Over the past couple of months I have been slowly trying to embrace my curly hair. For the previous five years or so I enjoyed complete denial about it. I straightened my hair almost exclusively. Having my hair straight was wonderful - It was tidy and easy to maintain. I could run my fingers through my hair without fear that it would explode into a mass of frizz and it was so soft and smooth. After the frustration of wild unmanageable hair for the first 28years of my life it was such a nice change.
My teen years were spent investing in thousands of dollars worth of hair products and trying all sorts of odd techniques to keep my hair in check. At one point I shaved the underside of my head to try and keep the volume down. So you can imagine my relief at having 'normal' hair for the first time in my life.
The reality is though... it wasn't me. I have a little bit of a quirky, unique personality and I think the curls actually suit me better. Perhaps their is some divine order in the universe that matches curls to the personalities that compliment them.
As I have been embracing my uniqueness in other areas of my life it seemed like the right time to rekindle my relationship with my curls. On one of my first 'curly' evenings out, a friend recommended the book Curly Girl. I read the book a couple of weeks ago and it has been a big help. I have learned how to manage the curls so that they are bouncy and fun instead of wild and a little freakish. It is so nice to be able to enjoy them rather than beat them into submission with a flat-iron.
I guess it must be quite a radical change to my appearance because I have been getting a lot of comments. A couple of friends didn't even recognize me at a party on Saturday night. Also, I was at the bank signing some documents for a client of mine and the woman serving me said " WOW! You look nothing like your photo id". She didn't specify whether that was a compliment or not... so I have chosen to assume it was...
