There was a little girl, who had a little curl ...

Last week, I shampooed my hair for the last time and it's because of this book:

I've had a love-hate (mostly hate) relationship with my curly hair ever since my mom had to chase me through the house, comb and "No-More-Tears" detangling spray in hand. Like a lot of other curly girls, all I wanted was straight, manageable, shiny hair. Instead, I had a literal mop of tight curls that defied taming:

Curls everywhere!

I had my share of awful haircuts over the years:

The Mullet

The Bubble

The Triangle

The Barely-There

My mom tried her best to make me see what a gift my curls were. Unfortunately, I didn't listen and dismissed her preference for "fluffy" hair as a mere maternal whim. I bought a flat iron in high school and learned how to blow out my hair. 

From high school ...

... to college — straight hair seemed worth the effort.

I picked up "Curly Girls" at a garage sale this May but didn't read it until I had scheduled a haircut last week. (I'm really bad about this. Last year I had my hair cut once — once! — and I wondered why it was so unmanageable. Duh.) The author, a salon owner in New York, tells curly girls to work with their hair, not against it. 

(This is pretty much what my mom told me 15 years ago.)

According to the book, I have what are called "Botticelli curls" — not as tight as corkscrew curls but more defined than wavy hair. For all types of curly hair, Lauren Massey suggests water and conditioner only, no shampoo, and air-drying your curls after shaping them while they're wet. 

I've kept up this regimen for a few days now and I've never been so consistently pleased with how my hair looks. My curls are defined and sturdy, yet still flexible and frizz-resistant. 

Caring for my curls this way doesn't seem to save more time, but it doesn't take longer than what I used to do. (Before, I was washing my hair about twice a week.) But it's worth it to treat my curls the way they deserve — finally allowing them the freedom to be in their natural shape. 

Curls the way they're meant to be — I knew it on the first day of kindergarten and I know it again now.