From One Curly Head to Another
Natural hair is the best hair and you should be able to rock it proudly. I’ve had curly hair all my life but, once I entered middle school, I was so embarrassed about it. There were hardly any people who embraced their curls even if they did have them. I straightened my hair all of middle school just so I could look like the majority of kids at my school. I killed my hair repeatedly and then, towards the end of middle school, I realized how badly I was damaging my hair.
The summer before my freshman year of high school I decided to stop straightening it and see if my natural hair would be able to come back. I realized that having curly hair isn’t something I should be embarrassed about but, it was hard because there was no representation when I was younger. After not straightening it for the whole summer, I saw curls starting to come back again. Of course, they weren’t like how they are now, but it was a start.
I had no idea whatsoever how to manage curly hair. It’s extremely difficult, especially the tighter your curls are. Luckily, with the help of the internet and other social media platforms, I was able to find products that brought my curls back to life entirely. I have grown to love and cherish my curls, even though they are quite a hassle sometimes. Recently, I came across a TeenVogue beauty magazine that gave me a list of product brand suggestions from influencers with several different curly hair patterns. I found it super helpful and, amazingly enough, I didn’t know that more than half of these brands even existed!
The product brands recommended are as follows:
- The Mane Choice
- Trader Joes Nourish Spa
- Pattern Beauty Leave In Conditioner
- dippity-do Girls With Curls
- Ecoslay Orange Marmalade
- Eva Rock-A-Wave Curl Cream
- TPH by Taraji Never Salty
- OUAI
- Innersense Organic Beauty
- African Pride Moisture Miracle
- Carol’s Daughter Hair Milk
- Kinky-Curly Knot Today
- amika Curl Corps
- Curlsmith
- Shea Moisture
- Maui Moisture
- PALMERS Coconut Oil Formula
- Briogeo B. Well™
- Rizos Curls
There are other useful accessories to use to define your curls. I’m sure if you have been on curly hair Tiktok you have seen many people use an item known as the Denman Classic Styling Brush. I have yet to use it but it is definitely on my list of things to try. Many people struggle with itchy and dry scalp, especially people with curly hair because most tend to not wash their hair as much. This can lead to so much build-up of products. However, an influencer on this TeenVogue magazine provides a solution that worked for them. It is called the Marvy Scalp Massager and costs only $10 on Amazon. Another influencer provides a different solution for scalp build-up. They suggested using apple cider vinegar and putting it into a spray bottle with 75% water. They spray directly into their scalp and strands until saturated and then leave on for 15 minutes.
Best of luck with your curls! I genuinely hope these tips were helpful, now go show off those fabulous curls!