I was blessed with the burden of having thick, curly hair. My hair truly has a mind of its own; some days I will have perfect ringlets and other days I won't even know what my hair is doing. It can be quite the hassle sometimes, but I have learned to love and treasure it. Everywhere I go, I receive a comments or questions about it, so I decided to compile the most common questions and comments in one place. Without further ado, here is my list of things you should not say to a girl with curly or thick hair.

1. Is your hair natural?

Yes, yes and yes. My hair is completely natural. If I had curled it, why would I intentionally curl awkward ringlets?

2. Why don't you straighten it more often?

Would you want to straighten hair for two hours? Nope? Didn't think so. Not only does it take forever, but I'm just too lazy and cannot concentrate long enough to do it. It also damages my hair.

3. Why don't you brush it?

Ah, my favorite question. I will let the picture speak for itself.

4. Do you have a brush I can borrow?

First of all, ew. Sharing brushes give me the heebie-jeebies. Second of all, I don't brush my hair, therefore, I don't have a brush.

5. Your hair is so BIG!

Umm, no. Just no. That is not what we curly girls want to hear. You may say “voluminous” or that we have a lot of hair. Please do not tell us it is big, that's insulting to us.

6. Can I pet it?

Excuse me? I’m not a dog. And yes, I have been asked this. If we are close, you may play with it, but strangers and most others may not “pet” it.

7. You should straighten it more often!

Are you saying it looks bad natural? Not only do I not want to damage it, but again, it takes way too long.

8. My (straight) hair is so frizzy!

Wait, what? Do you even know what frizz is? I think not. You don’t know the true definition of frizz…

9. What is a diffuser?

A gift bestowed upon all curly girls by the grace of God. It may look like an alien device, but a diffuser my friends is what makes the curly world go ‘round. Curly hair takes years to dry, and without a diffuser, a blow dryer is extremely damaging and drying to already dry hair.

10. Do you like your hair?

Yes. When I was little, I hated it. I wanted “pretty straight hair” like all the other little girls. Up until my freshman year of high school, I struggled to maintain my hair and feel comfortable with it. It took years of terrible haircuts, tears and jealousy, but I can finally say that I do love my hair.

I wouldn’t trade it for the world. The right haircut and products can make all the difference. To all my fellow curlies out there, embrace your hair. Share you love for curls with other curly haired girls. Be bold, be beautiful, be you.