About
This blog started as a conversation between my close friend Di and I in spring 2011. We are both naturalistas struggling with having naturally curly hair in predominantly straight haired Sweden. Being a minority in skin color and hair type poses all kinds of thoughts and turn of events, so I decided it was time to start a blog.
Now keep in mind I'm not a trained hair care professional. And I'm still learning as I go, so the information on this blog may not always be perfect, but it's my perception of things.
I want this blog to be a place of info collected on how to care for curly hair - hair of heritage, hair with African roots.
Since my mother had no clue how to care for my hair growing up; it's been a life long journey, so I hope to pay it forward with this blog. For all the curly haired boys and girls with parents who don't know how to care for their hair. I still see curly haired girls and boys in Sweden that have really bad hair do's and I always wish that I could help along the way.
This blog is all about inspiration and love for curls - love your hair of heritage!
If you look around online and talk to curly girls you realize everyone has their own hair story/journey. This is mine.
Once upon a time...
There was a young girl that wanted to look like everyone else, just like most small children do. Growing up in Sweden that meant having fair skin and long straight hair. Preferably with bangs covering my eyebrows. But being the daughter of a German mother and a South African/Jamaican father made that close to impossible.
Now keep in mind I'm not a trained hair care professional. And I'm still learning as I go, so the information on this blog may not always be perfect, but it's my perception of things.
I want this blog to be a place of info collected on how to care for curly hair - hair of heritage, hair with African roots.
Since my mother had no clue how to care for my hair growing up; it's been a life long journey, so I hope to pay it forward with this blog. For all the curly haired boys and girls with parents who don't know how to care for their hair. I still see curly haired girls and boys in Sweden that have really bad hair do's and I always wish that I could help along the way.
This blog is all about inspiration and love for curls - love your hair of heritage!
My Hair Journey
If you look around online and talk to curly girls you realize everyone has their own hair story/journey. This is mine.
Once upon a time...
There was a young girl that wanted to look like everyone else, just like most small children do. Growing up in Sweden that meant having fair skin and long straight hair. Preferably with bangs covering my eyebrows. But being the daughter of a German mother and a South African/Jamaican father made that close to impossible.
My hair did never hang down the sides of my face like I wished for. Instead my mother would care for it like straight hair, combing it, which resulted in my hair being big and poofy, standing up on my head. Needless to say I looked nothing like my friends.
My mixed heritage resulted in me having soft curly hair that no one in my family knew how to care for. After many hours of tears and pain during which my mother struggled to detangle my hair, I decided I'd had enough. I dreamed of a course that parents of mixed children could attend to learn how to deal with the curly hair.
I was around 13 when I started caring for my own hair more and more, and by the time I was 15 I had figured out that if I wanted my hair to stay in it's natural curl pattern I should not comb it, so I started detangling it in the shower after applying conditioner. At this time I had not products suitable for my hair and tried different brands to find something that wouldn't make my scalp itch and my hair dry.
At age 18 I wanted to look just like all the Afro-American women I saw on TV and got a relaxer. It looked just like straight hair (it really did). But I couldn't figure out how to care for it, and never got it re-done. I ended up letting it grow out, then did the big chop and got braids.
Like most women of African descent I've tried different styles, products and tools on my hair. Listing the things I haven't tried might be easier than listing the things I have... I've never had a weave sewn in or used a wig. I've never had a press 'n' curl. I've never had locs.
So last year, one year post the big chop (I had short hair for a year) I started reading hair blogs... Natural hair blogs that lead me to YouTube clips, that lead me to a whole new world. Hair products, styling tools, natural remedies, do's & don'ts for curly hair, books, more blogs and much more. Not only did I emerse myself in this new world that I had no clue was out there, I also flooded my friend's inbox with almost everything I found. :)
So after 27 years I finally found products that were created for my hair, hair styles that worked on my hair...my hair had never felt that good! After a life time I finally fell in love with my hair.
And of course I wanted to share my love for hair, curly hair with whoever wants to take part. And that's how this blog came about. I hope it will make someone's hair journey a little shorter and less painful than mine!
Want to know more about me?
Read the From Hair to Face - Behind the Blog post!
