Coming from a big Greek Cypriot family, It was inevitable I’d end up with curly hair. Growing up, my straight-haired mother had no idea how to manage my hair, nor did she try. She brushed it into different styles each day, the curls disappearing. An aunt told five year old me I was to brush my hair 100 times a day, the advice I’m still resentful for.
I recall at the end of each school day, I’d have what looked like a halo of frizz surrounding my head. I thought this was normal. Sometimes I’d wet my hands and smooth it down, not realising I was only making it worse. This went on until my teenage years.
Throughout secondary school, my hair would be in a tight bun. When I did wash my hair the curls were amazing, so glossy and healthy. What I didn’t realise at the time was the daily up-dos were acting as protective styles, keeping my hair at its best.
One day after waking up with perfectly formed curls, I decided it was the day to go into school with my hair down. For the most part, the other kids were like “wow you have curly hair”. Halfway through the day two girls walked up to me, looked at my hair, laughed and walked off, Mean Girls style. That was it, my hair went up into a bun straight away.
My late teens were around the time social media popped up. I started meeting new friends, most of them mixed race with beautiful curls. They encouraged me to embrace natural hair. Slowly I let my guard down and in turn my hair.
Years went by! I started to see my straight-haired friends try and imitate my hair with cheap mousse. I started to feel grateful that I had what they wanted. They’d often make statements like “You’re so lucky, I’d love to have curly hair. I bet you’d love straight hair”. That is a statement I’ve heard A LOT over the years! I responded “No actually I wouldn’t I love my hair”.
Fast forward to today. I can’t help but notice every advert has a curly-haired girl. Girls that straightened their hair for years are now trying to reverse the heat damage. The market for curl specific products has blown. Specialist salons have popped up. In the UK, there are dedicated shelves in stores for Curly/Afro products. Shelves which really should have been there from the start.
Everywhere I go I’m described as “the girl with curly hair”, asked if I have a perm — a compliment if you ask me. No one can tell me curly hair is unprofessional. I’m grateful to be part of a community. A community that embraces their hair as part of their identity, which is exactly what it has become for me.
