My Story

Curly hair. Those that don’t have it want it, and those that have it hate it. I happen to fall into both categories. I had it and then lost it. And now, I would do anything to get it back.

When I was little, I didn’t just have curly hair, I had those perfect little ringlets—the kind that made strangers come up to my mom and ask her if she permed her three-year-olds hair. When I was that age, I didn’t care about how my hair looked, and I certainly didn’t understand how lucky I was to have the type of hair that I did.

Once I hit middle school, I was well aware of the kind of hair that I had, and I hated it. I wore it in a ponytail or a bun every single day. I felt weird and ugly because my hair looked different than everyone else’s. I did everything in my power to hide it, and I longed for that stick straight hair that all of the popular girls had.

When I hit high school, I was introduced to this great invention called a straightener. My freshman year, I would straighten my hair every now and then, and everyone told me how great my hair looked straight and that I should make it look like that more often. Of course, they meant that as a compliment, but I took it as an insult. I thought that my natural hair was ugly, and everyone would like me better if I had straight hair. So I straightened it. Every. Single. Day. I had never been happier; I had hair that looked like everyone else’s, it was easy to manage, easy to brush, and flowing: just the way I had always wanted it to look.

Now, about to start my sophomore year of college, I’m sitting in Starbucks (obviously) and writing this story, hoping that every curly-haired girl out there will heed my warning. Love your curly hair. Cherish it. And most importantly, don’t straighten it every day. Because you will damage it. It will be so damaged in fact, that not only will it not curl, it won’t stay straight, either. It will just be a big frizzy mess, and you will regret all of those times that you ever wished your curly hair away.

Now I have to use a special kind of shampoo and conditioner (the really expensive kind), hair masks, and take vitamins to try to heal my hair. You can’t escape your curly hair; it’s a part of you, and you should be proud of it. So, throw out that straightener and buy some mousse. Show off that curly hair, because you’re lucky to have it. Trust me.

Tips

• If you’re going to straighten your hair, make sure that you use some type of protectant on your hair when straightening. Also, try to only straighten your hair on special occasions, or at the very most only once every two weeks.
• Condition your hair every day, but don’t shampoo it every day. I have found that if I only shampoo every other day, my hair tends to be less frizzy.
• Cut your hair religiously every four weeks. Especially with curly hair, your dead ends are much more obvious because they don’t curl as well. Your hair also grows faster if you cut off the dead ends every four weeks.
• I’m sure many of you have tried bangs. Unless you’re a hair wizard, I would suggest that curly haired girls stay away from bangs. They are a pain to deal with and don’t look great if they aren’t managed properly. (Trust me, I’ve learned this one from personal experience)
• Use a comb instead of a brush. It’s much easier on your hair, and doesn’t pull out as much as a regular brush.
• Detangler should be your best friend.
• Let your hair air dry instead of using a blow dryer. It’s better for your hair, and won’t make your hair as frizzy.

Products

These are the products I use on my hair to help fix the damage. Use the directions on the bottles to decide how often you should use them.

For damaged hair:

• Pantene Pro-V Intensely Hydrated Masque
• Matrix Total Results Sleek 24 Hour Smooth Repair Shampoo and Conditioner
• L’Oreal Oleo Therapy Deep Recovery Mask

These are products that I think make every day life with curly hair easier.

Things that every curly haired girl should own:

• Pantene Pro-V Serious Repair Detangler (Use this when your hair is wet and you need to brush it.)
• Pantene Pro-V Spray Gel (Great for styling.)
• CHI Silk Fusion (Use before applying heat to your hair.)
• Toothed Comb
• Diffuser (Always use when blow drying your hair.)
• Aussie Mega Hairspray (Great for those fly-aways when your hair is in a ponytail.)
• Herbal Essences Curl Boosting Mousse (Also another great product for styling.)