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Curly hair, don't care!

Finally embracing my curls after 31 years

By Rose DovePublished 2 years ago 4 min read
5
Curly hair, don’t care!

**As always this is a personal account on how I manage and style my curls!**

For years I had blow-waved and flat-ironed my hair to be “dead straight” to hide the fact that I had naturally very curly hair. Yes, I even did this during our disgustingly hot Australian summers.

Whenever I was at the salon having my hair washed, the stylist would always gush over how curly my hair is, to which I would just cringe and roll my eyes. It was like that every single time. Then of course the stylist would proceed to ask, “Do you ever leave your hair natural?”

My brain would slowly go into shock remembering all the occasions where I was made fun of for having curly hair, this only amplified my desire to keep it straight and never au naturel. I had become quite self-conscious . Coming back into the present I would respond to the hairdresser with a very firm, fuck no.

Staring at my refection in the salon mirror, watching my hair being blown into every direction from the hairdryer, I loathed my curly hair, I hated the shape, and I hated the textured. I hated the fact that I had to be born with such hair. The hairdresser would then proceed to comment, “so curly!”

Just hurry up and straighten it.

5 or 6 year old me with dreamy hair!

Fast forward to the now…

After binging Russian Doll on Netflix and seeing Natasha Lyonne rocking a head full of curls, something inside me clicked. Curly hair isn’t bad, curly hair is godly. This notion made me ditch the flat-irons; I wanted to let my wild curls bounce free.

So I jumped into the shower and washed my hair, that’s a start.

Letting my hair dry naturally overnight by the next morning I was able to see exactly what I was dealing with. Okay – easy enough to work with, it just needed a little help. I picked up my curling wand and just “touched up” the curls to create and add some balance, still my texture but better! Then quietly “borrowing” a curl spray from my mother’s bathroom, I spritzed it through my hair for some added bounce and voluminosity.

The ex-hairdresser in me was coming out to play; I was determined to make these curls work in my favour. I took a step back – I just “fucked this party in the mouth”.

Having curly hair came from my mum

Soft and Au Naturel finish!

I couldn’t believe it; for once I didn’t hate what I was seeing, my curls are finally having the moment that they deserve. They are, godly.

First time my mother saw me, she was in shock but in a good way – she too was happy to see my natural texture in all its glory.

The days of being made fun of were over. Instead of asking if I stuck my finger in an electrical socket, or if I had just gone “swimming”, I was told that my curls were simply beautiful! I no longer felt self-conscious of my curls, having curly hair is who I am - there’s no need to hide it anymore.

I like my curls to have a soft and natural finish as opposed to anything hard and crunchy. I love to wash my hair with the Living Proof Curl Range, it encourages natural curls and waves to form and stay defined whilst keeping them conditioned. Since I don’t usually use a curling product other than a spray to style my hair, I find that this shampoo and conditioner is more than enough for me. I hate the feeling of curling creams or gels in my hair.

In saying that, I will use a hair oil if I need to, my favourite at the moment is the Gisou honey infused hair oil. I’ll smooth this through the mid-length and ends of my hair, taming any fly-always and adding shine. It just gives my curls are more polished look especially if I’ve used my curler.

Adding a few drops of oil into the conditioner for some added nourishment!! (This is not a dry oil meaning that it won’t absorb into the hair - less is more) Image shot by Rose Dove

I don’t use my curler everyday. I’ll use it once for a few touch ups and then for the rest of the week use a curl spray to re-awaken any curls. (Especially after I’ve slept on them) By managing my hair this way I’m able to let my natural texture come through day by day.

For a heat-free approach, I’ll use the heatless curls method, weaving each section of hair into a satin scarf and leaving it overnight. Very curly result for me!!

And then of course, there are the days that I just leave it as is and I’ll lazily pile it up big and beauty queen-like, passing it off as an elaborate up-do that took an hour and half to do when in reality it’s just a messy bun that took 10 seconds.

The styles are endless and curls are forever, because after all,

…The best accessory truly is curly hair!

hair
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About the Creator

Rose Dove

𝐿𝒾𝒻𝑒 𝐼𝓂𝒾𝓉𝒶𝓉𝑒𝓈 𝒜𝓇𝓉; a curation of personal pieces and poems that carry glimpses into my past and present.

🖤🪬

IG: @thehausofdove

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