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| From left to right: 1. Direct Leave-in: Weightless Moisture Conditioner by Giovanni 2. Light Defining Gel by DevaCurl 3. No-Poo by DevaCurl 4. OneCondition by DevaCurl 5. Flexible-Hold Hair Spray by DevaCurl |
Like just about any other woman of color, my ethnic curls have always been central to my identity, in
both the worst and best of ways.
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| Photo from Study: Women with Natural Hair Have Low Self-Esteem |
My childhood
haircuts consisted primarily of tears and hiding my hair under a hoodie for
weeks on end, or keeping it in a tight bun to make up for the mass of
frizz that I always believed to be a curse. Since no one in my family really
had hair like mine (it is not common for Pakistani people to have curls!), I
was never exposed to proper hair care methods for it, and the white girls and
stylists around me had little advice to offer as compensation. If anything, they made it much, much worse.
I never in a
million years would have imagined that the hot mess I called my hair would
eventually become the center of my journey towards self love. For years now, my
hair has been the feature I'm most proud of, which explains why articles like this one completely set me off.
The study, as explained by the article, claims that a company called "Bountiful Hair" found that the vast majority of women of color that they studied (2,500 out of 3,000) felt less confident with untreated hair. The article explicitly focuses on the hair of black women, referring to the afro as "matted and course, and [not] considered appropriate for a business environment."
Now, anyone who knows anything about how to read studies - especially in the media - would immediately see that the article provides absolutely no critical information about how the study was conducted. It's important to be aware of the who and the what. Now, what interest does a cosmetic company have in conducting such a study and declaring that women with natural hair have low self-esteem? A cosmetic company that has something to sell.
As much as I love makeup and cosmetics, the reality is that these products are meant to create revenue. And revenue only comes when there is a consumer base. A consumer base must have a need that is not being met, which is where the product comes in. What better consumer base to start with than a group of colored (mostly black) women who believe their natural hair is not good enough or, as the article puts it, is not "appropriate" for a business environment?
As if the racial bias isn't obvious enough, The News Nerd Staff had the decency to throw this quote in:
“At one point I was using a gallon of milk and a dozen eggs on my hair every day to try to soften it. That’s when I knew it was time to make a change. I got a relaxer and a Brazilian weave down to my butt, and I have never felt prettier,” Jones stated.
If that isn't a blatant attempt to sell the idea that the only way to feel beautiful is to treat your hair, then I honestly don't know what is.
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| Enjoying the fuck out of my curls back in 2014! |
Ladies, your hair is yours. If you enjoy wearing weaves, or relaxing, or dying, then by all means, go for it!! I am absolutely for experimentation. But let that desire to experiment spring from a place of self-love, not self-hate. Do it because you think it's fun, not because you let a racially biased society convince you that your hair is "messy" and shameful.
As I became more active on the internet and more into beauty blogs, I began seeing women of color with curls kinda-sorta like mine looking damn good. And it got me thinking: my hair could absolutely look like that if I just knew what to do! With a full summer of researching and experimenting, I came across the book that completely changed my life.
Curly Girl: The Handbook by Lorraine Massey as well as NaturallyCurly.com became my gateways to a happier me. I discovered that, yes, there are many different types of curls, and they all look hot as hell. Do you know how thrilling it is to discover that so many other people have the exact same kind of hair as you after believing for 18 years that no one could ever understand? Andre Walker, Oprah Winfrey's stylist, came up with a system for curl types, ranging from type 1, completely straight, to type 4a-c, completely kinky.
I found out that my kinda hair had an actual, socially-accepted category: type 3a/b curls. I began learning that, just as curls looked different from other hair, it also had different needs as far as products went. Gone were my days of sulfate and silicone filled hair products. I began experimenting with products that were made primarily from plants rather than chemicals. I invested in hiring a stylist trained in what is called a "Deva cut" - a unique method of cutting and styling curls that is very different from the method used for straight hair. And, good Lord, the change in my hair was magical. I felt transformed.
So, now that I've touched on the background of not only my hair journey, but of the racial and political undertones that always trail behind every aspect of life, especially beauty, I want to lay out for you ladies what I do every day to get my curls to look as good as I can get them.
I've always been incredibly happy with Lorraine Massey's line of products, not just for how effective they are but for their scents as well. The No-Poo and One Condition both have a soothing lemon-grass scent that I have always absolutely loved, and the Flexible-Hold Hair Spray has a slightly spicy lavender fragrance to it.
Here's what I do in the shower every day, step by step!
1. I completely soak my curls while keeping them flipped upside down. I pretty much have my hair flipped upside down for the entirety of my shower!
2. I scrunch in (cup sections of my hair in the palm of my hand while it is flipped, and squeeze while pushing it upwards towards my scalp) the No-Poo shampoo in quarter-sized dollops. The scrunching motion helps curls retain their natural shape. I do not apply any shampoo to my roots!
3. I rinse out the shampoo with the same upside down scrunching motion.
4. Next, I massage my scalp with the One Condition. It is much more moisturizing than the shampoo, and the one thing curls need more than anything is moisture. Most days you can even cut out the shampoo completely! I rinse my scalp before the next step.
5. This is about the only time I have my head right side up! I use generous amounts of conditioner - as much as it takes - to detangle my hair. Never, ever use a brush or comb to detangle curls - that's how they get frizzy! It takes a bit of time and product, but I gently untangle any knots using my fingers. The more tangled it is, the more product I add to that particular spot.
6. I leave all the product in that I already used to detangle. Using a little bit more product, I flip my hair upside down again and scrunch to bring back any shape that the detangling may have messed up.
7. I leave my hair be for the rest of my shower so the product has time to soak in! The longer the product is in your hair, the better.
8. At the end of my shower, I rinse most, but not all, of the One Condition out of my hair with the usual scrunching motion. You do not necessarily need a leave-in conditioner if you just leave more of the One Condition in, but I prefer to primarily use an actual leave-in. Sometimes I rinse out too much One Condition by mistake, and since it's more expensive than my leave-in, I hate to add more! I generously scrunch in my Weightless Moisture leave-in. The best way to tell you have enough product left in your hair is if it makes a scwelching noise when you scrunch it!
9. I dry my hair using a 100% cotton t-shirt. You can also use a microfiber towel, but never use a regular towel. The material is too rough for curls and ruffles the hair shaft, which causes frizz. I dry my hair using the usual scrunching motion.
10. Next, I apply a generous amount of my Light Defining Gel, being careful to scrunch and coat every curl on every part of my head. You can make sure you've gotten everything by lightly touching your hair - if it feels like it's got gel in it, then you're all set!11. The next step is critical. Although getting layers cut into your hair makes it easier for it to curl by taking some of the weight off, curls are still pretty heavy. In order to get the max amount of your natural curl in every strand and not end up with straight roots, put clips in at the roots. This not only encourages the curl, but adds lift!
12, After I have my clips in, I spray whatever heat protectant I have handy in my hair. Then, I thoroughly spray my curls with the Flexible-Hold Hair Spray, focusing especially on the roots.
13. I usually let the clips sit in for a while as I apply my makeup. Using a diffuser, I sporadically dry my hair with the same motions as scrunching - cupping the curls and pressing upwards towards the scalp. I've always been told to keep the temperature low, but I usually use the hottest setting on the blow dryer and have never had much of an issue with frizz!
Usually after taking a few stupid selfies like the one above, this is the end result!! My hair is usually a little damp for an hour or so, and I do not scrunch the gel out until it's fully dry to make sure my hair retains its shape.
I hope this was helpful! If you have any good products/techniques, let me know!
Thanks for reading! x
- Z
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