CurlyTeen Scene is a column especially for curly teens. Julia Rizzo is a teenager living in Central New York. When not writing, she enjoys acting, reading and snow skiing. She has loved writing as long as she can remember, and plans to pursue a career in English. She hopes her column will provide encouragement and inspire girls to love their curly hair.

A few weeks ago, my friends and I decided to go to our favorite diner, the Eggplant, for breakfast. It was buzzing with people as usual, and we quickly fell into a pleasant conversation as we ordered our food. After our meal, my friend Taylor took down her hair. With a little fluffing, her subdued bun was transformed into a cascade of curly brown hair. Heads turned at the tables around us. When I complimented her on the change, she said, “I like to rock my hair.”

I love that! Taylor is a great example of how curly hair makes a statement of confidence, especially if it’s not beaten into submission with layers of product, a blow dryer, and a barrette. She’s a curly girl in action, with curls everywhere — whether she’s going to a party or going out to breakfast. Taylor embodies Peter Nivio Zarlenga’s quote, “Beauty is being in harmony with what you are.”

While Taylor frequently wears her hair down and natural, I have another friend who often wears her hair in a ponytail. She recently commented that she has a hard time releasing her hair. She’s not alone. A lot curly girls are timid when it comes to rocking their hair. We only venture to wear it down when it’s behaving well, when it’s tame and when it’s frizz free.

I often leave for school in the morning with my hair down. But once it gets a little messed up in class, I don’t hesitate to put it up! Barring bed head, I know I should be more willing to wear my hair down, even when it’s less than perfect.

Unfortunately, people in the hair industry aren’t big fans of this idea. At GetHairapy.com, the website for a line of Sunsilk products, they offer this tip for frizzy hair: “To completely stamp out the frizz, use a flattening iron. It’s the best tool for keeping frizz at bay.”

I think we should keep our curls and our individuality. In a society that’s driven by perfection, let’s let our hair down!

Stay Curly,

Julia

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Email your questions/comments to Julia.