Before I was in college, I used to straighten my hair all the time. I wouldn’t go to school without my hair being “tamed.” I would sometimes bring a mini straightener to school in case of any mid-day waves. I would even use dry shampoo to make my straight hair last longer. It was ridiculous.
I have wavy/curly hair (about a 2C/ 3A on the curl chart) and I absolutely hated it. I didn’t know how to tame it or how to style it. I refused to show my natural hair out in public.
Growing up, I thought straight, non-frizzy hair was everything. I saw pretty girls on television and in school with hair that looked nothing like mine. All I wanted to do was look like them. On the rare days that I would leave my hair natural, everyone would compliment my curls. I wouldn’t believe them. The mousse and gel would eventually dry up and make my hair look puffier than it already was.
When I got to college, I realized that this whole hair situation was absurd. I didn’t have time to focus on my hair with everything going on. I started leaving my hair natural and surprisingly, I ended up falling in love with it.
Thanks to the advice of my sister and a whole bunch of natural hair vloggers and bloggers, I learned tips for maintaining curly hair, which products worked best for me and cute hairstyle tutorials for my curl type.
One of the main reasons that I refused to leave my hair natural was because I wasn’t using the right products. It wasn’t really my fault to begin with. A couple of years ago, stores would barely have products for curly gals like myself. I used products with sulfate that would dry out my hair. But thanks to wonderful natural hair companies, more products are available for a variety of hair types.
Learning how to take care of my hair was the first step in this natural hair journey for me. I loved the way my hair looked and felt afterward. As cheesy as it may sound, I honestly felt so beautiful and confident when I left my hair natural. I felt like I was finally able to show the world who I was and all that came with it.
The Natural Hair Movement is going on right now and I love every single part of it. I enjoy hearing stories about hair journeys and watching these vloggers style their beautiful natural hair. This movement is so inspirational and means so much to me. I’m glad that younger people now have natural hair goddesses and gods to look up to and not feel the way I did previously.
Now I’m not saying to never use a blow dryer or use a flat iron for your hair ever again. That’s completely up to you. I still straighten my hair from time to time just because I want to. Whatever makes you feel comfortable and confident is what’s important!
*All photos are courtesy of Carelyn Tiburcio.