Image Source: @houseofcurlsuk
What was it like for you growing up with textured hair?
Being the only one within the family with thick, coarse, curly hair, I grew up not knowing how to care for my curls in the correct way. All my friends had straight hair, and then there was me, who had this mass of frizzy hair left to its own devices as my mum had no idea what to do with it. I looked up to my older cousins who would have the latest hairstyle and would make my mum take me to get my haircut just like them, however, it never turned out like theirs, and I didn’t understand why. I then turned to heated tools when I was older as I thought I had no other option to “smooth” and “tame” my hair, and wanted to fit in with everyone else.
What made you decide to embrace your naturally curly/wavy hair?
As I got older, I grew to love my hair; however, the decision to start this healthy hair journey was so I could learn how to care for it properly. I was getting so tired of my hair feeling so dry and damaged, and spending each day forever using hot tongs to try and create these big curls, which unbeknownst to me, I already had! They just needed the right products, knowledge and care! The Curly Girl Method opened up this whole other world! I could see a difference after one wash, so I was hooked and intrigued.
Image Source: @houseofcurlsuk
What has been the most empowering moment of your natural hair journey so far?
Going on holiday and not constantly worrying about what I would do with my hair and how it would look. We took our daughter to Disneyland in Florida last July, and in a place where I would have been continuously stressing about ending up looking like Monica from friends, I was able to relax and not worry what my hair looked like, and that felt so good!
How do you protect your curls at night?
I have a really simple night time routine, I put my curls up into a pineapple with a satin scrunchie and then sleep on a silk pillowcase. I don’t like the feeling of anything on my head when sleeping so I haven’t been able to sleep with a buff on.
Who is your curl crush?
@chebella! She has length, gorgeous curls, and volume; everything a curly girl strives for!
What’s your curly girl essential you can’t live without?
My universal diffuser head, I now only have to take this if I travel and not worry about traveling with a hairdryer. The one I have is by GAMA and is really deep; I can fit a lot of hair in at one time which is great when you have a lot of it!
What is your current hair regimen? Any favorite products you’d like to share?
Image Source: @houseofcurlsuk
I like to keep things simple, so my routine is pretty straight forward. As I have so much hair it requires quite a bit of product to style, so I prefer to shampoo and alternate with a clarifying one every other wash, to ensure build up doesn’t occur. The Bounce Curl clarifying shampoo is great; not too harsh for frequent use, but cleansing enough to do the job. I also never forget to deep condition and do my scalp massages, I love Righteous Roots oil for this. I also do Olaplex treatments at home after I’ve had colour applied.
What has been the most challenging moment of your natural hair journey so far?
Finding the right protein balance for my hair. The moisture/protein balance is one of the hardest aspects of this curly journey that I’ve found so far; it’s a very thin line between good and oh so wrong! My curls do not like a lot of protein due to having coarse, low porosity hair and can only really handle some of the less stronger ones. I try and stay away from products that have soy, wheat or too much keratin in and only use small amount of products with rice, vegetable or quinoa in. I will do a rice water rinse every 4-6 weeks or when I really need it. Unfortunately, there’s no magic solution to this, it’s all about trial and error and finding out what your hair likes and dislikes.
Image Source: @houseofcurlsuk
Are there any techniques or methods that have made a huge impact on your hair health?
Wet plopping has made a huge difference when it comes to curl training my curls and allowing excess product to be absorbed meaning less drying time, as I like to use a diffuser to dry this is great.
For product application styling my curls with my head upside down and using the praying hand’s technique has been a game-changer. I’ve got thicker, more defined curl clumps and less frizz.
What’s your advice to women who are still struggling with loving their natural texture?
This journey is a process, and you have to trust it. The transitioning period is hard, but once you see good days happening more often than the bad ones, the satisfaction and sense of achievement is so worth it. Don’t strive for perfection or somebody else’s curls/waves or coils; each head of curls is unique, just do you!