Show me the curl!

[cellososweet]

So, I''ve realized that there are quite a few curlies here on PS. I remember we had a "curly-girl" thread a while ago that was talking about the no ''poo method. I thought it would be nice to have a place where we could all celebrate our curls. My most recent curly pictures are really pictures of my beautiful, geriatric cat JoJo. She is 16 next month. Haha. I love her to bits. I was visiting CA and seeing my parents (where the JoJo lives). I always take a million pictures of her. These ones just happen to show of my hair.

So c''mon girls. Celebrate those curlies.

Show me the curl!

 

[cellososweet]

Here''s another of me and the JoJo

 

[cellososweet]

And if you thought that I wasn''t obsessed with cats, I also have a black cat at home that likes to lick my head to death. This was supposed to be a picture of him, but turned out to be a great picture of my hair.

 

[nycbkgirl]

wow i dreamt of curls like that

...are they natural curls??

 

[cellososweet]

Thanks. Yes, they are all natural and I spent about 15 years blow drying it straight. IDIOT! I just didn''t know how to handle it. I fried it by dying it every color in the sun, using chemical relaxers, flat ironing it everyday. Ugh! Last year I cut it all off (I left about 3 inches of hair on my head and looked like a boy for months). I cut out all the dye, all the relaxer, everything. One year of not blow drying or doing anything chemical and it grew a ridiculous amount. Healthy hair grows fast. Go figure. Haha.

 

[OUpearlgirl]

Mine doesn't get nearly THAT curly... this is how it looks most days I wear it curly. I usually fix the frizzy, ugly curls with a curling iron. It's kinda an awkardly close picture of my face... don't judge!

 

[OUpearlgirl]

But, it used to be soooo much curlier. It''s kind of odd how much straighter my hair has become. Here''s an old picture for reference.

 

[cellososweet]

oohhhh OUpear! So pretty. I love curls like yours where you can go for the "beachy" look if you wanted to or you could blow dry straight without a lot of damage.

So so pretty!

 

[TravelingGal]

OUpeargirl, what great natural curls!

Cello, I can''t believe you tried to straighten THAT awesome gorgeous hair! Whaddaya, nutso?

I''m glad you don''t put relaxers and straighten it anymore...you just look so amazing. My SIL''s mother has a beauty supply shop for african american women and they lengths (no pun intended) they will go through for straight hair. I guess it''s because so many black women have straight hair in the media? It also makes me sad that so many asians get surgery on their eyelids. We''re getting rid of our natural look...what makes us unique. But no one has inner eyefolds anymore.

 

[so cal girl]

Cello and OUpeargirl, I LOVE your curls.

I grew up fighting with mine, until I got to college and just decided to go with them. I think I just got lazy, and straightening them seemed to be too much of a hassle. I also stopped wearing makeup at that point, so I think laziness was definitely a factor

Here is the most recent picture I have of me. It''s of me and my DH holding my sister''s twins. It''s not the clearest pic, but it''ll have to do.

 

[OUpearlgirl]

Cello- I meant to say... I ADORE your curls. They are absolutely beautiful! Your kitties are gorgeous too! Thanks for the compliment, but I''m jealousssssssssss of yours!

So cal girl- I love the hair! I wish mine could get "big" again.. It seems to fall so flat lately. And those beautiful babies!

Thank you TGal for the compliment as well! You are so sweet.

 

[cellososweet]

Yay Socalgirl. I love your curls. Sometimes laziness is a good thing. That''s what got me to put down the flat iron! Your curls are beautiful.

 

[cellososweet]

Date: 7/15/2009 7:02:35 PM
Author: TravelingGal
OUpeargirl, what great natural curls!

Cello, I can''t believe you tried to straighten THAT awesome gorgeous hair! Whaddaya, nutso?

I''m glad you don''t put relaxers and straighten it anymore...you just look so amazing. My SIL''s mother has a beauty supply shop for african american women and they lengths (no pun intended) they will go through for straight hair. I guess it''s because so many black women have straight hair in the media? It also makes me sad that so many asians get surgery on their eyelids. We''re getting rid of our natural look...what makes us unique. But no one has inner eyefolds anymore.

Omg! Don''t even get me started on freakin'' tape, things that look like a wishbone to make a crease, and ssang ka peul surgery (I''m sorry, are you Korean? It''s the double eyelid surgery). UGH! My best friend in high school got it and was so ashamed because she always used to make fun of girls that got it. I remember I was in LA and I saw her at some duk bo sam restaurant. I went up to say hi and she literally hid her face. When I told her to stop, my friend who was with me (bless his wonderfully sensitive heart haha j/k) goes "What the F*** is up with your eyes? Are you high?!"

I have to admit, she looked ridiculous. It wasn''t even well done. She went to some chop-doc in K-town and ended up looking like an anime character. The bottom of her eyelids were always very straight and then he rounded out the top lids too much making her eyes look like half circles. Ugh!

 

[fisherofmengirly]

I adore ringlet curls. You''re some lucky girls here!!

What I have is wavy hair that sometimes will curl for me. It was much curlier when I was little, and now mostly presents itself as frizzy fluff (thank you humidity of the South!!).

I got my hair cut after our wedding and it was the first time I ever had it so short. That was fun!! The curl/wave factor was lots of fun to play with, and it was short enough to straighten in less than 20 minutes, and just barely long enough for a baby ponytail.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Hmm... that came out grainy and doesn''t show the curly parts. Oh well.

I''m actually trying to decide if I want to go back to that short again. I really liked it and I feel like the shorter hair was easier to deal with, and I actually spent time on it, instead of just throwing it into a ponytail like I do now just about every day. I need a haircut *so* bad.

I really like the tighter ringlet curls... so pretty, girls!!

 

[OUpearlgirl]

Fisher, the short hair is super cute! How long is it now?

 

[KimberlyH]

Cello, your curls are the recipient of my envy. I have naturally wavy/curly hair and it''s on the thin side. I love my curls, and desperately wish I had more of them. I would love to have thick, spiral curls like yours! So glad you are embracing them.

 

[D&T]

cello- your curls reminds me of my old roommate''s curls, I lOVED it, I was so envious of her curls and I envy yours

Gorgeous!

 

[sunkist]

Yay for curly threads!!

Cello your curls are beautiful. I love your short cut too! I tried to go short sort of like that once, but I couldn''t get it to style like I imagined.

Oupear, SoCal and Fisher, just beautiful! Waves, curls, they''re all cool. Especially when you can be versatile. My hair is not so versatile. I can''t straighten it myself. So I''m curly everyday.

Here are my curls. I didn''t know how to control mine forever too. I used a million different kinds of gels, mousse, water, everything. But I like them now!

Here it is long.

 

[sunkist]

And I cut it shorter a few months ago. I love it short too!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 7/15/2009 7:19:35 PM
Author: cellososweet

Date: 7/15/2009 7:02:35 PM
Author: TravelingGal
OUpeargirl, what great natural curls!

Cello, I can''t believe you tried to straighten THAT awesome gorgeous hair! Whaddaya, nutso?

I''m glad you don''t put relaxers and straighten it anymore...you just look so amazing. My SIL''s mother has a beauty supply shop for african american women and they lengths (no pun intended) they will go through for straight hair. I guess it''s because so many black women have straight hair in the media? It also makes me sad that so many asians get surgery on their eyelids. We''re getting rid of our natural look...what makes us unique. But no one has inner eyefolds anymore.

Omg! Don''t even get me started on freakin'' tape, things that look like a wishbone to make a crease, and ssang ka peul surgery (I''m sorry, are you Korean? It''s the double eyelid surgery). UGH! My best friend in high school got it and was so ashamed because she always used to make fun of girls that got it. I remember I was in LA and I saw her at some duk bo sam restaurant. I went up to say hi and she literally hid her face. When I told her to stop, my friend who was with me (bless his wonderfully sensitive heart haha j/k) goes ''What the F*** is up with your eyes? Are you high?!''

I have to admit, she looked ridiculous. It wasn''t even well done. She went to some chop-doc in K-town and ended up looking like an anime character. The bottom of her eyelids were always very straight and then he rounded out the top lids too much making her eyes look like half circles. Ugh!

Yup, I''m Korean. I remember your story and that you are married to a Korean, so I figured you know the deal.

My eyes were crooked forever - one eye crease, and not the other. My mom did want me to at least even it out but I told her I could see out of both eyes just fine, thanks. Fortunately, my mom is not a pushy woman. When I went off to college at 17, the other eye crease appeared out of the blue. I am so glad I didn''t get the surgery. For Korean women, it''s like getting braces now...just something everyone does.

 

[wolftress]

Great thread! I am so jealous of all these beautiful curls... the only way I could get curly hair is with a perm.

I''m surprised DF hasn''t popped in with a bad joke about short and curlies yet!

 

[Sabine]

Cello, I love your curls!

Sunkist, I have to say, I love the color on your hair and think it looks great short!

I have that annoying not quite curly but definitely not straight hair. When it''s short I tend to straighten it during the winter, but during the summer I let it curl. But I still don''t really know how to take care of my hair when it''s curly...right now I scrunch it with some anti-frizz stuff and let it air dry, and it looks TERRIBLE until it dries, and sometimes it still falls flat.

Here''s a pic of my from our anniversary the other day.

 

[Sabine]

I was trying to attach a pic of my hair long and curly and of my dh''s curly hair, but it keeps giving me a server error, so I''ll try again later!

 

[Lanie]

Date: 7/15/2009 7:02:35 PM
Author: TravelingGal
OUpeargirl, what great natural curls!

Cello, I can''t believe you tried to straighten THAT awesome gorgeous hair! Whaddaya, nutso?

I''m glad you don''t put relaxers and straighten it anymore...you just look so amazing. My SIL''s mother has a beauty supply shop for african american women and they lengths (no pun intended) they will go through for straight hair. I guess it''s because so many black women have straight hair in the media? It also makes me sad that so many asians get surgery on their eyelids. We''re getting rid of our natural look...what makes us unique. But no one has inner eyefolds anymore.

I have NEVER heard of this! Why do they get surgery on their eyelids? To lift them? Pardon my ignorance...

 

[Jas12]

I''ve never heard of the eye surgery either. I love asian eyes (LOVE) it is so hard for me to understand.

but about those CURLS

.....that i understand

I have *always* wanted curls

I have an old friend with hair like Cellos (beautiful) and she has hazel eyes. I envied those curls/eyes my whole childhood. I am a straight haired blond with blue eyes and apparently she was so envious of me

. We always want what we don''t have....

 

[Sha]

Date: 7/16/2009 8:53:37 AM
Author: Lanie

Date: 7/15/2009 7:02:35 PM
Author: TravelingGal
OUpeargirl, what great natural curls!

Cello, I can't believe you tried to straighten THAT awesome gorgeous hair! Whaddaya, nutso?

I'm glad you don't put relaxers and straighten it anymore...you just look so amazing. My SIL's mother has a beauty supply shop for african american women and they lengths (no pun intended) they will go through for straight hair. I guess it's because so many black women have straight hair in the media? It also makes me sad that so many asians get surgery on their eyelids. We're getting rid of our natural look...what makes us unique. But no one has inner eyefolds anymore.

I have NEVER heard of this! Why do they get surgery on their eyelids? To lift them? Pardon my ignorance...

I think it's because the prevailing beauty aesthetic is that straight hair is better/more beautiful. It's not often said overtly...but think of all the images you see of beautiful women (of alll races) in magazines, on TV, billboards etc - Most of these women have straight hair. So the association tends to be, straight hair = beautiful/good. Curly hair = bad/ugly/frizzy.

It's also largely due to the lingering effects of slavery/racism in the West. For hundreds of years, black people were taught that their looks/culture was inferior to that of whites. To this day, you still have expressions in the black community about 'good hair' (meaning straight hair), and 'bad hair' (meaning tough, curly hair), and a 'nice complexion/nice eyes', which mean 'fair complexion'/'light eyes'. When you add this legacy to all the images of beauty you see out there (straight hair - European features), it's not surprising that many black women will go to extreme lengths to get 'the look'.

A lot of black women also find black hair (which in its natural state is extremely curly), difficult to manage, so that's another reason for straightening (easier to control/more versality). But it can also be very damaging to the hair.

I'm black and have worn my hair natually curly for many years. I'll see if I can find a pic....

 

[cellososweet]

Sunkist!!!! Your hair is beautiful! I know I''ve seen your pictures before, but for some reason I was having a hard time remembering what your hair looks like. It is so beautiful! I like the shorter look too! Is that DH is the picture with you?

Your little one is going to be so lucky that the curly-cue is Mama. My Mum has beautiful polynesian/caucasian hair. Shiny, very very very slightly wavy, grows like a weed. The poor woman was lost on my hair when I was a kid. She had no idea what to do with the curly-cues.

I was telling Dan (DH) that I''m going to be so jealous if we have a girl! DH is Korean and has the softest, shiniest, black hair in the world! Even though I love my hair, it''s not as shiny as I wish it was sometimes. I hope our kiddo gets the shine from him It''ll definitely be some form of curl. You can''t get my hair out of the gene pool in one generation. Haha. I''m so going to encourage my LO to love the ''do!

 

[cellososweet]

Sabine and Fisher! Your hair is so healthy looking!

Sabine, you look so fab by the way! I can''t wait to see your little one.

Fisher, I like the short ''do! I think if I ever grow mine super long, I''ll probably just cut it again. I''m really heavy on top (booooobies) and if I have long hair, it''s like a boob frame and accentuates them in a bad way. I look like ethnic barbie. Haha.

If your hair is frizzing in the humidity, you probably need to add more moisture. When hair is dry (even if it doesn''t feel like it) and there is humidity, your hair will grab any bit of moisture it can. So even though it seems odd, add lots of conditioner and even leave some regular conditioner in your hair if you leave it curly during the summer.

I grew up at the beach in Virginia (for the most part) and boy oh boy, I remember the humidity.

 

[cellososweet]

Oh and about eyelid surgery, just google and you''ll see pictures to see the before and after photos. It''s freakin'' ridiculous and it makes me really angry. Quite a few of my friends have had it done and there hasn''t been one result that I like because it''s not natural looking! I have one friend that looks perma-surprised and it''s so odd, but she got the "desired result." She is seriously the epitome of this generation''s stereotypical LA Korean girl. I love her to pieces, but her eyes mixed with her obsession with expensive handbags, high pitched whining, and little dog are always the butt of a lot of our groups jokes. I''m glad she has a good sense of humor.