Thoughts from Thursday: On Having Curly Hair

Having curly hair builds character.

Did you know that women with curly hair are statistically 65% more likely to have more character than their straight-haired counterparts?

Moral of the story: It's the curly friends you want. It's the curly wives you want. IT'S THE CURLY PRESIDENTS YOU WANT, OKAY??

I don't really remember the moment my hair became "curly." Nobody ever mentioned my having curly hair when I was a child--it was just golden and wavy and angelic. But some time during puberty, (I almost typed "pubic years." I don't think that's a thing... I hope that's not a thing.) my hair went from wavy to curly, and then it just kept getting curlier and curlier, until we reached critical mass:

Ready for a nuclear chain reaction.

Oh, I've tried to tame it. I've tried ironing it, diffusing it, braiding it. I've tested every single brand of mousse and gel on the market. I've used coconut oil and avacado oil and argon oil. I've washed it with honey, guacamole, even beer.

I bought a silk pillow case. I stopped washing the conditioner out. I piled it in a curly mass on top of my head, (affectionately dubbed "The Pineapple") before I went to sleep (ask Becky, she has a photographic evidence!).

Right now I'm in Phase 57 of How to Handle My Hair. In Phase 57, I use 5+ high-end hair products, the combined cost of which equals just about $100.  I never sleep on wet hair. I go up to 4 days without washing it. And my latest kick is to not comb it or even run my fingers through it--even when I'm in the shower. That way it's dirty and tangly all the time, but the effect is that it's actually less crazy. Imagine that. Curly hair is counter-intuitive like that.

Speaking of counter-intuitive, most people believe that curly hair can be cut the same way that straight hair can be cut. This is a big fat fallacy and one that the hair dressing community needs to understand already!!!

I don't think I've walked out of a hair salon happy since I was 13. Nobody can do it right! Nobody! Not two hours ago I walked out of a salon for curly hair and I still left disappointed (hence, this rant).

But honestly, even though these people were "curly-hair certified," my expectations were still low. Because really, it's just never going to look good.

If you see a girl with curly hair, chances are she's used to getting crappy hair cuts. She's used to leaving the salon with a smile, saying "Thanks--it looks good," and then getting in the car, looking in the review mirror, and laughing (or crying) (or swearing) because it happened again.

Chances are she spent her formative teen years trying to figure out what the heck to do with her unruly hair and then just got used to the idea of standing out.

Chances are she's spent tons of money and time and maybe even tears in search of products and gadgets and all manner of garbage to get her hair to behave "like everyone else's."

Chances are she's learned how to take all the off-hand comments about frizz, fluff, poodles, etc, etc.

Chances are she's been on a long journey of self-acceptance and she's come to a place where she's comfortable with they way she looks. She's embraced herself for who she is. She's stopped trying to fit the mold.

She has character--and lots of it.