Not everyone is lucky enough to enjoy the life that comes along with having curly hair. Some of us consider it a curse and others absolutely love it. I have my days where I hate it and when I love it. Here are a few insights and tips of living with curly hair.
1. Humidity is your worst nightmare.
If you go to a hot, humid place such as Florida or Mexico, you can expect your hair to be up, and you don’t even try to make it look nice. You won’t win.
2. Conditioner is your life.
Yes, they say you are suppose to only use a dime or quarter size of conditioner, but with curly hair the more the better. Sorry not sorry. Leave-in conditioner is also your life; it literally saves your life day in and out. I can’t preach this one enough; even those of you with straight hair should use it.
3. People envy your hair.
The most common thing you hear is, “OMG I love your curly hair” or, “I’m so jealous of your curly hair.” This literally drives me insane. This life is not an easy one; it’s a constant battle of who is going to win today, you or your hair? Most times it's your hair. So next time you tell someone that you are jealous or love it, we thank you, but you really don’t understand.
4. “Why don’t you ever wear your hair down?”
A lot of people say this to you no matter what time of year it is, 80 and humid or negative 30 and 25 mph winds; your hair is in a bun. It happens to be the best hair style to tame this beast that most people are so jealous of. You just scrunch it all up together and it usually stays. Some of us can never win and it looks terrible either way.
5. You are basically a dog with curly hair.
The amount of shedding that goes on 24/7 is an insane amount. I can just try put my hair in a bun and lose half of my head on my shoulders. I know most people do shed, but I think we curly haired people will never escape it and the outrageous amount that we lose.
6. Coloring it and the recovery time is basically like a surgery.
I have thin hair and I color it bleach blonde, so I really damage my hair and I do feel a tad bad about it. It takes a least a month to recover for it to not be frizzy every time a drop of water touches it. Even thought it’s frizzy most times, the first four weeks after a color are the worst. You might as well wear a wig or have it in a bun 24/7, more often than usual, like every single day.
Note that leave-in conditioner really helps with the recovery
7. Products are a struggle.
It took me till I was 16 to find the mousse that worked with my curls. Some mouse is too heavy and crunchy; others don’t do enough. I strongly suggest asking your stylist what she thinks you should use; most times they will get you the product that isn’t available to just anyone. I will never go back to any of the Walmart and Target brands. Yes, they are cheap, but that defines the outcome. The brand they get you may be more expensive, but the outcome is worth that expense. Your hair rarely wins once you find that special product. So good luck on finding your product that really works.
8. Haircuts are dreadful.
You actually lose more length than you think. Our curls bring our hair up normally, so cutting an inch off is really like cutting off two. It’s OK, I’ve cried before because my hair was finally the length I wanted it to be, then I got it cut and literally lost a lot of inches. My mom even felt bad for me LOL.
9. It’s a love/hate relationship.
On the occasions that you should do your hair but don’t want to, all you have to do is take a shower! If the occasion is in the summer that may be more risky for frizz, but you’re usually safe in the winter.
10. No static problems.
In the winter, most people with straight hair have really bad static hair. We use hydrating products, so our hair doesn’t get static unless we straighten it, of course.
11. DO NOT STRAIGHTEN YOUR HAIR.
I can not express that enough. We have enough trouble with frizz, and this just makes it a whole lot worse. Especially if you are like me and have thin, curly hair that you bleach. I get the whole “You look really good with straight hair; why don’t you do that more?” Don’t get me wrong, I like how my hair looks when it’s straight, but I hate how it feels the next day. You can literally feel the damage, and that is what got me to stop. My hair is way, way healthier and grows faster.
12. Deep conditioning masks.
You have to be careful of those, and what kinds you get. Some can say they help curly hair and they just make your hair worse. I would suggest really researching the mask you want to use; it will save you money possibly and damaged hair because of the lies on the bottles.
13. Ponytails are hard to pull off.
You either look really good with a curly pony (most times it’s with long-haired people) or they look like horse tails, the horses that have been rolling around in the mud. It’s kinked in one spot, but kind of straight in another. It just doesn’t always work out.
14. Swimming in any natural water.
This has to be the greatest thing ever! My curls are so perfect after coming out of the lake or ocean. I know a lot of people with straight hair that hate how it looks when they have been in the lake or ocean. I just love how mine looks, and it’s so good for our curls too. One perk of curly hair!
The curly hair life is not an easy one, and most of us know that; while others with straight hair don’t. We want what we don’t have, and some days I just think shaving my head would be the best option. Obviously I don’t go through with that, but some days I do wish I had straight hair.