I’m sure that all of my fellow lionesses have a similar love/hate relationship with their untameable tresses as I do with mine.

After years and years of battling the curls, I finally started to embrace them and let my natural hair be wild and free, just as it has always fought so hard to be. Here, I will share with all of you curly goddesses, my top five most crucial hair tips that helped me the most:

1. Stop washing your hair. Not like all together, but definitely cut back. Curly hair is naturally more dry and coarse than other hair types so we have to be gentle with it. I used to commit the hair sin of washing my locks every day, which just dried my hair out more and made my curls more frizzy and less defined. Get your hair used to only being washed once or twice a week. This isn’t gross; it’s way healthier for your hair and it saves sh*t tons of water. (Extra tip: if you go to the gym or do stuff to get sweaty, don’t wash again—try a conditioning rinse instead.)

2. Stop using sulfates. Seriously, I saw the biggest difference in my curls when I started using sulfate free shampoos and conditioners. I noticed my hair not feeling as dry or coarse and my scalp began to seem less greasy between washes. (I love DevaCurl products and Morocco Method products with a passion.)

3. Use styling tools sparingly. I still occasionally like to wear my hair smooth, but I have learned that hair is most susceptible to damage when it is still wet. Let it air dry as much as possible before taking a blow dryer to it. Another thing I have learned in my extensive curly hair research is that using a flat iron can destroy your natural curl pattern so iron sparingly!

4. Get a diffuser. Every curly girl must own a diffuser. And just in case no one knows of the magical powers that diffusers hold, get one and you will see! Any diffuser will do; I’ve never noticed a difference in high and low end diffusers. Always let your hair air dry as long as possible. I usually let my hair dry on its own about 95 percent of the way and just hit it with the diffuser laden hair dryer for the last five percent to help define my curls. And for some reason, my curls always look better when I flip my hair upside down and diffuse from the bottom. Get that volume, girl!

5. Be confident. I used to hate my curls. I would flat iron them to death every single morning and pray that there was no humidity in the air that day. Curly hair is different and unique and if you’ve got it, then you have to learn to work it. Feel confident and powerful in the natural beauty that was gifted to you. Mother Earth knew we were the wild ones!

My dearest curly haired lionesses of the world, we were not born to fit in. No matter how hard we try to smooth our locks and walk in sync with the silky haired mermaid-esque women of the world, we will always have spirals fighting the power and breaking free.

Oh, how I used to long for silky, touchable hair that my boyfriend wouldn’t lose his hands in. Hair that wouldn’t break elastics, and hair that I thought fit the standard of what beauty was. But as I shake my curls free, I am confident in my tresses—as they are a true testament to my wild and carefree spirit. Don’t be afraid because you are different. Allow yourself to be eccentric, natural and to stand out.

Let your locks be free from captivity and to bounce around without a care in the world!

“Her messy hair—a visible attribute of her stubborn spirit. As she shakes it free, she smiles knowing wild is her favorite color.” ~ J. Iron Word

 

 

Relephant Reads:

5 Simple Tips that Keep My Hair Healthy.

Curse You, Straight Haired Women! 

 

 

Author: Emily Cutshaw

Apprentice Editor: Corinne Milentijevic / Editor: Catherine Monkman

Image: Ariana Prestes/Unsplash