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A Year Without My Hair Straightener

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCF chapter.

I must be crazy to think that a girl like me that has curly hair, can’t possibly spend a year without a flat iron. Hello to the frizz in Florida?! But I just miss my natural hair before I used heat to straighten it. Sure it has its advantages: sleek, soft hair, a wonderful feeling of flipping your hair back and still look like a Victoria Secret model, and just having to wake up and not put anything in it because I used heat spray to keep it not frizzy. But looking back to my old pictures as a child, my hair looked so healthy and super curly. It was bouncy and fresh looking, without any mouse or gel to make it not look greasy. So why can’t I have that back again? I know I could use a curling iron to create the illusion of a “natural curl look” but it is so different when it is REALLY naturally curly. So that’s what I did, no hair straighter. I just started this new journey ironically when I started UCF, but my hope this whole year is to put down the flat iron and pick up the Comfort Hair Rollers.

Now I know what you’re thinking, “your hair must be so frizzy!” Well thank you for that positive attitude on my hair life, but I can say it’s not. I do use my little secret ingredients into this concoction of a frizz free life. It helps greatly and I hope you’ll enjoy it too!

1.       TRESemme Keratin Hair Conditioner. Now I know I said “natural curly,” but a girl has to give in sometimes just to beat the Florida bipolar weather. This conditioner is awesome when it comes to curly hair! I wash my hair regularly, since my hair is short I use a quarter size amount onto my palms, smooth it together, and put it in my hair from midway crown, down to my ends. Now the trick is to leave it in for 2-3 minutes, (almost as long as an Ed Sheeran song while you’re in the shower grooving), and rinse. I comb out any tangles, dry my hair, and scrunch and twist that bad girl up. I kid you not, it works wonders!

2.       Comfort Hair Rollers. After my hair is dry, I use this amazing curl definer. It doesn’t use heat, and I can even sleep with it and wake up to curly madness. Now, these rollers are designed to roll and twist your hair to create a more curly and (if you shake your head like Beyoncé while her music is playing in the background), a more wild look! So if you want to just have a simple but cute curly hairstyle, just use the conditioner I mentioned, but if you want a wild, lioness look, use the rollers!

3.       Salt water. I loved going to the beach in South Florida since the salt water would make my hair look and feel so cute and curly! I felt like I was Blake Lively just whipping my hair while still keep that natural curl look. If you want the REAL NATURAL curly look, use salt water. Since my hair is short I don’t use a lot of salt so it’s a good deal. I detangle my hair and mix salt and water in a bowl or in my sink, and just lather it up. From my roots to the ends, I just bring on the salt mixture, and you can tell that it works, because after your hair is dry, it feels a little rougher than usual. After you leave the beach water and your hair is dry, you know which feeling I’m talking about. So create your own beachy natural look!

So that’s just a little sumthin sumthin I do to have a more natural curly look this year. Without the heat, my hair will soon be healthier and more bouncy looking. And when my hair is longer, I’ll have a Blake Lively, beachy and beautiful look. Sure I have bad hair days, who doesn’t, but I just tie my hair back with some twists or a braid to compromise. Once I see the results of a beautiful natural curly look, I’ll always think, “What hair straightener?”

Photo credit: 

http://weheartit.com/entry/186556737/search?context_type=search&context_…

Hi my name is Amanda Osorio! I am a Junior at UCF, majoring in Journalism and minoring in Women's Studies! I love to read the True Blood series and eat Pei Wei's spicy Chicken Pad Thai while watching Game of Thrones, Scandal, Empire, Scrubs, American Horror Story and so much more! I call myself a nostalgic person since I should have been raised in the 1970's since I LOVE that era, from the fashion, movies, and music. My dreams will be complete with my purple flower record player and baby blue typewriter. A girl can dream with her eyes open <3 <3
UCF Contributor