MAKING LEMONADE 

Throughout my life, my relationship with my hair has gone through relentless ups and downs. As the product of a Filipino mother with stick straight hair and an afro-brazilian father who kept his coily hair cropped so short he may as well have been bald, no one in my household knew how to take care of my 3B curly hair growing up.

 

It was during elementary school that I realized my hair was starkly different from the people around me. My friends all had flowing straight hair that they could brush when dry and style in whatever way they desired. I envied it. The way their hair could be braided with ease, tossed up into a messy bun (and still be cute), or wore down with minimal effort. 

 

I was in a state of denial that my hair was different. I would treat it in the way that my friends would treat their hair. But when I tried to brush my dry hair, it would frizz up into an untameable mass. When I tried to braid it, I would have to tear my hair apart to get through the tangles. And my mom, though she tried so hard, had absolutely no idea how to care for curls. 

 

During fourth grade, I had come up with a solution. It was then that I adopted my infamous hairstyle that would be stuck in my ways for years to come: the bun. 

 

While there is nothing wrong with the bun hairstyle itself, I used it as a shield, if you will. Practically every single day of fourth grade through middle school I wore a bun, because I didn’t like the way my hair looked down. Tying it up into a ball was my only solution so that no one would have to know what it looked like. Anyone who knew me during that period can attest that a bun was my signature look. 

 

By the time high school came around, I had had enough. It was during this time that I set my mind to the goal of figuring out how to care for my hair. I immersed myself into YouTube videos, WikiHows, and blogs to learn everything I could about my hair type. I tried out different methods of hair care, from how often one should wash their hair to products that should be used. 

 

After a long time of experimenting and testing, I’ve settled on a routine that fits me really well (for now). I’ve discovered a lot. Curly hair should only be brushed when wet, or else it can get split ends. It should be washed (shampooed and conditioned) much less frequently than straight hair, typically only once a week. Leave-in conditioner must be used to define the curls and prevent frizz. These are just a few examples of adjustments I’ve made along the way. 

 

Now, my hair has grown to become one of my favorite parts about myself, because we have gone through a lot together. I still wear buns often, but that’s just because I’m too lazy to put in the effort to make it look nice. But I take care of my hair properly, and I am always keeping myself up-to-date with new products or tricks to make it even better. It’s a big source of positivity for me—trying new things with it is exciting and entertaining. While my hair is far from perfect, it’s something I now love!