In Love with Curls

Feb 9
NabanitaDhar

Acceptance, they say, is a good thing, a great thing in fact. Do you agree?
Acceptance that you are your own person. Acceptance that you are perfect just the way you are. Acceptance that your faults, quirks, are what make you the individual that you are. Unique in your own way. Perfect with your imperfections. Knowing that your fear of math is just as normal as your friend’s fear of languages. Knowing that choosing arts over science doesn’t make you a disappointment. Understanding that you don’t always have to fit in or conform to rules. Believing that it’s perfectly alright to not let official work encroach upon your personal space or time. Realizing that moving on to new ideas and thought processes doesn’t make you any less rooted to your culture. Trusting that criticizing the wrong in your society doesn’t make you a hyperventilating idiot. You know, just basically, being comfortable in your own skin.
Now this acceptance that I speak of doesn’t come easily. No, sir. It takes years and sometimes a life time to reach that peak from where everything seems crystal clear, straightforward. A lot of it has to do with maturity and that comes with experience and age. And this tricky acceptance doesn’t come all at once for every different aspect of your existence. It is fastidious and comes along at different forks of the road during your life’s journey.
Now why am I all of a sudden talking about acceptance? The last few days have brought me one; one that I have been after for a long time and hence the post. Which you ask? Well, it has everything to do with my hair. Yes, my unruly tresses!

Source: Pixabay
Credit: jill111

As far as I can recall silky, straight hair has always been my dream. I would read Rapunzel, watch Disney princesses in the big screen and wish for hair like them. And mind you every princess in the circuit had straight hair. I don’t remember even one with a frizzy head of hair. Thus you can understand how a young girl at an impressionable age, in which I was, could be led to believe that you either have straight hair or bad hair. And since I didn’t have the former, I thought I must obviously have the latter.
Now my hair has always been curly. Always, always. On top of that straightening treatments starting from college, hostel life and now bore-well water in my apartment, have not really made my hair journey an easy one. It has been a strenuous relationship at most.
I don’t remember ever willingly leaving my hair undone. Awkward is how I have always felt with a curly head of hair. With pins and bands I have made every single effort possible to straighten out every last bit of curl.
Honestly, I have always been reluctant to form a rapport with my natural hair. I detested it and made every possible effort to fight it. It was as if I was in love with straight hair but had been forcefully married off to curly hair. But towards the end of 2014, this marriage suddenly began to work out. The kinks in the relationship began to disappear. I began to accept my hair the way it was. I suddenly decided to just let my hair be. So what if it is curly? If anything, it’s wonderful that it’s curly. Maybe the hair fall has made it weak, but I could take care of it. Moreover straight or curly, it’s just hair.
For the first time I feel comfortable and confidant with my curly head of hair. In fact, I have also begun leaving it untied and somehow I feel really good about it. I think in all my life it is only in the past two months that I have had the most fun with my hair. I guess I have accepted the frizz, the curl and have even begun to fall in love with it.
I know it might not seem like a huge acceptance to you but it sure is for me. Inconsequential it might be but still somehow it isn’t. I feel wonderful and that can’t be insignificant, can it?
Acceptance, big or small, is truly a beautiful thing. Trust me!

59 thoughts on “In Love with Curls”

  1. I so hear you on this one Naba! Even though I don't have curly hair, having perfectly straight hair all my life made me crave naturally curly and/or wavy hair. In fact, I had it permed very curly – way too curly (like a poodle!) – when I was in my late teens, possibly early 20's and now looking back, I think I looked awful! The grass is always greener on the other side and we seem to often want something different than what we currently have. Making peace with what we have is surely a sign of acceptance and I am so glad you did so. Way to go! 🙂 <3

  2. No Naba..it is not insignificant at all! I, too was born with curly hair, but, mum cut is often and waved her magical wand, and made i wavy. But, as you were impressed with the straight hair of all the princesses, I too got carried away seeing all the perfectly straightened hair of the silver screen goddesses. I, too went for the blow drying and stuff and spoiled my hair, badly! But, recently, it struck me, that it is my hair, just the way it is, and ought to learn to carry of this wavy hair with élan! SO, I have decided to do away with the blow dryer, and flaunt my wavy hair, which actually softens my features, a lot more than straight hair does! Dont you worry dear. You have company here…:) Have a great (hair) day!

  5. Yea acceptance is truly a beautiful thing and it makes you more grateful no? Lovely post and glad you accepted your curls! 🙂 I for one have always loved curly hair, though mine are boring straight! 😉

  6. Nice one Naba. I have straight hair and always wished for curls, my friend had curly hair and wished for straight hair, the girls at the hair dressers would always laugh at us. Enjoy your curly hair I have learned to love my straight hair.

  7. One thing you wouldn't have to worry about curly hair is the density. People who have straight hair when faced with hairfall problem, soon look like they have lost a lot of it.

    Anyway it's good that you have come to terms with yours 🙂

  8. Really fantastic one!

    The way you started and ended is really commendable. Wish you a great life with your frizzy but wonderful hairs.

  9. Mine was curly too, and one fine day it decided to become wavy 😛 I straightened it, and loved it even more…But secretly wished for my curls back. And now, when it's slowly coming back, I'm happy 😀 Lovely post, Naba. I enjoy reading you!

  10. Acceptance for even the simplest thing, curls, can be so liberating! Lovely , Naba 🙂 I am glad you made peace with yourself and your curls 🙂

  11. I completely know where you're coming from Naba, and I thought your curls were lovely when I met you at the Blogger meet. If you ask me, I would be glad if my hair were curly and magnificent, but it's just frizzy and undecided. I can't leave the house without putting something on it to keep it down, and my latest strategy is to keep cutting it shorter and shorter in an attempt to tame it ;). I really must try this strategy of acceptance that you've mentioned :P. Thanks for putting it down so beautifully, on behalf of all the frizzy haired gals :D.

  14. We women have always battled our hair, it seems. Mine is straight and I wish it was curly, I coloured it from the age of 15 until age 57, at which time I decided life was too short and let it go natural. It gets more compliments now than it ever did before. ☺ Yes, it's good to "be yourself"!

  15. I am so happy that you made your peace with your hair. Acceptance comes from within. Once we truly accept ourselves, everything starts looking and feeling good. Lots of love.

  18. My hair has always been bone straight until I turned 60 – then it got curly ONLY on one side – isn't that weird? It is still curly on one side and straight as ever on the other. I always wanted curly hair so maybe I am getting it slowly LOL

  19. like a poodle? Oh that was funy Ell…come to think of it I did have hair like a poodle while growing up 🙂 But yes as you say acceptance is a great feeling !

  20. Oh wow … Thanks Shilpa..Glad to have you in the same boat, our own wavy/clury club 🙂 True we should carry our hair with elan 🙂

  22. I guess as Ell said above we all dream for what we don't have or perhaps can't have… I guess we should be grateful that we have hair atleast, what say? 🙂

  24. Oh I have so much hair loss Keirthana..but yes it gives the impression that I have so much hair 🙂 Thanks

  26. hehe …well I guess we share a somewhat similar journey..though you have absolutely stunning hair 🙂

    Thanks so much …glad you enjoy reading what I manage to write ! 🙂

  28. Oh I know the troubles with Frizz Aparna..You know I have started to apply some hair oil even after washing my hair, just so it behaves 🙂

    You may try it out !

    Thanks fellow frizzy haired girl 🙂

  30. They say, beauty is about being comfortable in your own skin. It's about knowing and accepting who you are.Glad that you love your curls just as I have made peace with my perpetual bad hair day look 😀

  37. Acceptance does make life easier.It took me years to accept my simply straight hair. Curling, step cuts and rollers, perming them a few times and my lovely thick black hair started falling. I too made peace with my straight hair 🙂

  38. My hair is wavy and frizzy and on bad hair day I tie them so hard that my forehead seems four times its original size. But I have long started loving it for all it's imperfections – frizz, unruly strands, split ends and sometimes crispy like hay. U know what I love girls with curls… like Kangana. I am glad you have made peace with your hair, life is going to be much smoother 🙂

  39. What a topic you've brought up Naba. I can see everyone has hair tales of their own and so do I. I always wished my hair had more 'character', for want of a better word. I mean it's neither straight, nor curly. It's wavy on good days and frizzy on the bad ones!! Making peace is of course the best way to be. I still move between disliking and tolerating it.

  40. Wonderfully said. We know accepting things they way they are make things simple. But it does take a lot of time and effort to get to it.

    Dont we all hate something about us, and then realize it's no big deal actually? 🙂

  41. So you've ironed out your differences with your curls, eh? :p

    I have always loved curls, especially the tight ringlety ones. They give character to your face.

  44. Oh I love Kangana too…she looks so good… And yes you said it sometimes it is certainly crispy like hay..but I've begun to love the hay now 🙂

  45. hehe I'm just realizing I wasn't and I'm not alone 🙂 I hope my acceptance continues for sometime atleast !

  49. I can completely relate to this. I had hair like Sai Baba as a child and was often teased. I too had them straightened when I was much younger but after a few months I felt detached to it. I felt it was just wasn't me. I love my curls now..and tell u what…I think it makes the woman look younger 😉

  51. I always had straight hair but over the years it has become mildly curly. Perhaps repeated coloring has messed with the texture.
    BTW I love your curls.

  52. Oh yes! It took me a while to accept my 'waves' and my 'curves' 🙂 But accept I did and my life is a whole lot easier now. Thank you for this wonderfully warm and heartfelt post. Loved it 🙂 Bests, Sam.

  54. Hi

    Liked this post of yours.
    I have fairly straight hair and i love curls.
    Curls give you a very cute look.
    Enjoy your curls, u r blessed with them.

    Swati

  55. I am with you! I have wavy hair and have always hated it. I used to straighten it daily for about 5-6 years until I got told off by a hairdresser about the damage it was doing to my hair. Since I stopped a couple of years ago, I have grown to appreciate my wavy hair a lot more!

  56. It seems a great acceptance to me. After reading this I can say that I need to accept a lot about myself. This was really inspiring. 🙂

  59. Naba, it does not matter what one is born with, most people will never accept it. But I guess you become 'mature' when you accept whatever you have and are happy with it…
    Another thing, I'm sure your significant other loves your curly tresses 🙂

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