Alexis Molina

4/9/19

Writing for magazines

Short Article- Trends

Embracing Your Natural Textur

Everyone in 2019 is totally doing their own thing. The hottest trend this spring is definitely

embracing our differences. But seriously though- a lot of times that is easier said than done.

Growing up a curly girl I was made aware at a very young age that my curls made me different.

Curly girls and guys alike can #relate.

Where I attended school not a lot of people had a headful of dark curls like I did. All the

pretty girls had pin straight blonde or light brown hair. Desperate to fit in I begged my mother to

take a flat iron to my mop and literally fry my hair straight. This developed into years and year of

blowouts and burning my scalp, in order to look like everyone else. The older I got the less

fitting in mattered, after a lot of self growth and pep talks in the mirror, I learned to embrace my

natural texture. Finally accepting that this was how my hair grew out of my head and I should

never feel bad about it.

Reviving my curls after years and years of torture was not easy but I soon learned the art of

deep conditioning , a little bit of water and a lot of patience. Today my curl cocktail consist of a

leave in conditioner, hair milk and mouse, though I switch it up depending on the seasons, using

heavier products in the winter and lighter ones in the summer.

Ladies and gentlemen alike have joined in on the fun, reviving their curls after years of neglect.

Online communities of men and women have even emerged, curlies of all different textures and

styles come together to share their unique curl journeys, before and after photos and even
product and care recommendations. Meet some of these curly tops and get some insight into their

journey to self acceptance, along with the products they currently rock:

Olivia Campbell- ‘’ Having natural hair gave me the confidence I didn't have in myself. It

showed me what self-care was. I did use to perm my hair than my mom suggested that I go

natural and ever since I’ve loved it. It helped my hair stronger and longer. When I permed my

hair it never grew and was very thin. It was something I did just to feel accepted among the black

community. I felt like I had to tame my hair. What I love most about natural hair is the different

textures, knowing that there are people who love it ,wear it, are confident and love it. ‘’

Products- Coconut oil, Cantu Curl Pudding and any leave in conditioner.

Elka Martinez- ‘’ My hair Journey has been adventurous to say the least. I started my Locs

on Feb 18, 2017 about two years ago. I had already been on a natural hair journey for quite a

while. Due to playing sports in high school. I made the decision to go natural at the age of 16. I

wore an afro a long time and on Father's Day 2016 I decided to cut the back half off. I was in

college maintaining my natural hair and got tired of it in terms of the up keep. Having to sit

before bed and mess with it, just to be uncertain in the morning became time consuming. I was

looking for a change and started to think about maybe loving my hair. Going through this

process taught me a lot about patience and within that self-love. At first my locs looked like

little coils and honestly sometimes I felt like a little boy. It was deeper than just hair it was my

freedom. The people around me they made ignorant comments instead of asking and becoming

knowledgeable. However I just tried to remember it was my life and my relationship with my

hair. It grows as I grow.

Products- Nothing containing sulfite, aloe, black caster oil, coconut oil
Greg Cruze- ‘’ Being male and Latino I wasn't allowed to have hair longer than a fade for most

of my life. When I wanted to experiment my parents offered no guidance my hair grew to a

bird's nest and instead of help I got ridiculed for it. They would look at people like Billie Joe

Armstrong (the lead singer of Green Day) and other rock stars and say ‘’you can't have hair like

that you're not white sorry.’’All I was trying to do was live my best emo life in peace and

express myself. I ended up needing to steal my sister's hair care products like leave in

conditioner and mouse. I started going to different barbers and gay hair stylist. My father was

Furious that I had trusted anybody but ‘’the Dominicans’’ with my hair and said that the other

places make me look like a ‘’freak’’. Fast forward to 2016 I jumped onto the undercut

bandwagon growing out the top of my head and flat ironing it to look more ‘’white’’. Now three

years and many therapy sessions later I still rock undercuts but only after teaching myself how

to love my hair was I able to use all the same products that I was using but ditch the flat iron to

show off my natural waves and curls.’’

Products- Garnier Fructis leave in conditioner and mouse

Darniece Brown- ‘’ My hair journey is a wild one. I have kinky curly hair with some pieces of

straight hair as well. I used to straighten my hair because I didn't like my curls. I got tired of

having to straighten my hair everyday. It was a lot of work and was damaging to my hair. I

decided to learn how to take care of and style my natural hair. Everyday I learn to love my curls

more, they are part of me help me embrace who I am.’’

Products- Shea Moisture curl enhancing smoothie, deep treatment mask and hair milks.

Convinced? Ready to throw out the flat ior, hair dryer and round brush? Wanna start

embracing your natural curls? Of course curl pattern varies from person to person and a big part

about embracing your natural texture is finding what products work best for your specific curl
type. However if you are ready to make the switch their are a few steps you can take to ounce

back. California based hairdresser, fellow curly girl and curl expert Vinylize Iocano recommend

these 5 tips to bring your curls back to life.

1. Beware of shampoo- ‘’ Curls love moisture and a lot of shampoo’s can dry out

curls especially when done excessively. Also refrain from using shampoo with

sulfate or keratin those products will dry out and relax your curls. If you must

clarify your hair between washes, can do minnie washes solely focused on the

scalp area, or where sweat and product tends to build up. Then you can condition

the entire head. This will reset your curls.’’

2. Stay away from heat- “ Heat can be extremely damaging to curly hair, so it's best

to just stay away from it all together. Embrace wash and go hairstyles, air drying

will not only save you time but it’s better for your curls. If you absolutely must

use a hair dryer use the cool setting and a difuzor attachment. This will distribute

the air evenly throughout the curls and give you that extra volume.’’

3. Chop away the damage- ‘’ Nothing will reset your hair better than completely

removing the damage. That can range from trimming damage ends or even

starting from scratch, of course that is all dependent on the amount of damage. It

seems drastic but it’s true my curls never better then after a fresh cut.’’

4. Deep Condition- ‘’ Deep conditioning is like giving your hair a protein shake, it

allows your curls to soak up all the moisture and goodness. So treat yourself and

your hair you can take an hour or two or you could even do it overnight.’’

5. Water! Water !Water! - ‘’ I can not stress enough how important water is for your

curls. You should be consuming water as well as putting it on your hair. When
 you drink water everything is moisturized, your hair, skin nails ect. Get an empty

spray bottle and fill it with water , use it to spray water in your hair between

washes and just whenever your hair is looking dry. It’ll revive your curls instantly

and may even revive some of your product.’’

This spring join in on the trend that is here to stay. Embrace your natural texture, whatever it

may be. You too might find it to be liberating. Remember that everyone's journey and curls are

different and what may work for others may not work for you and vice versa. If I could go back

I’d tell myself ,‘’No matter what you do your hair will always be curly and that is beautiful. Put

down the straightener and grab some conditioner.’’ As cliche as it may be our differences make

us beautiful and ultimately the uniqueness of curly hair is what makes it so beautiful. Every curly

person is different and not a single curl is the same.