Every person that has curly/wavy hair knows the struggle to maintain the curls, and at one point, we all desire to have flawless straight hair.  If you were to tell me in seventh grade that I would take care of my hair and learned to love it; I would have laughed at you.  

Who knew that watching curly hair tutorials would have helped me to appreciate the way I was created? 

 Being the first girl born with curly hair, my mother had no idea how to take care of curly hair since she did not grow up with people with my type of hair. Every day she would wash my hair and put it into braids, not knowing that slowly it was killing my hair and my hair needed moisture. Eventually this would lead me not knowing how to properly wash my hair, as well as damaging my hair with heat. 

 Every time I straightened my hair, in a way, I felt more confident in myself and loved the way it looked better than my curly hair. In middle school, I would look up YouTube videos on how to have straight hair without using heat, and I would ask my friend for any home remedies that I could use. In eighth grade when I moved to a new city, I wanted a fresh start both as a person and my choice of styling my hair. It was during eighth grade when I decided to wear my hair down. The first time I let my hair down for school, who knew that it would be the beginning of me finding my identity not only in Jesus, but to love the way I was made? 

 With the help of my aunt, I looked for products to help with my damaged hair and to get my curls back. She taught me that gel can help with the hair, but of course I did not know how to use it properly, which led to me not touching gel for months. I discovered that oils could help with my hair, but it did nothing for moisture or curl pattern. Desperate for answers, I pulled up YouTube videos again. This time not on straight hair, but on curly hair routines. The number of videos and routines blew my mind, and I realized that I wished I would have learned to appreciate my hair earlier.  

 Another thing I rediscovered but already knew is that most people are insecure about their hair and unfortunately get shamed for having curly hair. But as I was reading and watching about people getting the Deva Cut hairstyle and other hairstyles, I realized people have learned to love their hair again and gain confidence in who they are.  

 After watching videos, I went to the store and looked for products I needed. Leave in conditioner, hair creme, gel and oil are the order which has helped me to take care of my hair. Of course, I didn’t have the perfect hair overnight, or even over months, but I was patient because I was determined to have curly hair again.  

 Taking care of my hair has helped me not only realize that it’s pricey to maintain, but it has helped me to realize that it is never too late for life to change.