Texture Tales: Sofia on How She Finally Learned to Embrace Her Curls

Sweden

Naturally curly

3b

It was very lonely; my parents didn’t know how to care for my hair, and the majority of the people surrounding me had straight hair. For a short period of time, my two best friends got curly perms and I was so happy. I finally felt like I belonged and wasn’t alone in this anymore. Unfortunately, for me they quickly got tired of the curls and realized how much work it was. So they let their natural straight hair grow out. That made me feel even worse than before. I now felt like I was the only one who didn’t have a choice. It had been so easy for them and for me it would still be an everyday struggle. So when I turned 17 I started to get my hair relaxed.

When people started to refer to my hair as wavy instead of curly. I instantly felt like I had lost a big part of my identity and who I was. In my mind I had always been a curly girl and I wanted it to stay that way no matter what I did to my curls. My hair had enough after the first relaxer but it took me 9 years to finally realize what I was doing. I felt like it was time for me to make peace with myself and change my perception of beauty.

The support and love has been amazing. I think they were all ready for me to embrace my curls even before I was. They’ve been like “Finally!” It has truly been a life changing experience for me.

I would invest in good products (CG method“> and trim my hair every now and then to get rid of the unevenness. I hated the part where the damaged relaxed hair would meet the new healthy hair. Because of that I would wear my hair in a bun for the first months until it started to look more decent.

For me Social media was a big part of transitioning. I was doing research 24/7 the first weeks and of course I spent a lot of time here at NaturallyCurly.com and on Instagram and YouTube. I needed all the inspiration and motivation I could get. And just a couple of months ago I actually started my own Instagram page @curlsfirst. For me it has been about giving back to the community that has always been there for me.

I always apply products on soaking wet hair, I love using cremes and leave ins. I wash my hair with shampoo once a week and try to deep conditioning at least once a week.

Definitely finger coiling. It has been a great way for me to train my curls to really curl. It’s also great for the taming the frizz in the front and around the crown area. And since I’m such a sucker for volume, using a pick has been a game changer for me!

Any advice you’d like to give other women who may be in the transition phase or need some encouragement in their hair journey?

Start from the inside out, acceptance and patience is key. Get out there, ask curly girls for advice, network and create a safe space for your curls. Having people there for you and supporting you through your transition is everything.