Why having curly hair is amazing

Like many curlies, I went through a journey getting to the point where I was making the most of what I had naturally and feeling happy about it. Once I arrived there at about the age of 19, I loved it - and I still do.

I was so pleased with my new-but-old look that I've never looked back. Even though I've been treated like an experiment by some hairdressers or told they only like dealing with straight hair, it undeniably looks great when its treated kindly and managed properly. Loads of people give me compliments and luckily I found a stylist early on who knew what she was doing and gave me lots of good advice. So those positives made me understand how those unprofessional people were out of my hair's league. Yes, I'm creating competitive sport metaphors about my hair. And yes, I'm fully convinced it's worth that, so here's some very good reasons why having curly hair is amazing.

Me (in the second slide), after having a hair cut on a hot day in July, and my hair twin at the time. The stylist I had to me he was going to do an 'experiment' on my curly hair.

Curly hair is a thing now

At the time of writing this, there are 30.7 million posts on Instagram in English with the hashtag #curlyhair. There's so much positive social media curly hair content around now, that, if you're interested, you just add an account to your following list and are presented with all sorts that promotes, provides advice about and, above all, celebrates natural curly hair. How amazing is that?

I loved it so much when I first started showing my 20-something curls to the world. I remember fantasising about how, if I became a celebrity one day, I'd make curly hair a thing. I'd be an advocate for my natural ringlets and become a brand ambassador in advertisements for my favourite curly products. Well now there's a global community of people that do that and more, so thankfully there's no need for my weirdness to ruin it all.

Before realising curly is best, I used to cry through, what felt like, endless mornings of dry-brushing and because it hurt so much I just let it grow for years. This resulted in not having a clue what to do with it until a good friend advised me to get it cut. So now, these communities can give a helping hand or a confidence booster to those that may feel the same as I did.

Or if they are finding other people's rude or ignorant attitudes about hair affecting their school or work lives, they're able to share stories for relief and coping strategies. While it can be liberating to have natural curls, it's hard when, for example, you've styled your hair to what you think is nice, but you have underlying anxiety that 'maybe it's massive', 'maybe it's frizzy', 'it isn't curling like it did in that how-to video'. But you've got through the day, your confidence is up and you're getting on with things with your beautiful hair until some loser says: 'it looks like you've been dragged through a hedge backwards'. You KNOW they're an idiot. You KNOW they have no clue. But it STILL hurts. It's crazy that having a curly hairstyle can be such an alienating experience despite all of these people talking about how amazing it is. So it's great to be able to fall back on shared experiences online where you don't feel so alone.

Overall, what I really love about curls being a thing nowadays is that it's becoming more acceptable to permanently wear them as nature intended. Rather than being trend-driven like the big hair styles of the 80s or 90s, it's celebrated as a life-long choice in a community of millions of natural curlies.

It's a lot less high-maintenance to have curly hair... eventually

Another one of my favourite things about having curly hair is that as long as you have a style cut in, the products you need and your drying method down, you put in the work on wash day and then can leave it for a few days. Well, bar a water spritz and zhuzh for moisture and body. I would say that there is work in the preparation but I honestly consider this a lot less high maintenance than someone who straightens, washes it or even brushes it every day. Once wash day is done, I don't have to think about it for more than five minutes until it needs washing again.

Maybe you're in a transition period because you've styled your hair with heat for so long that it's forgotten to do what it's supposed to. The curls might not materialise how you want to for a while but the washing and styling process is still the same and you still don't have to put in all that extra work. It's just that you may have to accept your curls aren't going to look as you'd like for a while.

I once was asked by a friend about what I do to "get it so curly" so I sent over a list of what I did and the products I used. She was like: 'err, maybe not'. Maybe I'm the high maintenance one here and yes, maybe it's a lot - at first - but I'm used to it and it seems easy to me. If you commit to your style and curls you'll get quicker and easier results the more work you put in.

Below is a great example from curly girl Instagram account @xsara.do.my.hair via @curlygirl_approved.

Curls are beautifully versatile

There are so many types of curls and textures that you can achieve such a variety of looks and still say your hair is curly. There are B2, C1, C2, C3 curls and the higher the number, the more curly your hair is. I hadn't learned about this until recently and even though I think it's there to give you an idea about how to manage your hair, it shows you how versatile curly hair is.

I love looking at and taking inspiration from every one of the beautiful shapes, lengths and textures. One of my favourite Tumblr accounts to do this is fuckyeahcurlscurlscurls.

Curly hair cheers me up

I love being creative with my curls to create different looks. I have it spiralled, which is best if you twist it wet and leave to dry naturally, centre-parted, in a bob... and when it's longer I sometimes like to... please don't lose me here... brush it out. Please don't listen to people who say you shouldn't ever brush it out. If it's conditioned and in good health it looks great if you're going for a specific look. Mine does defined curls better than volume so it really helps if I want to go for something big on a night out. I would say that this is better if you have length to it, I'm not sure how it would look on shorter hair. I love the idea of a shaggy cut with a full fringe one day. Half up, half down looks so nice on long curls... agh, all the things you can do without a straightener, hey.

Plus, when I feel like it, I straighten it. It's nice to have your day-to-day curly hairdo that's healthy because you don't have to dry it all the time. Hey presto, it's super shiny, strong and ready for that blast of heat once in a while.

Recently, I got a bob cut in and it feels so good! You can watch it below, if you want. Long curls are nice but one you get lazy, it's difficult to manage and not to mention, heavy. Suddenly, I was on the verge of being back to square one with a mass of hair that has no style or bounce to it. Now they are super springy again, I'm fully back in the curly girl frame of mind and loving it.

I hope you've enjoyed reading about my experience with natural curly hair. Please share with your fellow curlies, pass on your styling tips or curly photos and follow me at @hey_karrie_jay!