To the girl with the crazy curly hair,

You have probably spent a large chunk of your life hating your hair. I know I did. I wasn't born with curly hair but by middle school my hair had a life of its own. It's taken till I'm 20-years-old to love my hair. It is still a struggle and a messy bun frequents my atheistic but I love my hair.

When you wear your hair naturally you probably have people touching your hair and commenting on how "big and puffy" it is. My eyes roll just thinking of it. These comments probably leave you self-conscious, I know it made me self-conscious too. For me these two things never made me feel good about my hair. Shortly after that awkward encounter would end I would tie my frizz into a knot on my head. Remember in these encounters the hair-commenter just doesn't have the appropriate vocabulary to compliment your hair. Big, curly hair is beautiful and don't let anyone make you feel otherwise.

Like me, you too probably have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to hairstyles and tips that will never work on your mane. From "no heat curls" to "17 Back-to-School Hairstyles to make mornings a breeze" they don't work. While the likely-hood of it radically changing your hair routine is slim, try it any way you could love it. One thing every girl with crazy curly hair must do is try new things. There will be epic fails and there will be triumphs but one day you will find what's right for you. One thing I learned is I needed to be willing to try anything, not washing my hair every day, products geared toward different ethnicities, or a nightly routine.

You at some point have probably wished you had straight hair, straighten it daily, or consider getting your hair chemically straightened. I spent a decade wishing my hair was different. In middle school, I'd spend hours each week straightening my hair. I wish I had instead been trying things to help me embrace my curls rather than squashing them. I still have some curly-haired sisters that are wishing for straight hair. Whether you choose curls of straight hair, I want to encourage you to love your hair, don't consistently damage your curls. Daily heat will leave your hair frizzy when worn curly or straight.

The next time you contemplate shaving your head while brushing/combing remember I too know the struggle is real. Don't let hair-commentators get you down, try everything,and be kind to your curls. Most importantly your hair is beautiful and so are you.

Sincerely,

A crazy-curly-haired friend.

p.s Miss Jessie's MultiCultural Curls is the best thing I have ever found for my curls, check it out!