I consider myself an OG curly girl since I began my transition in 2009. Throughout my natural hair journey, my hair has changed textures drastically. When I first went natural, I considered my hair to be loosely curly. After the birth of my daughter, my hair texture drastically changed and now is very kinky and considered to be a type 4b-4c. I don’t like to hair type, but some people prefer it. There are so many naturals shown in the media that have beautiful loose curls that would be considered type 3 hair that doesn’t look like mine. There is not a ton of representation for type 4 girls like me, but I don’t let that get to me. I love my hair no matter what “hair type” they constantly show in the media.
Comparison is the thief of joy.
My biggest piece of advice for anyone who is dealing with possible curl envy is do not compare. I will admit that Instagram is flooded with so many gorgeous curly hair girls and I used to always compare my hair to other curly girls, but I had to learn that it was not best for my confidence. It’s important to learn to love yourself and embrace your beauty, flaws and all. Instead, I took the time to learn my hair and what styles, and products work best for me and my curls. Remember, comparison is the thief of joy so as hard as it may be, save yourself and don’t compare.
Following IG Accounts
I choose to stay inspired by so many curly girls on Instagram killing it in the natural hair game. Some of my favorite IG accounts to follow for hair inspiration are ItsDaynaDayne, JD_Winters, KlassyKinks, and Nae2Curly. I also love to follow celebrities for inspiration like Tracee Ellis Ross, Yaya Dacosta, Solange and Jill Scott.
I believe we can conquer hair bias by accepting and loving ourselves. Our hair is an expression of who we are. I believe by learning not to look at hair and automatically compare it will help us overcome hair bias. I don’t feel the need to always ask another curly girl what her hair “type” is even though I get asked that question a lot, and I just say, my hair H for healthy. If we get rid of hair typing altogether, I think the natural hair community would be a better place because sometimes media makes us think that one hair type is “better” over another which is not the case. All curly hair is beautiful, and I am finally starting to see a little bit more representation in the media of all hair types.
