The risks of blow drying curly hair
So you think blow drying curly hair is safe ? Think again.
There you are. You’ve spent years learning to love your curly hair. And now you do. But you like change, so sometimes you straighten it. The little S.C.B monster, remember ? 😉 So you blow dry it. And then you ask : “Why God.”
So NO. I didn’t hear all the things you’re about to read in the comic in ONE WEEK – I would have either hanged myself or killed someone 😉 – But I did hear them all at some point in my life – and most of them I heard several times.
Here is why blow drying curly hair can sometimes be… dangerous.
Omg I love this!!!! And I love your comics, they’re so funny and relatable. I wish I would’ve found them earlier, they would’ve given me the confidence to keep my long hair! You see, I’m an 18 y.o. guy, and I’m multiracial, and I have hair similar to yours(3c/3b, with a little bit of 4a mixed in). For the past two years, I had grown my hair out and fell in LOVE with my natural hair. I loved the variety of textures, the way it curled, everything. My hair had been shaved my whole life,except for once when I was like 7 and my mom let it grow into a short curly fro, and after skipping a few haircuts two years back, I decided to just let it grow(I’ve also always been against the stigma of guys having long hair). A lot of girls liked it, a lot of my guy friends thought it looked cool, eventually I started to love it myself, and decided to keep growing it. However, like you in this comic, I had haters. A lot of the older men in my family and my boss( who I believe has no right to comment on his employees personal style, unless it is somehow disruptive to the workplace) would ask me about cutting my hair. My sister would constantly tell me how ugly she thought my hair was, and my mom( who I’ll admit wasn’t a hater, she was actually totally fine with me growing my hair out) would always complain about my shed hairs in the bathroom (no matter how much I tried, somehow my shed hairs would always end up in the shower or on the sink. And she always knew they were mine because all my other siblings have looser curls, except for one of my brothers that has a similar curl pattern to mine, but his hair is reddish-blonde, not brown like mine). Unlike you, I was listening to the wrong people, like the older men in my family, my sister, my boss, people who would compare my hair to a Jheri Curl. I wasn’t listening to all my friends who liked it, the girls who loved it, or the women in my family who really loved it( especially the older white women in my family who have thin, straight hair) All this, plus the fact that I got some heat damage after letting my sister straighten it( I think she did it on purpose, lol) lead me to cut it all off into some kind of short, curly fade three months ago. I was Ok with it for the first few weeks, and these same people who seem to dislike my long hair, praised me for “finally cutting it” and “how much more handsome I look”(including my 85 y.o. great-grandfather who, mind you, is blind). After that, I realized that I cut my hair off kinda at the request of others, cause deep down, I liked my long hair, and I wish I would’ve let it grow longer( it almost touched the middle of my chest when it was straight). I especially realized how stupid it was to have listened to others when me and my coworker(who told me I should never grow my hair long again)were talking one day. She was on this one girls Facebook going on about how beautiful her hair was, and when I saw, I yelled at her that my hair would’ve looked like that girl’s if I had let it grow just a few more months! She just looked at me stupid and changed the subject. Anyways, I’m sorry this comment is so long, I didn’t mean to give you my whole life’s story and hair journey, I just wanted you to know that I love your comics, they’re very inspiring, and I will most likely grow my hair out again(or at least neglect to go get it cut lol), but this time around, I’ll remember your comics and say screw it to the haters! This is my head of hair and I have every right to do what I want!
This reminds me of an ex-coworker I had. She was actually really nice, but obviously had some issues with her hair, as she ALWAYS wore a wig. My job started in the late spring/summer and so I wore my hair curly all the time. When fall came around, I decided to straighten it – I usually do because it’s actually worth the effort and also just for a length/health check. She never said anything about my hair before, but the first day I did said “You should wear your hair like that more often”. Then asked me if it “takes a lot of work”, as if the only reason I didn’t straighten my hair is because it takes effort, not that I love my natural hair. She wasn’t malicious, and at first I was taken aback by it, but I realized that unfortunately, a lot of women don’t mean ill intent by saying things like that, but can be projecting and you’re reminding them of the fact that they aren’t secure or brave enough to wear their own natural texture at that time.
I get this all the time. I thought just maybe people didnt like the real me because the real me is my curly hair. It made me feel so bad about myself that I cried and I honestly thought of putting a perm in my hair. This blog has really helped me with accepting myself. Although im still struggling this is helping alot. I always get comments like “oh your hair looks better that way”. Or You look better that way you should keep it straight all the time. I’m like no I can’t you stupid @#%&* i would get heat damage and I wont have hair anymore to straighten How Bout DAHH!! No but seriously it gets irritating and it puts me in a bad state But thank you for this cant say in words how extreamly grateful I am for it.
Hi Kyairra 🙂 Thank you so much for your message. Please stay strong! You and your hair deserve to be free and happy 🙂 It’s a long path I know but you’ll get there by focusing on what matters to you and ONLY you. People will come to simply accept and eventually admire the real you because the real you is STRONG, BEAUTIFUL and PERFECT <3 xxx
Once I straightened my hair so it was looking longer than it is while curly and someone asked me if I cut my hair!! Like they didn’t notice my hair is always curly!?!
people ALWAYS say that to me. I want to tell them to shut up but, I never do. and it was a really nice message you sent out. Even for the younger girls.
Awwww I love all your comics but this one is sweet and reminds me of me and my hubs
Amen! I tend to keep my hair in a bun or clipped up for work (even on the odd days when I straighten it–go figure!), but my lovely man always tells me I should just wear it down (HAHAHHAHAHAHA! Down? “Out and UP all over the place!” I think to myself) because he loves my curls and me just the way I am. Sometimes when I get irritated at him, for whatever random unimportant reason, I remember my last boyfriend who claimed to love my curls, but never missed a chance to tell me I should straighten it more often, that I looked prettier with straight hair, etc etc. (There’s a reason he’s now an EX-.) And then I feel a surge of love and patience for my lovely man–and my hair!