It is 5 a.m., and you are in a haze. With half-opened, heavy eyes, you walk into the clutter of your bathroom to refresh your curls. As you grab your hair materials, you notice open jars of gel lying around and empty bottles of conditioner and curl creams scattered all over the floor. It’s now 5:30 a.m., your curls still lack hair nutrients, and you start to think this is a losing battle. However, with the determination to conquer every piece of early-morning frizz and knots, not all hope is lost. With every scrunch and squish you hear from your curls, you start to notice the battle you just fought. With five minutes left, you quickly navigate the last section of your hair with expertise, twisting and curling every strand to perfection. Finally, you sit back, out of breath and overstimulated, but before you can celebrate reviving your curls,frizz waves the white flag. Now, it is time to do the same thing again tomorrow and the day after that in a never-ending cycle.
Curly hair is on the rise as many people have begun to manage and show off their curls, ranging from loose to defined patterns. Everyone with curly hair has different styles and curls patterns, giving each person a unique personality.Through curly hair, people are able to express their individuality more clearly.
“I love [the normalization of curls] because I think it’s like forcing people to express their own individuality … [and to be] more original and true to themselves,” Maggie Hatley (9) said.
Some influencers and TikTokers have embraced the positive aspects of their natural curls. By showing others their curly hair routines, product reviews and techniques to improve their hair, influencers have persuaded their followers to find out whether or not they have curly hair. When people think of someone with defined, curly hair, some may think of a famous TikTok sister group named the “Kalogeras sisters.” “I would say not a specific person [has brought back curly hair], but there’s a lot of people on social media who started embracing it,” Lia Turner (10) said. “I would say the [Kalogeras sisters] and other people and some celebrities [have brought back curly hair].”
Many girls with curly hair had a hair straightening phase because they did not know how to take care of it or felt embarrassed about their hair texture. Excessive usage of heat causes some girls to deal with heat damage. Many people with curly hair know they must be more careful with heat. Many people can describe curly hair as “too poofy” or “too uncontrollable,” leading to some people saying curly hair does not have the same advantages as straight hair.
“When I was younger I was a little embarrassed … because it wasn’t really as tamed as it is now,” Turner said.
Curly hair can be difficult to maintain, with some issues being oily, frizzy and bad hair days. To prevent these issues, curly hair routines have circulated online, containing an extensive list of steps. A con to curly hair, however, could be that curly hair products are usually more expensive to maintain. There is no picture-perfect guide to nourishing curly hair as everyone’s curl style is different, but beautiful at the same time.
“Curly hair can be harder to maintain than straight hair because you never know how it will look after and moving around is not an option,” Turner said.
Having a hair routine is a need for many people as curly hair requires many steps to maintain healthy hair. A curly hair routine can contain products such as leave-in conditioner, cream, gel and mousse. Some people may use more products in their routine and some may have to form their curls. People with straight hair likely wash their hair every day; people with curly hair do not as it can cause dryness in their hair.
“After I get out of the shower, I put in leave-in conditioner — that’s a reviving product — and then I use moisture moose, then I use a gel,” Turner said.
Although curly hair has negative aspects, there are also positive aspects. Curly hair does not need to be brushed as much as straight hair and has many different styling options.
Individuals may receive compliments about how well they maintain their curls and how well their curls look, which can boost self-confidence.
“[Curly hair] definitely boosts [my] confidence when I have [my hair in the natural form],” Hatley said. “It’s nice [that] you don’t have to brush it [as] often.”
Many girls with curls can face a lot of criticism, especially when trying to find a hair routine that works for them. Some girls will take to social media to ask people for advice on how to recover their curly hair. Instead of being supportive, many people try to discourage others from believing they have curly hair. This criticism can confuse curious people or even make them ashamed of their curls.
“I don’t think people should put a name to someone’s hair,” Amirah Alshujaa (10) said. “If someone wants to find whether their hair is curly or not, [it is]up to them [to decide] and not someone else. Just find whatever works for you.”
On social media, there is a term called the “curly hair police,” which refers to people who decide for someone whether or not they have curly hair. Some people dislike the thought of others deciding their hair type.
“I think the curly hair police … just wanna tear down other people,” Turner said. “Some people will have very obviously curly hair. and I think that the curly hair police should just mind their business because it doesn’t really matter that much what they say.”
Some girls prefer to embrace their natural curls. These girls gain a better sense of their curls when receiving compliments from others, which often boosts confidence. “I just love that people are embracing their own natural beauty now,” Hatley said.. “They can wear their hair [naturally] without being ashamed or having to fit a societal standard.
