That's a question I get a lot, because the first thing most people notice about me is my thick, curly hair.
The answer? Yes, my hair is naturally curly. Of course, I could also quote Fran Drescher (when asked about her nasal voice) by saying, "Would I fake this?"
I love my curly hair, but that's only happened in the last three years.
As a teenager, I waged war with my hair. It all started when puberty hit and my hair became curly, and I had no idea what to do with it. A hairdresser promised that a certain haircut would bring out the curls, but all it did was make me look like something out of the sixties. That's when the kids started asking me if I would consider my hair a bush or a tree. That's also when people starting referring to me as "that girl with the big (or bushy) hair." Fifth graders can be so mean. It traumatizes me to this day. Even when I got to college, I got bushy hair comments.
Because of this, I often pulled my hair back.
When I was seventeen, my mom and I started going to a hairdresser whose solution to our frizzy hair was chemical relaxation. Can I just say this was a big mistake? But, I didn't know what else to do--straight hair was the fashion.
I stopped getting chemical treatments when I moved to Utah for school, but the war continued. Interesting piece of trivia: you will find at least one hair straightener in a BYU female apartment. No joke. A lot of friends and roommates would straighten my hair out of pity. Although one roommate did teach me how to use a diffuser, which is invaluable for curly girls :)
My mom stopped going to the chemical-happy hairdresser and found someone who actually knew how to cut curly hair. Over time, he cut away the damage that was caused by the chemical treatments. It took a long time, but one day, I had curls! No frizz! My hair was even darker! You can imagine my shock and delight! My friends were shocked too.
As a result, I don't own a hair straightener anymore. I don't fight the curls. Do you have any idea how good it feels to not have to blow dry your hair in the morning? All I have to do is wash, comb, and put mousse on it and I'm good.
I did have a friend who straightened my hair because she wanted to see what it would look like, and afterwards, I had quite a few people tell me to keep it that way. I felt a bit insulted. I know, why should I feel insulted about my hair?
Here's why: my curls are a part of who I am. My hair is curly, end of story. If you don't like my curls, then to me, it feels like you don't like who I am.
I know, it sounds superficial, but that's just how I feel.
And by the way, Stephan loves my curls--he doesn't want me going near hair straighteners ever again. I am not complaining. Straighteners and hair dryers can wreak havoc on your hair anyway.
Of course, I'm not saying that curly hair is superior. I'm saying that we should love the kind of hair we have, whether it be straight or curly, or somewhere in between. Life is so much easier that way. And of course, there are occasions when a different look is grand.
Here's to hair, whether or not we have it.
Because of this, I often pulled my hair back.
When I was seventeen, my mom and I started going to a hairdresser whose solution to our frizzy hair was chemical relaxation. Can I just say this was a big mistake? But, I didn't know what else to do--straight hair was the fashion.
I stopped getting chemical treatments when I moved to Utah for school, but the war continued. Interesting piece of trivia: you will find at least one hair straightener in a BYU female apartment. No joke. A lot of friends and roommates would straighten my hair out of pity. Although one roommate did teach me how to use a diffuser, which is invaluable for curly girls :)
My mom stopped going to the chemical-happy hairdresser and found someone who actually knew how to cut curly hair. Over time, he cut away the damage that was caused by the chemical treatments. It took a long time, but one day, I had curls! No frizz! My hair was even darker! You can imagine my shock and delight! My friends were shocked too.
As a result, I don't own a hair straightener anymore. I don't fight the curls. Do you have any idea how good it feels to not have to blow dry your hair in the morning? All I have to do is wash, comb, and put mousse on it and I'm good.
I did have a friend who straightened my hair because she wanted to see what it would look like, and afterwards, I had quite a few people tell me to keep it that way. I felt a bit insulted. I know, why should I feel insulted about my hair?
Here's why: my curls are a part of who I am. My hair is curly, end of story. If you don't like my curls, then to me, it feels like you don't like who I am.
I know, it sounds superficial, but that's just how I feel.
And by the way, Stephan loves my curls--he doesn't want me going near hair straighteners ever again. I am not complaining. Straighteners and hair dryers can wreak havoc on your hair anyway.
Of course, I'm not saying that curly hair is superior. I'm saying that we should love the kind of hair we have, whether it be straight or curly, or somewhere in between. Life is so much easier that way. And of course, there are occasions when a different look is grand.
Here's to hair, whether or not we have it.
1 comment:
People complain about their curly hair to me all the time, when to me, their hair is barely wavy. It's so refreshing to hear about someone else having an ACTUAL similar experience to what mine was. I had years of horrible haircuts, traumatizing school experiences, and hours sitting on the floor while my mom tried to get the tangles out.
I've had this hair since I was a baby, and from elementary school through high school I got made fun of for it. (Pretty sure I blocked most of it out, but I definitely remember being called "Chia Pet" by the guys in my ward. And yes, it still bothers me.)
There was even a girl in my ward a couple years older than me, who had gorgeous curly hair, and she would bring me over to her house to try and help me out, show me what products she used, etc. It never worked, and it wasn't until I was in college that I realized why. It was because her hair looked like this:
http://www.cosmeticscop.com/images/paula-curly_hair.jpg
And mine looked like this.
http://poshindianextensions.com/catalog/images/beyonce%20curly%20hair.jpg
Anyway. I, too, always hated my hair, and have only learned to love it in the last five or six years. I do own a straightener, but after I wrote that post on my blog I actually put it away in a drawer and decided I'm not taking it out again until I stop feeling like I NEED it. Embracing the curls, baby. :)
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