There are a lot of misconceptions about embracing your naturally curly hair.
Years of single-minded media trends have led us to believe that naturally curly, wavy or coily hair is not desirable. That it looks messy, unkept, unprofessional.
Unworthy.
Not only that, they also hammered into our minds that it was a lot easier to make it straight. That to wear it curly you had to spend a whole day to wash and style it.
They made it sound like the process was so daunting that we wouldn’t even bother with it.
It’s time to change the narrative.
Here’s why you should seriously consider wearing your hair naturally curly, despite what everyone is trying to tell you.
Naturally curly hair is less time consuming
Back in middle school, I used to straighten my hair. Every. Single. Day.
Not only I spent 3(!!!) hours to flat iron my whole head after every wash, but I also had to give it another pass for like 15 minutes every morning, or it would go frizzy.
Now that I wear my hair naturally curly, I only spend time styling it on washday. It takes me 5 minutes to apply my styling products, 15 minutes to diffuse, and I’m done.
I rarely ever refresh. My usual daily maintenance is waking up, taking my hair out of the loose pineapple ponytail I slept in, shaking at the roots and going out the door.
It’s that simple.
Wearing your hair naturally curly is healthier
Using heat tools like flat irons and curling wands is one of the most damaging activities you can do to your hair. Only bleaching tops it.
Heat constantly breaks the bonds in your hair, the internal structure that is responsible for your curl pattern and the overall appearance of the strands.
Repeat usage of such tools on their highest settings can lead to long-lasting issues like split ends, brittle hair, dryness, frizz. It can even permanently affect your curl pattern, making it look looser and limp.
Cutting out the heat tools and embracing your naturally curly hair will help you revert the damage and make your curls healthier in return.
Naturally curly hair suffers less breakage
When you wear your hair straight, you have to brush it every day. Brushing, like any sort of manipulation, is damaging for the hair strands.
You have to remember that hair is dead matter, so it doesn’t regenerate like skin does. Every time you brush it, you are disturbing its cuticles and creating friction on the strands, which will then become weaker and weaker with time.
Since curly hair doesn’t need to be brushed every day (only while washing and with conditioner on it), you will significantly reduce the amount of stress your strands are after, which in turn keeps them stronger and more resistant to breakage.
Naturally curly hair is less frizzy
Sounds counterintuitive, doesn’t it?
Yet frizz is just a curl waiting to happen. It’s your own curl pattern fighting to come out, while you try to burn it into submission.
"Frizzy" is not a hair type, it just means that your hair is naturally curly but it isn’t being cared for properly.
Heat tools and friction damage only make it worse, roughing up the cuticles and making your hair feel even more brittle than it is.
If you enhance your natural curls rather than trying to disrupt them, the frizz will become part of your strands and blend into your loops. You will learn to manage it, and even use it to take your stile to the next level (volume baby!).
You don't need to cut naturally curly hair as often
If your hair is less damaged, you will have less split ends, which means that you won’t need to visit the hairdresser as often as when you wear your hair straight.
Additionally, a curly haircut isn’t as geometric as those done on straight hair, so it will look fresh even a couple of months after doing it.
Most curly people (me included) only go to the salon every 4-6 months!
Embracing your naturally curly hair empowers the new generations
Thinking back to your teenage years, wouldn’t you have liked to see more people like you in the news? On magazines? In movies?
We can’t change what happened, but we can shift the narrative moving forward.
We can show up with our naturally curly hair at work, for important events, even at weddings.
Proving that curly hair is professional, formal, beautiful.
Worth it.
We owe it to them.
How to embrace your natural curls
If this article has convinced you, but you have no idea where to start, good news: we’re here to help you!
Here is how to start your curly hair journey, and the 3 curly hair products you need to begin.
Keep following for more content - the journey has just started!
