Open letter to my curls

Most times people criticize you, neglect you, call you unruly or untidy. You are often asked to straighten up or to hide because you can’t be shown the way you truly are.

I’ve often wanted you to be different and this took a lot of energy, products, time and money.

As soon as you showed your true nature, I would do everything I could to stop you because I didn’t feel as pretty anymore. I was sure that we didn’t belong together. I used to hate seeing you in my mirror. People around me used to remind you weren’t welcome.

So how to accept you, get to know you if I couldn’t even stand you ?

Then one day I was told I didn’t need to hide you anymore and thousands of women around the world had decided to get to know their curls. It was a revelation to me… I started to scour the web and found tons of information concerning you and women who have been through the same experiences and who now fully assume you.

Next thing I knew I was chopping off all of my chemically relaxed hair and decided to get to know you better. 13 years later I have no regrets. Even if it isn’t always easy, I know that you are an extension of me and accepting you as you truly are has helped me to accept myself.

I feel free to do whatever I want to, free to learn to love myself and to discover my own style.

Thank you for giving this inner transformation: Learning to love myself just as nature intended and to discover what makes me unique.

Rosine  (curly hair specialist and founder of COHEA)