Returning to my natural roots
Everyone has heard of the ‘big chop’ endemic that seems to be plaguing all girls with kinky, curly coils and ringlets. I am here to set the record straight, we are NOT ‘going natural’, we are simply putting down the heat tools, and chemicals we once used to keep our hair bone straight. It’s an amazing thing really, for women (and men!) to be able to embrace themselves and what better way to do that than to appreciate the hair that naturally springs from your beautiful head? That being said, everyone has preferences; don’t you dare let someone say to you, “Oh, I prefer you with straight hair,” or “Wow, you should wear your hair curly and stop straightening it,”. DO NOT DO THAT. If you want to wear your hair bone straight, DO IT. If it makes you feel like superwoman to wake up in the morning to a frizzy head full of curls, DO IT. If you want to shave your head Sinead O’Connor style, DO IT; if you want to wear a weave, braids, locs, etc… once you feel secure and realize that you are beautiful and not here on this amazing earth to be what other people think is acceptable, you’re doing pretty damn well in this life thing.
Now that we’ve covered that bit of inspiration, we can get into the do’s and don’ts along with the struggles we curlies face.
Hair Typing
Before I go any further, I will say I am 2000% against this. Stop trying to box yourself into a specific category. Most girls with curly hair don’t have one specific curl pattern, most of us like myself have around 3. So, when people say to me, “Ooh, your hair is such a nice 3c pattern,” my immediate response is an eye roll and a “GIRL BYE.” That being said, if it’s something you like to do for yourself, go ‘head girl; just be mindful that not everyone else does!
Check out this great article on why some of us don’t agree with hair typing!
The infamous, “Why don’t you just brush it?”
This is why Susan. This. Is. Why.
The 100 hair products in your room
We’ve all been there, when you’re just returning to your natural curls you have no idea how to properly take care of them. I went through tons of hair products before I found the right ones for my hair, and even now I’m still experimenting. Then, there’s the issue of figuring out your hair porosity, blah blah blah.
I’ve listed a few of my favourite brands:
- Curls
- Shea Moisture
- Mielle organics
- Crème of nature
- Giovanni
- Palmers
- Cantu
- Mixed chicks
- Miss Jessie’s
- Aunt Jackie’s
WASH DAY
My Caucasian friends can never understand why it takes me so long, and so much effort to wash my hair. I mean, there’s a whole day dedicated to it, so I can understand. Whether you’re a curly girl that likes to pre-poo, then shampoo, then condition, then deep condition, then moisturize, and the list goes on. It is WORK. We also can’t wash our hair every single day, which is alien to some friends of mine. Our roots just don’t get greasy so don’t have to be washed every day, in fact we put oil on our roots to keep them healthy and shiny!
Shrinkage
I’m sure everyone has heard a curly haired girl say, “The shrinkage is real,” and believe me, IT IS. Our hair kinda defies gravity, which is pretty cool if you ask me.
We don’t hate when it drizzles
Full on hurricane, yes that is bad. But a light drizzle adds moisture to our curls and helps em to pop, that is unless you decided to get a blow-out, then hello frizz.
Don’t touch my hair
I think Solange spoke for us all when she released this song. Why the h#@l anyone would think it’s okay to do that is beyond me. I have no idea if your hands are clean or where those things have been, just don’t.
HIGHLY recommend this song by our girl Solange
You’re a goddess
No matter what type of hair you have, whether curly, kinky, coily, wavy or straight you still look damn good in it. Do what makes you happy; it’s one of the first steps to self-acceptance and loving yourself. I’m here to tell you that you are worth loving, regardless of your skin colour, jeans size, eye colour or hair type. Anyone that tries to tell you otherwise can suck it quite frankly. I think that the Fresh Prince agrees with me too ;)