Curly Hair Problems 101

 

Curly Hair Problems

       People often assume curly hair is easy to handle, that we just shower and go. Having curly hair is a blessing but we also go through so much that non-curly haired people don’t understand. It is kind of a struggle; we call it our curly hair problems. Little do they know most of the time we don’t get to choose how our hair will look nor is there such thing as wash and go.

          I’m going to start off with one of the most common problems that we curly curls go through, people touching our hair without asking. You may ask why our hair looks beautiful but please do not touch the art piece that took us awhile to accomplish. We don’t know how you’re going to touch our hair; most people want to rake our hair which is infuriating because it can cause frizz! If we are close, then maybe you’ll get lucky enough to bounce a curl or two. The worst is when random people just shove their hand in our hair. Keep your oils to yourself not in my hair! I don’t want my hair to look like a giant grease ball. The next time you want to touch a curly girls hair think twice please and just admire the curls from a distance.

             Washing our hair takes a while and what most people don’t understand is that we need to rake, condition, and rinse. No, this will not take us 5 minutes to do. Yes, we take longer showers than most, but we need to take this time for our curls. DO NOT ask us why we take a long time in the shower. You don’t understand the whole process, DO NOT rush us! Our hair is a process so please understand and respect this.

          The next time you ask a curly haired girl how she gets her hair like that, beware that there isn’t much to it. Do not be surprised by the answer we give, WATER! We do not get to choose what kind of hairstyle we want today or what side our curls decide to go. Our hair is our boss, we just roll with the punches. There isn’t much to these curls, our hair is real and no we did not use any wand/curling iron. Not to mention, DO NOT ask us if we got a perm! It may seem like a compliment to others, but for curly haired women it is more like an insult.  Our hair is all- natural! Admire it, compliment it, but never doubt our hair.

          The million-dollar question that is also frequently asked if we ever straighten our hair? NO WAY! Never touched a flat iron before…Well of course I have, but I love my curls so much that it doesn’t make any sense to straighten it. I had my time when I was younger to fry up my hair. I am older, wiser and love my locks. No, I will not straighten my hair just so you can see, it’s my hair and I will do whatever I please with it. I will answer the question for you; Yes, I’ve flat ironed my hair. No, I will not be doing it to please you or others. Leave me and my hair alone! Simple as that!

          Let’s talk humidity! (Did you read this and cringe?) Humidity is our enemy and it always fails us. Beach day with the girls or family and you’ve got your beautiful curly hair blowing in the beach wind. The after math of your hair looks crazy! We end up looking like we got shocked. There is no turning back for us. Humidity and the rain are not our best friend! Yes, we can manage our hair afterwards with spritz of water, but when we are out having a good time our hair decides that it’s untamed. Like I said previously, our hair is our boss. Annoying right ladies?

When putting up curly hair we need to decide if the next day is wash day and I’ll tell you why. We end up putting our hair up and the longer we leave it up the deep the imprint of the scrunchy or clip is. The crease is so real that when we end up taking out our hair it will literally stand up on its own, even if you wore a bun for a full 16 hours. This becomes irritating, nobody wants to end up looking like the villain from the movie The Incredibles. I wish it ended there, but even sleeping with curly hair is bad. Ever seen the sheep meme? That’s us in real life. The struggle is so real. We don’t ever get to decide! It’s almost like being in a controlling relationship except you’re stuck with your hair forever and don’t get to break up with it.

          Some people who see our curly hair for the first time usually say, “Your hair is so short!” What they don’t know is that our hair is extremely long when it’s wet or straightened. If only they knew what we go through, the shrinkage is so real it fools others. Imagine spinach in a hot pan, it looks full but once it’s cooked there is only a little bit of spinach; this exactly what curly haired people go through. Our hair is just like a magic show, see the long damp hair? Watch it disappear in front of your eyes as it dries! Now we have curly hair! Ta-da!

          Another struggle is trying new hairstyles ONLY on the weekends or when you’re not going out. I’m sure many of my curly curls just laughed at this one because to be completely honest it is a real battle. We don’t get to decide if the hair style will be cute with how our curls act. It is worse than trying on shoes that don’t fit. I tried a new hairstyle while my significant other was home and her reaction made me realize I should try new hairstyles when nobody is around and when I have nothing else to do or anywhere to go. She ended up telling me, “Do not try that one”. Talk about embarrassing!

          Aside from the humidity, we often check the weather before we decide how we will end up doing our mane. Sounds ridiculous however that is something we end up going through. Why waste our time going through the “Curly Hair Procedure” if it will only end up going to waste due to the weather. For example, rain on the forecast, 40 percent humidity, 70 degrees outside and bun it is!

          Nobody knows the struggle of that part in the shower when it is time to rinse with cold water. Literally feels like you’ve traveled to Antarctica for what feels like forever!  I’d rather be cold with clothes on than to be cold butt naked! This is the part where the hashtag “Curly Hair Problems” comes into play. It’s even better when it’s winter and we need to wash in cold water…I despise it!

          Now that I’ve covered a little bit of what curly haired people go through, think before you ask any non-intelligent questions and before you touch our beautiful curls. You don’t know which curl you’ll get! Pun intended.