8 Things We Don’t Tell You About Curly Hair

Curly hair is either the devil we know or, to those who look upon it enviously, something they only wish they could achieve. But us curly haired folk carry with us the burden of some deep secrets. Here are 8 secrets we don’t tell you or publicise about having curly hair.

1. We don’t brush it

A boyfriend of mine once pulled a face when I told him, but it’s true. If we brush it when it’s dry we end up looking like Monica from Friends when she goes on holiday. I would have liked to have seen my ex’s face then.

2. Not Unless We’ve Washed It… Which Isn’t All That Often

That’s right.

3. Because It Looks Best When Its Greasy

Curls, well, at least my curls, look better as it nears closer and closer to needing a wash. The better it looks, the more dirty, unbrushed and greasy it is. The dirty to curly scale is unreal. And it sucks.

Which Means That Dry Shampoo Is Our Best Friend

I know all girls feel the same way, dry shampoo is a Godsend, but for girls who try to ration how much they wash their hair just to prolong the very few days their hair looks better, dry shampoo is truly a friend indeed.

4. When We Straighten It It’s Back To “Normal” Within A Few Hours

My boss never could quite believe it when I’d tell him that I had spent 30 minutes blowdrying and straightening my hair that morning. “You. Straightened your hair?” he’d stutter incredulously, eying up my unruly mane, “but you look like Julia Roberts with a perm.” Aye. That’s they way it goes with curly hair. You can try and tame the beast but the reality will always be that the beast tames you. Pretty soon you give up on the pipe dream of having lovely sleek, straight hair.

5. Hairdressers don’t always understand us

It’s an age old problem. I bet it even dates back to Neolithic times when the first hairdresser known to mankind picked up his or her first strands and looked at them with a critical eye. I bet curly haired women back then would end up leaving the hairdressers crying about their triangular do just the same way we do now. Some things never change.

6. So When We DO Find That One Demigod Of A Hairdresser…

When we find that one God like creature put amongst us suffering mortals who not only specialises in our unruly messes of a mane, but actually enjoys it and won’t charge you a fortune (curly hair “specialists” will legitimately charge you £70 on a good day to cut your hair), we leave again, crying of course, but feeling like absolute QUEENS.

7. It Is As Unpredictable As The Weather in Glasgow

It will never look the same two days in a row. Some days you wake up and it looks like a dream. Some days you wake up and it looks like a crow’s nest. Some days you wake up and it looks good but then takes a rapid decline and you’ll never know why. This is why we don’t wash it when it’s on the verge of oiling a pan, by the way.

8. It’s A Pain, But Deep Down, It’s All We Have.

Okay, I know I probably just speak for myself. But even if we tell you we hate it and how we wish our hair was more streamlined and silky like yours, deep down we don’t know who or where we would be if we didn’t have that curly demon keeping us on our toes all the time. And let’s face it, when it’s bad, it’s a nightmare, but when it’s good? Well, that’s just the best feeling in the whole damn world.