The 80's
I discovered I had curly hair in high school when my stylist brought it to my attention. He layered my hair, added mouse and gel and scrunched while drying. My curls popped right away and I was hooked! Curls were the look of the 80’s and I was glad that the Farah Fawcett wings were no longer the hairstyle of choice. Everyone was getting a perm and the bigger the hair the better. My hair was so easy to style. I never stressed about any curly hair rules back then. I consistently received compliments and found many ways to style my curls.
Early 90's
Bring in the 90’s and slowly the style began to change to blown out Victoria Secret type loose waves. One day I remember not having had washed my hair in several days and my fine curls had loosened to soft waves. I liked the change and the look, so I became the girl that always straightened her hair with a flat iron or round-brushed out my hair. Short or long, I continued to straighten. At one point I even did a chemical relaxer! I did it all, Keratin, Japanese Straightening Treatment, Brazilian Treatment. You name it! It’s a miracle my curls grew back at all!
Late 90's
Toward the late 90’s early 2000s, I came across a website, NaturallyCurly.com, which was developed and led by two curly ladies in Austin, Texas, Michelle Breyer and Gretchen Heber. The site empowered women and their curls. There was a community section to discuss curly hair strategies and a site where you could shop for curly hair products. This is where I learned about the curly girl method, almost 20 years ago. Time has flown by! I can’t believe that was 20 years ago! I learned all about the rules, purchased all the Devacurl products and was introduced to many curly hair brands led by wonderful ladies in many cases. The curly world had it’s own set of vocabulary and became a slight obsession for me. I have implemented and participated in the curly girl method too many times, but I always revert to blow outs and using heat styling tools.
2020
Today, I still enjoy wearing my hair curly and love curly hair as I find it incredibly beautiful, but I no longer follow the curly girl method. Instead, I have fallen back on how the stylist in the early 80s taught me to style my hair when I choose to wear it curly. I have learned a lot form the curly girl method and I think it is a great way to learn how to take care of your hair. What I have also learned about myself is that I enjoy using different hair products and different tools to style my hair to complete a look. I love hair products more than the average person, I bet! I used to feel guilty about blowing out my hair, partly because I was told how beautiful and lucky I was to have such wonderful curls. Guilt should never be a part of any hair routine!
Straight to Curly; Curly to Straight
Since I enjoy styling my hair from straight to curly and curly to straight it is important that I take care of it. I accept the fact that my hair will never be as healthy as it could be if I stopped using heat and tugging on my hair. I am satisfied with my choice because my desire for versatility outweighs my desire to only style hair curly. My hair is fine and porous, so I alternate between weekly protein treatments and Olaplex 3. I also try to rotate in my routine a weekly a deep moisturizer. When I use heat on my hair, I use low to medium heat after spraying in an effective heat protectant. Additionally, I try to give my hair a break from any type of styling whenever possible by letting my hair air dry and wearing it in a bun. Regular trims are also important to keep my ends from fraying up the hair shaft. I enjoy oil treatments too! I sleep on a silk pillowcase and sometimes I wear a protective bonnet to sleep in regardless of how my hair is styled.
You Can Have it Both Ways
You can have it both ways to some degree! The most important thing is that you figure out what style you like and what satisfies you. Refrain from comparing yourself to others especially on social media. Use social media to help you learn and figure out what you like and whats bring you joy, but don’t compare yourself to others. I have taken the liberty of posting my all-time favorite products that I have purchased over and over again. These products are tried and true for me. Those that know me and know my fancy for trying out hair products, would tell you that I if have purchased a hair product repeatedly, its worth noting and purchasing! Happy CC shopping!
Let me know your favorite hair products in the comments!
