Weddingbee Blog

When people with barely-there curls come up to me and sympathize about having naturally curly hair, I get mentally exasperated and internally lose my cool. Maybe this is because annoying junior-high-school boys used to call me “raccoon,” and maybe it’s because my hair gets lampshade-shaped when I try to straighten it, and maybe it’s because I’m terrified of swimming in public because the frizzy, productless result post air dry has a monstrous life of its own.

And after years of struggling with my curls, trying to chemically relax them, and getting more bad haircuts than anyone should ever, ever have to endure (once a stylist cut my entire head of hair dry using only a razor), I’ve come to terms with my hair. It makes it easy to pick me out of a crowd, lends itself well to ginormous hair accessories, and takes a whopping five minutes to do in the mornings.

So after all this hair-induced anguish, I figured it was high time to share my wealth of hard-earned curl knowledge with people who may be cursing their own hair and fighting with a straightener on a daily basis. This post is dedicated to you, my wild-haired friends.

First up, my hair product arsenal. I shampoo my hair maybe once every three days, dump gallons of conditioner in it daily, and never leave the house without my L.A. Looks gel:

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Oh, incredibly inexpensive Mega Mega Hold, how I love thee. Gone are the days of fugly vacation photos when you forgot to pack the hair gel because you can find this in any drugstore, grocery store, anystore, everywhere. It is the only thing that defines my curls and keeps frizz at bay. Two words: OBSESSIVE LOVE.

But you know what? It can feel crunchy. I’m accepting of this (I secretly like it), but I understand it can be a deal-breaker for some people. So for my soft-curl days, I present you Noodle Head and Bumble & Bumble Grooming Creme:

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Pretty self-explanatory. All of these products make me happy. Strong-wind tested, curl approved.

But perhaps the best piece of advice I can give anyone with curly hair is A) find a hairstylist who specializes in curly hair, and B) get a good cut. I get that this is technically two pieces of advice, but coming from someone who recently learned the power of an amazing stylist and chop, I can’t begin to express the importance.

I mean really, do you understand your hair’s curl patterns? Has anyone actually painstakingly gone through your hair, section by section, and literally read the curl types to you as you sit in the chair, caped and shocked by this whole new world of information?

First I was like…and then I was like…

As unique and exotic as curly hair may seem, it’s easy to get sick of. When my hair was long, it was heavy and blah. It would ambush Mr. Jam’s face as we hugged. Alas, I decided to go the PWC (PRE-wedding chop) route, and put my hair-fate in the hands of a curl specialist.

After my hours-long, long-to-short chop, I cried. And no, it wasn’t the sappy “I miss my long hair so much because it was a part of me and I was used to it and now it will take forever to grow out” cry. It was actually an “I can’t believe I lived so long without having an actual style, and oh, how I wish I could go back and chop it sooner” cry.

So, wild-haired pals, whether you rock the long locks or a short ’do, here’s some wedding day curl-spiration. And yes, some of it is so awesome, I almost considered growing my hair back out. Almost.

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Please tell me other people can relate to this perpetual, life-long curl struggle. Or do you hate curly hair because you were forced to get a perm as a a child even though you really wanted the timeless rattail/bowl-cut combo? Do you battle curls with a flat iron or chemicals, and are you freaking out over a curly wedding-day ’do?

And PS: If you see a curly-headed stranger and feel a strong urge to reach out and touch their locks, please refrain. It’s just weird. And it makes that person feel like a puppy.