From Frizz to Curls

I've always had very unpredictable hair: Hair that wouldn't lay down flat with a silky gloss like my straight-haired friends; hair that would puff up when the near-constant Texas humidity would hang in the air. My one comfort was blow drying it straight. While I never disliked curls, I never thought my hair was curly enough to be pretty; it was just unmanageable, dreadfully unmanageable. Though, when I was just staying around the house, I would let my hair air dry and be horrified with the result. Whenever I was asked, "What one thing would you change about your appearance if you could?" I would answer, "My hair."

My last haircut was a disaster, leaving me feeling like a shorn sheep. I found Gretchen's Got Curl site in the wake of my frustration with my hair and got excited about seeing if my "undecided curly hair" would turn into pretty, manageable curls. Since my hair was already bad from the hair cut, trying this new method couldn't hurt, I reasoned. I promptly removed my shampoo and hairbrush from accessibility (and temptation!), ordered the Curly Girl book, and started with some of the tips from my Curly Girl friends. The second day of my new routine was amazing, my hair really was curly! My mom couldn't get over how nice it looked and was shocked to hear that I wasn't using shampoo, only conditioner. (After seeing my success, my mom has also become a Curly Girl, and she is even more persuasive than I am about encouraging "hiding curlies" out of their denial. :-))

I did have some days where I wondered if having curly hair was worth it. However, encouragement from other Curly Girls and diligence with the method got me through those days. I began to love my hair for its uniqueness, and to thank God for the one area of my appearance I had never been grateful for. Doing my hair has never been so easy, and I love all the fun recipes that the Curly Girl book includes. It has been almost 3 months since I have allowed shampoo to touch my scalp or a hairbrush to frizz out my curls, and the longer I go, the nicer my hair becomes!

My routine is very simple since I'm not one to fuss, and the more I fuss with my hair, the worse it looks. I wash my hair with conditioner every other day, with some exceptions. If I am in the mood to put on gel, I apply a combination of my favorite two gels in small amounts; otherwise, I just scrunch my hair and go about my business. I treat myself to the Brown Sugar Scrub once a week; that always leaves my scalp feeling clean and fresh. Sometimes I apply a Baking Powder Spray to get rid of any build-up from products. I also adore the recipe "Love is in the Hair!" Whenever my hair starts to feel coarse or straw-like, "Love is in the Hair" turns the straw into soft, bouncy curls.

Learning to take care of what God has given me has been such a fun process! I love being a curly girl! I would definitely encourage anyone to give the Curly Girl method a try. The tips are fabulous, and learning to modify it to fit me has been the best thing that has happened to my hair!