Curl Quest
Senior beauty editor Erin Stovall dishes on her 4C curl quest.
Ive heard it said a few different ways, but it always rings true.
Ask a Black woman about her hair and shell tell you about her life.
My hair journey has been complicated, to say the least.
Over the past three decades, Ive gone from natural torelaxedand back again twice.
Keeping my natural coils in tip-top shape takes timeandeffort.
I wore my natural coils until I turned 12.
During that time,my mom styled my coilsalmost exclusively.
She handled it all: the wash-day tangles, the hours-long deep-conditioning process, the intricate braiding patterns.
My little arms were the ones hurting as I attempted tobraidall on my own.
Suddenly I wanted nothing more than to have the same super straight strands.
They appeared to bemucheasier to manage.
Over the next six years, I happily relaxed every other month and straightened it just about every day.
The heat tool usage alone would have been enough to permanently damage my curl pattern.
The constant relaxing, however, was the fatal blow.
One day, I looked down as I was standing in front of the mirror brushing my hair.
Tears stung my eyes as I stared at my reflection.
The transition was anything but.
For the next few years, I kept my natural hair braided underneath variouswigs and weaves.
But one day, I wastwisting my hairand my coils stretched way,waydown past my shoulders.
had long, luscious, chemical-free coils.
Eight years went by, my career advanced, and overall I was happy with my natural texture.
I started cutting corners and reacquainted myself with theflat iron.
I straightened my curls with wild abandon, more recklessly than ever before.
Months later, a hairstylist shook her head with disappointment as she examined my coils.
They were, once again, completely fried.
She suggested that I relax my hair again, and my eyes widened in shock.
I had sworn off relaxers forever.
Plus, would I be seen as a traitor to the natural hair community?
I put my faith in my stylist and let her go to work.
She used a mild formula that left me with a looser curl pattern, not stick-straight, flat hair.
It seemed like the perfect solution, and I was in love.
Will Igo back to relaxingin the future?
Will I let anyone elses idea of natural influence my decisions again?
