Growing up, I was always the one girl with the curly hair. Everyone else around me had pin straight hair which seemed effortless. I wanted that type of hair where you didn’t need to put any product in and you could brush it when it was dry. Instead, I was faced with really curly hair. Not the type of hair that had some waves in it; no I have the hair which has tight ringlets. Everyday this curly haired girl would fight with her hair, pulling it back into a ponytail. I would end up looking like a wild child by the end of the day because I would have tons of fly aways at my hairline which I would try to  cover up using a headband .

By the time I hit middle school, I was so over struggling with my hair.  I decided to take charge and not let my hair bring me down. I hated having frizzy hair it made me feel insecure. I went to many different hair dressers and the each had a different idea for making my hair less frizzy, such as drying it with a t-shirt, using a wide tooth comb or flipping my hair upside down while applying product. I tried each new method because I didn’t want my frizzy hair and would do anything to help manage my hair. Then I found a product and method which saved my hair's life. It is called Diva Curl. It has no sulfates to keep the hair smooth. I put in the conditioner after I shower and don’t rinse it out. This changed the way I looked at my hair. Now, I realize that conditioner makes my hair more dense and weighs it down thus preventing it from puffing up, which I always hate. Also, gel helps the curls from bouncing out in their separate ways and keeps the flyaways under control. Unlike all the girls with pin straight hair, I can't brush my hair when it was dry or else it frizzes. So I use a wide tooth comb and only comb it when it is wet. My hair continued to improve but I would always fall asleep with my wet hair and then in the morning my hair would be sticking out in different places. One of the hairdressers suggested I use a spray bottle filled with water and conditioner and spray my hair when I need to style it again. This idea was the best one I have ever tried. My spray bottle goes with me every place I need weather it be a overnight or just when I need to put my hair up for practice.

The wild girl hair had now transformed into the a girl who was confident in her curls and not afraid to show them off. With straight hair in style now, people ask me, “Why don’t you straighten your hair?” Well, problem number one occurs as soon as I straighten my hair, it wants to go back to being curly within an hour. Problem number two, it takes too much time (over an hour). Finally, problem number three, I usually burn myself. Of course there are aspects of straight hair that I envy. Such as the ability to wake up and your hair just needing just to be brushed through and not be tangled the rest of the day. Having the freedom to put my hair up in a ponytail without having to spray it. Having your friends wanting to play with your hair or braid it because your hair looked fun to play with.  These are just some of the pleasures which I don’t get to enjoy. I make these sacrifices daily.
Now that I have been educated in how to deal with curly hair, it has changed everything. I embrace my curls and know it is part of my identity.  Curls make me unique from all the the pin straight hair girls. Learning to embrace my hair has always been a struggle because I want to fit in with everyone else. Accepting my curls has made me more confident in who I am. I am now comfortable wearing my hair down. For everyone with straight hair, appreciate the pleasures you have and for every curly hair girl, I would say, “Embrace the curls.”