Some girls are born curly, some achieve curly (with the help of curling wands and mousses), and some have curly hair thrust upon them. I always thought my hair was just unruly and troublesome–until I had an Aha! moment and realized that I had naturally curly hair. At that moment, everything suddenly made sense, and I started my curly hair journey.

Read on for a glimpse into my curly hair journey.

Childhood: Before Curly Hair

Even though my parents both had curly hair, I was born with straight locks. I had a few “cowlicks” (stubborn curly pieces) framing my face, but my hair was otherwise straight and shiny. My mom would often cut my hair in a bob with bangs, which was easy to care for. As I grew older, my hair stayed fairly straight…until I became a teenager.

Teenage Hair

In my early teens, my hair changed. It wasn’t like I woke up one morning to a full head of gorgeous curls. Rather, it just got big, unmanageable, and frizzy. Concerned about oily roots, I would use clarifying shampoos that stripped my hair of its natural oils and left it dry and lifeless. I also thought brushing was good for my hair. Surprise- it’s not good for curly hair! The more I brushed it, the bigger and frizzier it got!

When it was wet, my hair had some natural waves, but I didn’t realize it was naturally curly hair. One hairdresser who cut my hair said, “I think you might have curly hair. You should try putting some product in and diffusing it.” So I went home and tried it for a couple months, but ended up with a mess of curly-frizzy hair. Too much work, I thought.

When I was 16, I tried a straight haircut with piecey bangs. At the time it was oh-so-chic, and it gave me a new confidence in my hair. The only downside was that I had to straighten my bangs and blow-dry my hair straight. I’ve never been a fan of high-maintenance hairstyles!

During my teen years, I experimented with full bangs, a side bang, twisting pieces back, and braiding my hair. Most of the time, I was unhappy with how my hair looked and thought of it as “bad hair” because I just didn’t know how to tame it. But everything changed when I discovered the Curly Girl Method.

Discovering the Curly Girl Method

To be honest, my sister discovered the Curly Girl Method before I did. She started experimenting with mousses, gels, and even homemade flaxseed gel. However, I was sure that my hair wasn’t curly. She had a head of golden ringlets as a toddler, while my hair had been stick straight. I stubbornly refused to listen…until one fateful day.

One fine day in the spring of 2016, my brother and mom visited a nearby community college to consider program options. I went along for the day and found myself in the college’s library with time on my hands. Somehow, I gravitated towards the cosmetology section. I picked up two books-

Curly Girl: The Handbook by Lorraine Massey & Michele Bender (this is the new edition)

Curl Talk: Everything You Need to Know to Love and Care for Your Curly, Kinky, Wavy, or Frizzy Hair by Ouidad

A few pages in, I was hooked. Reading the list of signs that you might be a curly girl, I thought, “This is me!” Story after story of girls who hated their hair and learned to love their curls gave me hope. On the drive home, I resolved that I would try the Curly Girl Method for myself. I would be patient, follow all the rules, and hope for the best.

Experimenting + Patience = Progress

When I arrived home, the first thing I did was go straight to my sister and ask to borrow her curly hair products. She’d started the Curly Girl Method a while before and had been nagging me to try it, too. But I’d refused…until now!

The first week, I was completely amazed. Where were all these ringlets and waves coming from? How on earth had I not guessed that I had naturally curly hair? It was one of the best surprises of my life.

When I first started the Curly Girl Method, I experimented with a light hold gel from Marc Anthony. Later, I tried mousses, such as the Herbal Essences Totally Twisted Mousse and Tresemme Flawless Curls Mousse. These mousses provided good definition but left my hair feeling dry.

Later, I started following curly hair blogger Anjana from India. Inspired by her story, I tried some of the products she recommended. Based on her recommendations, I switched from using mousse to using gel. I learned a lot from her articles and how-to videos as well. I still use some of the products she recommends:

The next big leap in my curly hair journey was learning about hair porosity. Because I had low porosity hair, I realized that not all curly hair products would work well for me.

Instead, I would need lightweight products that wouldn’t weigh my hair down. I started following a curly blogger with a similar curl type and porosity (Gabriella of Curly Cailin) and testing out her advice. I found a few new favourite products thanks to her as well:

In the winter of 2018/19, I started rotating a sulfate-free shampoo with the As I Am Coconut Cowash and pairing it with the Tresemme conditioner, gel, and sometimes a curl cream.

However, too many rich products started to weigh my hair down. During a conversation with my great-aunt, who’s an award-winning hairdresser, I realized that I should be shampooing more and co-washing less. She said that using too many rich products without regular cleansing could clog hair follicles and cause long-term hair loss.

Instead, I now use sulfate-free shampoos like the SheaMoisture Curl & Shine Shampoo or the Jason Biotin Shampoo (not CG approved but works well for me). If my hair is looking especially dry, I sometimes co-wash it with the As I Am Cowash.

I Never Dreamed I’d Be a Curly Hair Blogger

When I started blogging about modest fashion in October 2018, I honestly wasn’t planning to write about curly hair. But I was reading, learning, and experimenting way more with curly hair than with fashion. So it was a natural transition when I started blogging about curly hair in January of 2019.

To be honest, sometimes I feel inadequate. I feel like I have so much to learn, and my hair isn’t as picture-perfect as other curly bloggers.

But I remember what it feels like to be clueless about my hair. I remember feeling like I was the only girl in the world who didn’t know how to style her hair. I remember praying that my hair would “turn out right” this wash and wondering what I could be doing wrong.

My hope is that this blog can help you–my beautiful curly friends–learn to love your hair and embrace its God-given beauty. I’m so thankful that He made me a curly girl!

Let’s Chat:

Curly girls, how did you realize that you had curly hair? Or have you learned to love your curls after years of battling them? I’d love to hear about your curly hair journey in the comments.

p.s. Some of the items in this post are affiliate links. I only post about products that I love + think you’ll probably love, too! As an Amazon Associate or affiliate for other programs, I earn from qualifying purchases. When you purchase through my link, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. Thank you SO much for your support!