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Christine Shares Her Curly Hair Journey

My thick, curly hair has always been a big part of my identity. I was blessed with these curls by my Egyptian father. I remember eating out at restaurants as a young child and being called Shirley Temple because of my curls. Another vivid memory is of my grandmother sneaking into the bathroom as I took a bath to patiently and gently help me untangle my hair with half a bottle of conditioner on my head. She worked slowly and consistently so as not to hurt me.

When I was old enough to take care of my own hair, I often didn’t. I remember on one family vacation, I left my hair up in a hair tie for so long without brushing it that when I removed the hair tie my hair stayed in place! My mother immediately took me to a hair salon to cut my hair, but the stylist patiently combed it out over the next few hours. I was, needless to say, more careful after that.

I also had some memorable haircuts, such as when I got bangs in middle school. The hairstylist blow dried them out at the salon, but when I showered and the bangs curled up, it was a different story. I also thought it would be a good idea in college to shave off all of my hair. I donated my hair to an organization called Locks of Love, which makes wigs for kids that have cancer. I actually enjoyed the low maintenance look, and the varying lengths of hair as my hair grew back out, but my mother was less than pleased.

Five years later my hair was long and curly as ever. I decided to let it grow and enjoyed having long hair again. On a trip to visit relatives in Turkey, the hairstylist I visited offered to blow dry my hair straight. I’d never done this before so was intrigued by the possibility of having straight hair, and agreed.  When the three hairstylists were finally done and I looked in the mirror, I hardly recognized myself. What I do remember is that I kept brushing my hair for the rest of the day, as I could never do that with my curly hair. Even though I enjoyed having straight hair and looking completely different, I didn’t feel like myself without my big curls, so going back to them a couple of days later was fine with me.

I did have straight hair envy as a child, but when I finally learned how to take care of my own hair I embraced the curls. I always received compliments on my curls and finally started to agree with them and accept these compliments with gratitude.

I let my hair grow out for several more years and they were as long as they have ever been when I got married in Zanzibar last year. I felt beautiful having long, curly hair with a flower crown on my wedding day.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve moved away from using too many hair products and keep it simple and natural. My go-to conditioner is coconut oil and I use a wide toothed comb to untangle my hair, about once a week. I think that it’s important to be aware of what we are using on our hair and to use natural products rather than chemicals. I also love to incorporate weekly self-care rituals to remind myself to focus on how I feel rather than being overly concerned with how I look. That’s my message: love your curls and love yourself!

 


Christine is a social media manager working with the PuffCuff on all things social. She (finally) loves her naturally curly hair and encouraging others to love themselves as they are too.


1 comment


  • Nishka Nachappa

    Hi!
    You and your curls are beautiful. I’m an Indian girl with curly hair. I have always had a love-hate relationship with my curls. Love because they set me apart from the rest of the crowd and I’ve mostly always received compliments on them. Hate because I cannot always wear my hair out since it’s too short, I do like the glamour of having a straight silky curtain of hair and people have often asked me in the past if I never brush my hair. Now I love my curls completely and don’t wish to have my hair any other way. But I’ve always struggled with growing it longer. Right now I’m at shoulder length but aspire for tailbone length. Over-ambitious you think? Since past one month I’ve managed to deduce a couple of things that help curly hair retain length. Finger detangling, completely ditching combs and brushes, sleeping on satin, shampooing less often, not detangling on dry hair, etc. Do you have any tips to add to this? I know patience is most important for me to remain steady and consistent with my hair regimen. But still when I’m so desperate for longer hair this can be so frustrating. I always finger detangle with coconut oil. Can you please tell me if I’m doing the right things and if there’s really any hope for me? I’m too scared to go to regular salons for trims since I think they’ll comb or brush the hell out of my hair and undo all my efforts.


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Christine Shares Her Curly Hair Journey