin straight hair.
Beyond jealousy, there’s plenty behind-the-scenes secrets and annoyances the curly-haired community hides. After a long day’s work or maybe even just a little too much wind on the forecast, curly hair straight up tangles in every way possible. Some of the knots I’ve faced in my lifetime basically measure up to bird’s nests. And to the dismay of myself and the other frizz heads, curly hair cannot be brushed out dry. It’s impossible and takes any existing curls to immediate frizz & fluff. My hair basically inflates to the size of an exercise ball when I brush it dry, which isn’t exactly the Pantene-commercial-worthy I strive for.
If it wasn’t clear enough already, curly hair is demanding. It gets knotty and doesn’t do what it’s told. Undeniably, it’s large and in-charge, but with this hard-to-manage mane comes some pretty great benefits. Nothing makes me happier than when someone says they always wished they had curly hair, because curly hair can’t be replicated. Each person’s curls are different from another’s, and although any hair can be made straight with some serious heat and product, no head of straight hair can have the beachy & free fun of naturally curly hair. No matter how frustrating your curly hair may be, just remember someone out there would die to have your curls. So take some time to turn off the flat iron for a day or two and let your hair run free. Have some fun & embrace your lovely curls, from one frizzy-head to another.
