During one of my many study breaks in the last quarter, I came across a video by a Tiktok creator named @moon.azad. In a forty second video she explained through captions how she started her own hair journey to achieve the curly hair that she had and lost to heat damage as a kid. Given the way her story resonated with me and my own desire to tame my hair, I was hooked and opted to follow her.
Similar to this woman, I had very curly hair as a child. While my mother passed on her thick hair, she was unable to help me maintain my natural curl pattern. It didn’t help that no one in my family had the same hair pattern I did. I also had the preconceived idea that going to an ethnic beauty salon would be offensive and an example of cultural appropriation (which I later found out was not the case). As a result, I spent almost every day up until my senior year of high school straightening my hair.
Eventually, I had enough and decided to try and wear it naturally. Despite years of heat damage, it was clear that I still had some curl pattern but didn’t know how to properly restore it. It wasn’t until this Tiktok user that I realized that I’m not the only one who has had this kind of experience, and I’m certain that many people of color continue to have this dilemma.
Soon, my own Tiktok algorithm brought forth other curly hair creators. One of the most notable people that changed the game was a woman by the name of Zia (or @curlygirlzia.xo on Tiktok) who created and introduced the “bowl method.” This method involves utilizing a bowl to combine hair products and evenly distribute throughout the hair follicles before using gel to secure the curls. While this may be odd, it has yielded wonderful results so far.
While I have a long way to go when it comes to navigating this journey, I have a lot of confidence in knowing that there are other women who are open to providing advice and tips to properly maintain curly hair. I also am beginning to see positive results in the way I wear and protect my hair, and I’d like to think I’m bringing a sense of pride to the child in me who wasn’t sure how to wear her hair.
Here are more Tiktok creators that helped me tremendously when it came to developing a solid hair routine:
https://www.tiktok.com/@maybeitswavybaby?lang=en
https://www.tiktok.com/@keilanihair?lang=en