My mother dealt with the thick wavy mess by feathering it and using a curling iron to subdue it. My grandmother permed it every summer I visited. Sometimes we chopped off. This had kids saying I looked like a boy so I was quickly convinced to grow it back out. It was a mess. Not knowing how to care for it left me brushing, blowing, tying, and smothering it in an effort to tame it. I was always frustrated. Then came the steaming combs and irons. I fried it into submission. I fought static electricity, frizz and split ends like crazy. I learned if I kept it in a short bob I could control it. My ends curled under easily so it worked. If I ever attempted to grow it out, I'd have to get it "thinned" often. I tried a spiral perm in high school. Then I chopped it off again. I continued in this pattern of chopping, growing, thinning, razoring into adult-hood. My Chi became my best friend. My daily morning routine was shampoo, conditioner, towel drying, calming creams, combing, sectioning, blow-drying, brushing, sectioning, straightening, hair spraying. It took about 45 mins and was exhausting! The days I let it air dry and go wavy I'd always feel like it looked unkempt and messy. I tried to wear it curly by using mouse, gels, sprunch sprays, etc but hated the crunchy or sticky, stiffness to it. I was sure I'd tried everything.
Then a friend told me about the Curly Girl Handbook. I read it on my Kindle, cover to cover, in one evening. Within one day of forgoing my regular shampoo with harsh sulfates and instead co-washing & using the methods in the book, I had curly hair. Not just bends, actual soft bouncy waves. I'm hooked. I'm packing for our anniversary vacation next week and I'm so excited to leave behind the hair dryer, my chi, and all the tons of products I used daily. It's very freeing to stop battling your hair and just let it be the way it was meant to be. The best part - I'll no longer have to get up at 5:30 a.m. everyday to be ready for school. Sleeping in makes me smile :)
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| Day 1. My only hair product of the day - conditioner. I hand dried it with my t-shirt. That was it. Effortless. |
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| Day 2 -Wow, now there's some curl |
