Reader question: Hair problem! Help!
Monday, July 16, 2012 at 9:09AM Hi Miss Liz! Growing up I have been teased a lot about my "sumpa"- CURLY HAIR!!!! I don't mean the cute Goldilocks type but the "so-kinky-its-llike-an-afro" type of curl. An even weirder combination? I have pale skin Asian skin and got called names like "negrang hapon", "albino na negra" blah blah blah.
My self esteem was suuppeerr low that I had my hair straightened when I was in 6th grade and have been religiously straightening since (I'm turning 23 this year). The teasing stopped. I got lots of compliments, some even forgot I was curly to begin with. Don't get me wrong, I honestly enjoyed it at first but it was tiring to me (dreading my natural hair growing,enduring the long hours and chemical burns of the process).
Anyway, I don't know how but I finally found myself some confidence to stop pretending and embrace the real me! My question Miss Liz is; how do I transition to my natural locks without looking like a freak? (curly hair at the roots and stick straight hair at the tips).
Hi Miss_D22! Great question! Kudos to you for finally having the confidence to embrace your natural hair! I also had the same problem before - had my hair straightened so many times that I have damaged my scalp permanently. And for what? Because people teased me all the time! One girl even called me Jesus Christ. Damn. That's one of the worst insults to me ever.
In the end, like you I realized that I would be happier if I just enjoyed the real me. We're never so ugly or so bad as we think we are; it's all in the head! Curly hair is just as attractive as straight hair if we know how to groom and maintain it. Of course, it would help if we have the right attitude towards it. "Oh my curly hair? Yeah I know right, it's fabulous!"
So, how to deal with the growth of your natural hair! Well, you can have the straight parts of your hair permed. Ask your stylist and he/she can recommend a treatment. It just has to last until you have your desired length for curly hair, then cut the treated hair.
Once you have your real hair back, just maintain it with regular trims. Use serums like the Kérastase Elixir Ultime or the Dove Nourishing Oil Care Nutri-Oil Serum to keep it soft and shiny. To avoid frizz or unruly strands, use your preferred mousse (any from the drugstore will do, but I like White Rain and V5 the most!).
Hope this helps! Again, I'm happy you finally decided to love your hair, and by extension, yourself more. :)
Reader Comments (9)
i never understood why people make fun of curly hair. heck, here i am lemming for a perm! :( we all get frizzy hair days though, so i would recommend smoothing on some of Human Nature's sunflower beauty oil to tame your mane. Vitress (the oil, not the cream) works okay too but doesn't smell as nice as HN. good luck and be proud of those curls! :)
Well, I'm one curly gal too and I used to hate it but whenever my rebonded hair already ended its magic and turned curly again, I just couldn't believe that they love my natural curly hair better for my whole personality. And I agree with Ms Liz, just be confident with yourself and if you really get those "buhaghag" days then oil serums do work yes and also don't forget to use hair masks on a weekly basis because it can also help tame the curls into place but still give that bouncy, shiny look. :) Etude House Intensive Hair Care Mask is good however if you're a fan of DIY remedies then a mayonnaise hair treatment can work too!
I almost have the same problem growing up. I had a very unruly wavy hair, my skin was dark (from frequenting the beach) and I'm a hirsute so I always got the "baluga", "unggoy" and "aeta" taunts from my siblings and some of my brother's friends heck they even told me I was adopted (they all have straight hair and fair skin). So yeah I too succumbed to hair straightening and tried using whitening stuff (at the age of 10 but my mom put her foot down on this matter) so that I would "fit in".
Come junior year of my college days I just got tired of having my hair straightened (and it did make me look like Vanness Wu of the F4 craze, I don't want to look like a dude) and decided to just embrace and enhance my hair's natural state so I decided to have it permed and got a ton of compliments afterwards. Turned out to be the best decision I've ever made. I've had my hair permed for almost 5 years now I just ask my stylist to change it a bit every time (large wavy curls, medium type curls, with side bangs etc.) to keep it fresh looking. I also use the Pantene shampoo and conditioner for curly hair and the Monea Curl Defining Milk plus a deep nourishing hair masks from Watson's every 2 weeks to keep the curls soft.
Btw, my skin turned to it's natural state: fair when we stopped visiting the beach on a monthly basis.
Let's embrace and love our natural state because if we don't then no one else will. :)
I do like curly hair, in fact my hair has natural waves which i want to emphasize by perming my hair. hehe. In this time where all girls have stick straight hair due to re-bonding I think a curly`hair would really stand out.
Question, does the application of the mousse come before or after the serum? :D
Gone are the days when I would go to the salon and get my hair all sorts of treatment. In 2007, I got a rebond and it was fantastic! But as soon as my hair started to grow, I noticed a wave separating the rebounded hair from the growing hair and that was when I said it's enough. My hair is not shampoo commercial material but it's pretty managebale, by towel drying it alone I'm all set and good to go. I used L'oreals hair serum since 2008 but early this year, when I was introduced to Argan oil, I gave it a shot and shifted nstantly! It's odorless and very effective, ,just a few drops and my hair is all covered. I sometimes use it for my face too and I get supple, smooth skin in the morning. Good find I must say :)
Serum comes first as it can be absorbed faster..
Hi liz, I also have a curly hair and I learned to embrace it 2 years ago.. Anyhow I use garnier and monea to keep the locks in place.. Plus I dont comb my hair after shower hehehe.. You can read more from my blog entry
http://prettyfrenemy.wordpress.com/2012/07/02/curly-sue/
I read from Lauren Conrad's site that Moroccan oil helps a lot to tame frizz. Then theres Keratin Smoothing Complex Treatment by Coppola. An alternative to rebonding without the damage to the hair. Just damage to the wallet cause it costs around 5K ish, depending pa on the hair length. Hehe
PS
Isea, I have tried Human Nature's beauty oil and I too loved it!