When I was younger, I, like many other young ladies with curly hair, could not figure out what I was supposed to do with my hair for the life of me. I had no idea that I shouldn’t be brushing it out dry or that I shouldn’t wash it everyday. I had no clue that conditioner was supposed to be my best friend or that I needed to put some sort of product in my hair to make sure the curls hold. Without this knowledge, I was stuck struggling with frizzy, dry, and damaged hair. It was until months and years of straightening my hair did I start to learn how to take care of my curls.
You would’ve thought after years of having my hair look like a hot heat-damaged mess, and finally reviving it to its naturally curly state, I would’ve been much more careful with it. You would’ve thought that even the idea of frizzy strands would’ve kept me away from the straightener. Unfortunately, years of sloppy hair did not stop me from constantly straightening my hair when I cut it this March.
I felt the sudden need for a change and marched over to a hair salon to get my hair cut as short as it’s been since my sophomore year in high school. As much as I liked the just-below-the-chin-length hair, I was very unsure about how it looked when it was curly. The months of March and April were also filled with events that I felt I’d like my hair to my straight for. So, for the next two months, I constantly pressed heat against my hair, damaging all the good work that the cut did for my curls. My obsession with lightening my hair also proved itself to be equally as damaging to my ringlets that now look like strips of burnt bacon.
This summer is my opportunity to revive my poor curls and grow out my hair strong and healthy for the new school year. With a mantra of no straighteners, no curling irons, and no hair dye, one could call this a hair journey of sorts.
Dealing with heat damaged curls (can’t really even call them curls anymore- more like confused waves) will certainly by a difficult task, but I hope all you curly-haired ladies take on the challenge with me this summer. You never know – maybe by the end of the summer, your urge for straightening products will be curved and your lovely curls will never suffer through heat damage again. Either way, summer is a perfect time to purchase and experiment with different curly hair products, try new routines, obsessively watch YouTube curly-hair gurus, and keep away from the heat (because sheesh, it’s already hot enough outside).
At the risk of sounding corny, cliché, and all things in between, this summer can be our opportunity to relearn to love and appreciate our natural hair.
[Lead image via Paul Hakimata Photography/Shutterstock]
Life With Curly Hair: Growing Out My Damaged Strands for Summer
