LEARNING TO LOVE MY CURLS

MY LEARNED TIPS & TRICKS

A little background on my healthy curls journey.

Growing up, my mother would always take me to get my hair done. That meant having it straightened! It was the thing back then to have beautiful, long STRAIGHT hair. Curls weren’t the trend as they are now. Sadly, I grew up believing my hair was beautiful ONLY when it was straight and struggled with this belief into my adult years.

I had the hardest time feeling beautiful when my hair wasn’t straight! Unfortunately, this is “thing” in the Hispanic community. I’ve spoken to so many friends about this and they experienced the same treatment and believed their hair wasn’t beautiful unless it was straight.

The amount of time spent under a hairdryer. The hours spent attempting to get my hair as straight as possible and then working to keep it from getting wet (one drop and the curls come back). OMG! I’m exhausted just from thinking about it. And let’s not talk about the amount of money spent on salon visits … UGH!!!

Thankfully, in 2016, I made the choice to not straighten my hair and limit using heat. I learned about Deva cuts, the curly hair method and curly girl products. There was so much to learn.

The disappointment from years of damage and not appreciating the blessing that are my curls has weighed on me … who can relate?

After years of trying products and figuring out what works best for me, I have settled on the following products:

• Miche Detox Clarifying & Detoxifying Shampoo
  • Leave hair and scalp feeling refreshed and clean
  • Smells amazing
  • Doesn’t dry out my curls
• Cantu Shea Butter Leave in Conditioning Repair Cream
  • Detangling made easy
  • Doesn’t weigh my curls down
  • Perfect for co-washing
  • Hair is moisturized and curls defined
  • I also like the Argan Oil option, but it is not Curly Girl approved
• LUS All in One Step 3 (Curly)
  • My go to styling cream
  • Options for curly, kinky and wavy curls
  • Hydrate curls
  • Defined curls
  • Smells amazing
  • Doesn’t weigh down my curls
• Wide tooth comb is a must for detangling

People lose it when they hear I only wash my hair a couple of times a week. Um, curly hair tends to be dry and over washing it can lead to damaged, unhealthy curls. I co-wash as needed! More frequent washing depends on how much product I’m applying. If I’ve used too much product, I will wash more often.

My wash day routine:

• Shampoo x2
• Leave in conditioner
• Untangle
• Towel and air dry for about 10 minutes
• Part hair (starting in the back) and apply styling cream
  • Comb through with fingers or comb (I use my fingers)
• Repeat until done and allow to air dry
• Fluff when almost fully dry and fluff again when fully dry
• KEEP HANDS OFF TO AVOID FRIZZ

As you can see, I had to figure out what works best for me. It’s taken some time but it’s so worth it. There was a lot of trial and error and so many products purchased. However, my curls are healthy, and I LOVE MY CURLS more now than ever.

It’s been a journey learning to love my hair and appreciating how amazing it is.

Perms are a real thing and there are people paying to have curly hair and here we are hating ours. Isn’t it crazy how that works?

The bigger, the better when it comes to curls … my husband laughs at me when I “fluff” and create more volume (lol). Fluff with your wide tooth comb or a hair pick for best results.

Curly hair is GORGEOUS! But it’s also very needy and temperamental. Take time to learn what works for your curls and be patient.

I hope this helps you LOVE YOUR CURLS and gives you an idea of where to start when choosing products.