Curly Hair always seems like the public’s favorite thing to touch and gawk at, even going as far as saying “people are so lucky to have curly hair.” Yes curly hair is amazing, but learning how to style and take care of it with little to no help, that isn’t ‘lucky.’

“It was a lot during my elementary school, because my mom didn’t know how to take care of my hair,” Sophomore Marissa Scott said. “Yet, I braid my own hair. I did my own protective styles, and she didn’t know how to do that, so I was just really going through it.”

For those who aren’t familiar with curly hair, it is very very finicky. In the sense that it doesn’t react the same way to products as straight or wavy hair. Bleaching hair over and over, breaking, splitting, destroying hair will happen regardless , but only with curly hair does it start to change hair type.

“Bleach loosens it, especially if you bleach your hair,” Scott said. “Sometimes, if you over bleach your hair, it’ll straighten it and it won’t curl back up. A couple times I’ve had to do a couple big chops to get rid of the breakage, like four inches maybe, and with shrinkage. That seems like eight.

For Scott, a ‘big’ chop wasn’t enough to get rid of the lasting effect of her relaxer – which is a straightening perm. It led Scott to having to resort to shaving her hair, leaving her bald. 

“Because, curly hair is so hard to take care of and you had to do all this but like when you’re bald you just wake up and go,” Scott said.

Waking up and not having to take hours to style curly hair is only one of the pluses with being bald.  Product after product, styling after styling, for people with curly hair there is no end.

“So on my wash day, you know, like the Wet (hair) Brush, I use that to detangle my hair, to separate the curls,” Scott said. “And it’s like an hour and a half event, and then I have to diffuse– It is worth it. You know, like plopping, with the cotton T-shirts. I do that to dry it, because you don’t have time to diffuse your hair all the time.”

Plopping is a specific method people with curly hair use to dry their hair. Instead of wrapping them up with a towel, they wrap it with a cotton t-shirt to prevent their hair from drying from the towel. It allows a more easier and managelable way to air dry hair. Some people use microfiber towels as opposed to plopping, it all depends on personal preference.

No matter how long someone has had curly hair, it seems like there is always something new to learn. Especially since there are so many different types of curly hair. Going all the way from 3A to 4c. Not to mention the textures and the different levels of porosity. Learning what hair type curly hair is a challenge in itself, not to mention what products and styling tools to use. 

“I use castor oil andorgan oil,” Scott said. “I use those types of oils mostly. I usethe head and shoulders, but before you braid your hair, you have to do an in depth wash and deep conditioner. I leave that thing on for like, an hour. Then a double cleanse, and then I make sure my hair is really conditioned, and then I have to blow dry it completely, and I pre part my hair. I sometimes put rosemary in it because when your hair isn’t a protective style, it’s the best way to grow your hair because when you manipulate your curly hair too much, you’ll get breakage. So I like to grow my hair.”

Despite all the struggles, products, and styling that curly hair comes with, it’s still worth it.

“Embrace it,” Scott said. “I feel like we should stop running from our own curly hair. I know it’s a lot of work, and you know, a lot of people don’t like their curly hair because they think it makes them look bigger or draws more attention to them. But I feel like it’s beautiful. Just embrace it, like it’s what you were born with. I mean, I think everybody is beautiful”