Christmas came early for me this year because I got to attend the Chicago book launch party for Michelle Breyer’s new book, The Curl Revolution.
In case you aren’t familiar with Michelle Breyer (seriously, where have you been?!), she is the co-founder of NaturallyCurly.com. Words cannot begin to express how much the NaturallyCurly site has helped me.
Michelle Breyer and me
I have fight the power type of curls aka a mix of 4B/4C hair. Today, there are a lot more products, style tutorials, etc. geared towards helping Type 4 curls but it hasn’t always been this way.
When I was a kid, I remember hating my hair in its natural state. I went to a predominantly white school, so needless to say, my hair was yet another way for me to stand out when I wanted nothing more than to fit in with the crowd. I got a relaxer when I was around 13 so my hair would be more “manageable.” That relaxer sure didn’t leave me feeling relaxed!
In fact, quite the opposite. Every time I got a relaxer I had to deal with an irritated scalp. I kept telling myself to, “You have to get used to this, so get it together. ” I had talked myself into thinking the irritation and pain I experienced from the relaxer was like some weird sort of character building exercise.
Obviously, I know better now. Looking back on this decision to get a relaxer makes me laugh because I played sports. My hair still ended up into a weird half straight, half afro type of deal which often left my hair even more difficult to manage than had I just left it in its natural state.
I did this for several years. However, in 2008 I started developing very dark dry scaly patches on my neck and behind my ears. It absolutely freaked me out! I didn’t know what was going on so I went to a dermatologist. She then proceeded to tell me that the relaxer had triggered an eczema flare up. My dermatologist (who also happened to be African American) told me that I needed to go natural or get used to this being a possible side effect from using a relaxer.
I distinctly remember sitting in her office on the verge of tears because I never knew how to do my hair. That was the whole reason why I got the relaxer. I asked my dermatologist what I should do and she told me that I needed to grow out the relaxer and wear protective styles.
I left the dermatologist’s office feeling so incredibly depressed. I didn’t know how to do my own hair. Plus, I was on a budget so going to the shop was not an option. I already knew my hair type would most likely get charged extra. Everything I saw on TV was geared towards white women with straight blond hair or encouraging Black women to get a relaxer. If I was going to do this natural hair thing, I had no choice but to embark on my natural hair journey all by myself.
Little did I realize that I was not alone. NaturallyCurly was one of the first sites I found that provided me with the ability to connect with other curlfriends, find products and styles that would work with my hair type. NaturallyCurly literally introduced me to a whole other world that I NEVER knew existed.
Learning how to do my own hair was definitely a learning curve (heck, I’m still trying!), but at least I had curlfriends that I could share my frustrations and triumphs with in a forum that catered to our needs.
Santa knew exactly what to bring his favorite curlfriend!
NaturallyCurly played a significant role in my natural hair journey so I definitely wanted to express my love for NaturallyCurly at The Curl Revolution Launch Party. As soon as I walked into the party, I was instantly greeted by Michelle and fellow curlfriends. It was so nice seeing that many curlfriends with various curl types in one room!
I got a chance to meet Michelle and express my gratitude for the NaturallyCurly’s site. Michelle was super nice and of course has beautiful curly hair! She was genuinely interested in gaining more feedback for the site and allowed us the opportunity to exchange stories only curly haired girls would understand. During the event Michelle explained to us why she created NaturallyCurly and wrote the Curl Revolution.
As if this event wasn’t already amazing, I was not expecting the amazing goodie bag that they NaturallyCurly gave us. The goodie bag we received was like hitting the jackpot. DevaCurls, Aunt Jackie’s, Ouidad, Curlformers, etc. are go to brands for curlies.
I’m very happy that I got a chance to attend this event. Regardless of what curl pattern you have been blessed with The Curl Revolution book was meant for you.
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