How I Went From Damaged Curls to Healthy Curls
How it Started
It was September 2018 and I was fresh off of a breakup. I hadn’t had my hair cut let alone trimmed in 7 years! Feeling like my world was crashing in on me, I knew I had to make a change. They say that a woman who is about to change her hair is about to change her life and I was in need of a major shift. So after countless hours of research, I made an appointment to get my first ever ‘deva cut’. I wanted a stylist who was experienced, knew how to cut curly hair and who was going to be the one that was a part of this ‘change’. I had no idea that my life would be altered that day.
I walked into the salon SO NERVOUS. It had only been SEVEN years since my last haircut and everyone was just staring at me. They were either staring because they could sense my hesitations or they were staring because they knew I would walk out of the salon looking like a totally different person. Either way, all eyes were on me and there was no turning back. I was determined to not leave looking or feeling the same. I was determined to cut off the dead ends. Literally.
I sat down and the first thing the stylist said to me was “it looks like you tried to glue your hair onto your scalp”. While some may have found that offensive, I couldn’t help but laugh in agreement because in a roundabout way, that’s exactly what I was trying to do. I had spent 25 years of my life trying to shrink my hair, shrink my visibility, and make myself smaller. I would comb my curls down to the point that they were so stretched and damaged as a result of my attempts to make my hair look more straight. I was terrified of my true hair because I was terrified of my true self. It took a seven year on and off again ‘situationship’ for me to realize that I was playing small in every area of my life, including my hair.
The Transformation
I knew that truly embracing my curls and nurturing them meant that I would be stepping into someone I had been shying away from the entire time. I’d be stepping away from small thinking to big thinking. I’d be stepping away from someone who tried to go unnoticed and unseen into a woman who walks in the room and everyone has to know who she is. I was stepping away from low confidence, low self esteem and stepping into a goddess; who I was truly called to be. I’d be lying all of my insecurities surrounding my hair to rest.
I cut nearly 4 inches off of my hair that day. I left feeling empowered, determined, lighter, and as if I was unlocking a new part of me I hadn’t known before. That was the last day of making myself smaller and the first day of truly embracing my crown. I went from damaged, lifeless, dry curls, to juicy, big, bouncy and healthy curls. While embracing my natural curls may sound trivial, the glow up was from head to soul and truly needed in order to shift how I view myself through my creators lens.
Your hair is your crown. You wear it everyday. It is the conduit to your creator.
How It’s Going
2018
2021
When I walk into a room now, I no longer question why people are staring at me. I acknowledge that it either means they are wondering how I get my hair to “do that” and that they are probably staring because they’re looking at a woman who has turned her insecurities into her power and her story. Having healthy hair is great for the obvious reasons. It’s who we become on the natural hair journey and how we learn to embrace every single part of our makeup that really matters. That whole head to soul glow.
I want this for you. I want you to feel empowered. I want you to feel confident in taking care of your curls. I want you to truly nurture them as you would a ‘crown’ on your head. I want you to feel bold, and embrace the ‘frizzier the better’ mentality. I want your uniqueness on the outside to be a mere reflection of who you’re truly called to be on the inside. It’s taken me 5 years to truly learn how to care for my curls. While it’s an ever-learning process, I do believe there are fundamental principles you need to understand to get started. That’s why I’ve created a checklist to fast track the process for you.
I clue you in on what’s exactly causing more damage to your curls and keeping you from living your best curl life. You can access the guide by clicking below.