I had a relatively idyllic childhood. My memories are mostly happy and contain family and friends and rainbows and butterflies and ice cream.

Until, I work up one morning with curly hair.

It happened just like that, in a cruel trick of puberty and my world was rocked upside down. My parents, both wavy haired themselves, had no idea what to do with me and I suffered years of frizz and tears. I am quite sure than my adolescence would have been entirely different had I simply had a Curly Godmother step in and teach me a few tricks of the trade.

Please, parents, I beg you: Help your curly haired children embrace their curls. Their happiness depends on it. Here are a few tips if you’re just as clueless as my parent were.

1. Do not have them brush their curly hair. Comb when it’s wet and that’s it.
2. Just say no to bangs. Please.
3. Longer is better.
4. Buy them product. One that starts with an O and ends with a D.
5. Get them a good haircut. It really does help.

There is hope. I promise. They won’t always hate their curls. And, even better? They won’t always hate you!

Does anyone else feel like having curly hair is like being in a sorority? I feel an instant bond with curly haired women, knowing that they have probably been on a similar path of curl acceptance. It’s not the easiest journey, as you know. As a member of this curly club, I feel it my duty to pass on what I’ve leaned along the way. We curly girls need to look out for each other!

1.    Stop washing your hair. Well, at least so often. I used to wash everyday and once I started conditioning daily and shampooing once or twice a week, I noticed my curls were… curlier.

2. Invest in a satin pillowcase. This makes such a huge difference in how my hair looks in the morning. I can actually go to bed and wake up without looking like I belong in a horror movie.

3.Use scrunchies. Yes, I feel like I’m back in the 80s, but they really do work so much better than the elastics to which I’ve become accustomed. Just try not to wear them in public.

Image via CurlyNikki.com

4. Cut your hair. I am constantly trying to grow my hair longer, so it seems counter intuitive to cut it, but it always does help. I may lose a bit of length, but I make up for it in quality,

Ouidad NYC Stylist, Ayanna perfecting my tresses!

5. End your shower with a cold water rinse. It’s not the most pleasant thing ever, but it does seem to help my hair take product better (apparently, it closes the cuticle or something.) It also does tend to jump start a morning!

Do YOU have any curly hair tips? Share with a comment!

I wish so many things for my daughter. I hope she finds true love; the real kind, like I have with her father. I hope she becomes a leader, rather than a follower, even when it’s the harder course to choose. I hope that she always knows how very much she is loved. I wish for her a life full of happiness. I could go on all day. I want the world for her.

And, then there are my other hopes…the hair prayers.

• I pray that she never take a scissors to her hair, in an effort to “try” out bangs.

• If her hair becomes curly, I pray that she listens to my sage advice against brushing and in support of product.

• I pray, with all my might, that lice never again infests her glorious locks.

• I pray she never wonders how her naturally chestnut hair would look platinum blond.

• Please, hair Gods, let her resist Sun-In and Lemon juice, unlike her mother.

• I pray that she never forget that she’s chewing gum while falling asleep, resulting in a large chuck of hair needing to be cut out.

• I pray that she appreciates the hair she has been given, instead of longing for the opposite.

And, in the name of our own hair issues, let us all say: Amen.

What are some hair prayers for your curly kids?

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