35yoSeeking... perfect curls
Word Count: 495
Two things I love most about myself are my curls and my laugh. Complete strangers often comment that I have THE BEST laugh, which always makes my day. And my hair is basically part of my identity—a statement piece. It’s distinctive—blonde, thick, and crazy-curly, tight ringlets. Thankfully, I genuinely love it!
Growing into my hair has been, and continues to be, a lifelong journey. I just turned 36 years old, and it probably took me about 24 years to START to figure out my hair. I keep my hair a short, bob-length. I tried to grow it out a few different times over the years, thinking the extra weight might relax the curls—but no. It just felt heavy and unwieldy. I get dry, curly cuts, which are crucial but, for some reason, seem to intimidate so many “curly girls.” My first dry cut blew my mind—I loved watching the stylist (still my stylist today!) examine and shape each individual curl. I think that very first cut took about three hours! It kinda changed my life.
As a curly girl, I rarely brush my hair. I’m actually not supposed to brush my hair ever, but sometimes I just can’t help myself. When I do, it’s always just before bed or a shower. I also wash my hair way more often than I should—I find it easier to start over with a blank hair slate than try to refresh my curls. But I make sure to use a shampoo with low or no sulfates and a hydrating conditioner (or a cowash!). I don’t use a towel on my hair EVER. I very recently (like, during quarantine recently), started using the pulsing method. Immediately out of the shower, with my hair dripping wet, I apply product to my hair and bend over the tub (so my wet hair drips toward the drain). With my head flipped upside down, I take both hands to my head for a quick, concentrated, two-pulse scrunch. This results in a satisfying squish sound that lets you know you’re doing it right. I do this for several minutes and make sure to cover my whole head of hair. Then I flip my head back upright and don’t touch my hair again until it’s completely dry (really). If I’m not in a position to have wet hair for four hours, I’ll use a diffuser to help the drying process along. Once dry, I shake my hair out a bit to break up any curl clumps and pump up the volume.
If I’m feeling extra fancy, I’ll take a curling wand to a few of my frizzier curls for some extra “oomph.” An old theatre friend used to call it my “weekend hair” because I only took the time to do it for special occasions like going out on the weekend, ha! So, with a long holiday weekend upon us now, cheers to old friends and long weekends and “weekend hair!”
