NaturallyCurly: Please introduce yourself!
Molly Geipel: My name is Molly. I am a junior English and Psychology major at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, and I’m currently studying abroad in London!NC: How and when did you start embracing your curls?
MG: I didn’t start embracing my curls until high school. Before that, I didn’t know how to manage them, so they were a mess! For a long time, I just ignored them altogether and worked a ponytail every day. Then in middle school, I tried everything I could to disguise them, which led to a rather fraught relationship with my flat iron. I learned to work with my curls instead of against them in high school, and we’ve been on good terms ever since!
NC: What is your current routine?
MG: My routine is really simple. My hair is thick and coarse in addition to being curly, so I use a good quality shampoo to keep it healthy and soft. Right now, my favorite is Redken All Soft.NC: So from start to finish, on a curly day, what’s your process?
MG: I usually wash my hair at night, giving it plenty of time to dry before bed. I find that my hair takes time to “set” after drying and usually looks and feels better after a few hours than it does immediately after drying. After washing my hair, I’ll sometimes use a leave-in conditioner, especially if my hair has been feeling dry. Otherwise, I just quickly comb through it with my fingers and let it air dry.
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NC: What are your must-have products and tools?
MG: Redken All Soft Shampoo and Conditioner, Davines Defining Invisible Style Cream, and my CHI Flat Iron.
NC: What are your favorite hairstyles to wear with your curls?
MG: I’m not very creative when it comes to styling my hair. On a normal day, my hair is usually down and loose or in a ponytail.
NC: What do you do at nighttime for your hair?
MG: My hair holds shape like no other, so if I want to wear it down the next day, I have to sleep with it down. If I don’t, I will wake up with an unsightly ponytail bump in my hair the next morning.
NC: What about your hair stylists?
MG: I have a favorite stylist back hope in Indianapolis that I’ve been going to for several years now, at a salon called DL Lowry. She’s really good at working with my hair’s unwieldy texture and shape. She always flat irons my hair when she’s done trimming and shaping it, which is a treat for me as I can never get it quite as straight when doing it myself.
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NC: What reaction did you get when you first decided to go natural?
MG: I’ve gotten nothing but positive reactions to my hair since going natural!
NC: Did you ever have any curly girl insecurities?
MG: In my junior year of high school, I got sick and tired of dealing with my unruly hair all the time and I cut it all off. I had a pixie cut for about a year before I grew it out again. It was liberating to not have to mess with the unpredictability and unmanageability of curls for a while, but I missed their distinctiveness! I’ve proudly kept my hair long and curly ever since.
NC: What is the best thing about being curly?
MG: It’s unique! And I think it’s ultimately more versatile. I can straighten my hair fairly easily, but people with really straight hair often have a lot of trouble curling their hair.
NC: What would you tell others to encourage them to embrace their curls?
MG: Don’t fight them and don’t be shy about looking different! Your curls will make you stand out and they will be the envy of straight-haired girls everywhere, I promise. I wasted a lot of time trying to disguise my curls…it would have been better spent embracing them and learning how to work with them!
NC: Tell us about your current and upcoming projects!
MG: I’m studying abroad in London for the semester. This summer, I’m hoping to come home to a publishing internship and/or to working in a local cupcake shop!
