Are you struggling to feel your best when you wear your natural curls? You’re not alone. A recent YouGov survey commissioned by Curlsmith found that almost half of us in the UK (48%) don’t always feel confident about our natural hair type.
Curls are undoubtedly beautiful - they’re bold, springy and voluminous. So, what could be causing this lack of confidence? Beauty editor and curly hair expert Rhiannon Derbyshire interrogates this phenomenon.
Why confidence doesn’t always come naturally when it comes to natural hair
Personally, it took me a long time to feel confident in my 3A curls. From my teens until my mid-twenties, I dried, straightened and then added a loose wave to my hair every single day. I dread to think what else I could’ve achieved during those wasted hours - I could’ve learned a new language or become a concert pianist. At the very least, I could’ve enjoyed more of a lie-in during my sleepy teen years.
Why is this such a common story for those of us with curly hair? It’s something I’ve thought about a lot in my years-long transition to becoming a full-time curly girl. There are countless potential factors, but I think the most common culprits can be boiled down to…
Think of all the people you see on TV, billboards and hair adverts - almost all of them have shiny, bouncy blow-dries. As a shy tween, I just wanted to fit in with everyone else, and feeling any sort of ‘other’ mortified me, so I picked up the straighteners. Afro and coily hair types have even more prejudice to contend with and a worse lack of diversity and representation. As the saying goes, you can’t be what you can’t see, and if you’re not seeing beautiful bouncy curls, you might not feel brave enough to wear them yourself. Thankfully, the tide seems to be turning, with better representation of all the UK’s skin tones and hair types. I now love being ‘the curly one’ in a group of straight-haired friends.
- It can be intimidating to begin with
On day one of my curly hair journey, I felt quite perplexed. There’s so much information out there on how to deal with curls, it can feel a bit like entering a new country with a language you’ve never heard. There are so many new products and styling steps to consider, not to mention the quite strict-sounding rules. And the terms! Plopping, anyone? If you’re already feeling unsure about your curls, being faced with this whole new world of hair maintenance can seem incredibly intimidating - enough to make you give up altogether. Which brings me to…
- Finding your routine can take time
One of the reasons that the curly world can seem so confusing is that every person has totally different hair needs. When I was trying to decipher it all, I struggled reading countless differing opinions, each one insisting that their way was the best. The main piece of advice I give to people who are trying to embrace their curls is that it takes a while to find your groove with it - it’s a bit of a journey. What works for me might not work for you - we all have different hair types, with varying budgets and time constraints, and we may want totally different looks from our curls. You should expect a few hair washes' worth of experimentation before you start to find your ideal routine.
- It can be unpredictable
Curls aren’t always easy to deal with - sometimes you can do everything ‘right’ in your routine, only for it to look ‘wrong’ - or even more confusingly, vice versa. This can be tricky to manage, especially if you work in environments where you have to look a certain more ‘professional’ way. There’s a misconception that curls look messier, so some of us feel pressured to have more sleek, straight hair in these situations. I’d argue that the tide is turning here too, and there’s absolutely a way to wear your curls and still look well-presented and professional - but the bias is still there, even if it’s internal.
- We don’t all have the time or money for trial and error
It took me a long time to find what works best for me - and that’s as a beauty editor who gets given lots of products to test and review. Buying lots of different products is expensive, and worse, a huge waste of money if the products aren’t right for you. The time you spend is a factor too, and it can be stressful opting for a new routine - what if it doesn’t work? What if you don’t look how you want to and then feel rubbish on an important day? Sometimes it feels simpler opting for the safest route, and for some, that is straight hair.
- Brands haven’t always catered to curls
With the world of curly haircare well and truly booming, it’s easy to forget that it’s only very recently that these products have been made available in mainstream shops. A lot of my family have curly hair, and they’ve described having to find specialist stores that sold products for their curls and coils - and it was often more expensive. Thankfully, there are now countless specialist brands, including Curlsmith, that are stocked in high street shops and supermarkets, with legacy brands like L’Oreal Paris and John Frieda following suit with their own curly ranges.
How to improve confidence in your curls
You don’t need an 8-step wash day to have the best-looking curls - in fact, I’d argue that the less you do with curls, the better they look. The key things are to use a great shampoo and conditioner, like the Curlsmith Essential Moisture Cleanser and Conditioner, which provide an extra layer of hydration from the first step. The Curlsmith Leave-In Weightless Air Dry Cream improves softness and smoothness, while the Curlsmith Awestruck Cream provides brilliant hold and definition without crispiness.
- Find the look you feel most comfortable in
We don’t necessarily all want the same thing from our curls - some want pristine, perfectly defined coils. Some prefer volume and texture, with a more lived-in look. Experiment with different versions of these styles to find the look you feel most like yourself in. The road isn’t linear - most of us don’t wake up on day one of wearing our curls and instantly feel confident. It takes time to get used to this new version of you - especially if you’re a long-time straightener.
- Think of the time you save
The argument I always make is that you really do save time down the line when it comes to natural curls and waves. While you might need to spend a bit more initially, after your wash day, your style will generally last for a good few days. I have a 40-minute wash-day routine, including all the styling steps - then I can basically leave it alone for a week. It’s much less maintenance than my previous hour-long daily routine.
- Stop trying to control it
As a reformed control freak, having curly hair has given me the superpower of letting go. When it comes to my hair, I have to go with the flow - which does not come naturally to me. My curls are always going to do whatever they want, be it looking frizzy and bedraggled on special occasions and looking defined and pristine for a day lying on the sofa. Lean into the unpredictability - your curls won’t always look perfect, that’s the beauty of them.
- Appreciate the best bits
One of the best things about having curly hair is the volume it naturally has - volume millions of other people would kill to achieve. I love big hair - I love nothing more than having a big mane to frame my face - it’s when I feel most like myself.
However complex or carefree your relationship is with your hair, I hope this guide helped to shed some light on why some of us struggle with curl confidence. I now wear my curls every day - on the rare occasions I get a blow-dry, I’m quite spooked by the sleek, flat person I see in the mirror. Who is that woman? She’s certainly not me.
