Why Is Curly Hair Considered Ugly by Some People?

Why is curly hair considered ugly by some people… It’s a question I never thought I would ask myself. People who know me personally, know that I’m one of the first to tell someone his or her hair looks amazing and tell them more than once.

I am a hair lover! Pink, blond, brown, long, curled, it doesn’t matter. That is why it pains me to see people telling others that their natural hair isn’t something they like and that they find it ugly. It’s distasteful and should not be happening…

So this article is for everyone with curly hair who is afraid that some people might not like it. Be proud. Your curly hair isn’t ugly!

Is curly hair ugly?

Let’s be honest. Curly hair isn’t ugly at all. Curly hair is as beautiful as all the other hair types that people have. I personally don’t have curly hair and am jealous every time I see someone with curly hair walking by because of the fullness and thickness curly hair brings! 

A couple of weeks ago I chatted with a friend of mine who has curly hair but doesn’t feel pretty. I asked her why and she told me that many people compliment her when her hair is straight and that she feels less put together and less comfortable when she picks out clothes that have to go with her curly hair.

Of course, this is crazy cause in a perfect world everyone should be able to enjoy their hairdo and their hair in any way/shape, or form they like!

Now, I didn’t want to jump to any conclusions based on her opinion alone so I asked more people and found that not everyone, but some women do say the same thing as my friend above.

So I want to be clear once and for all: No, curly hair isn’t ugly. It’s a type of hair that lots of people with straight hair are jealous of!

Why do some people (or they themselves) find curly hair ugly?

I think that some of it has to do with society as it is now. Society has (in my opinion) imposed that curly hair is equal to wild and untamed hair whereas straight hair is seen as professional.

This conditioning inside your own head is not easy to undo. Have you ever seen the Princess Diaries movie? When they are trying to make her more beautiful, they straighten her hair! Now, that isn’t the sole reason for people disliking their curly hair, I know that, but it still goes to show that it is normal for people to like natural (not curly) hair.

Now, as I said, it doesn’t only come from movies, I know a particular time in high school when everyone wanted to get straight hair even though not many of us had naturally straight hair at all!

I also want to mention that it could be that it’s just you who doesn’t like your curls. I can imagine you hate it when your curls seem to do their own thing instead of doing exactly what you want.

How to tame your curls?

If the above is the case and you feel like you hate your curls because you can’t tame them, I have good news for you: There are some ways for you to tame your curly hair!

Use a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner

The first thing that you can do is use a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner when you shower. Find a shampoo, particularly for frizzy hair. This will help tame your curls.

Towel dry and be gentle

I know, I know, you want your hair to be dry fast, but rough cotton towels can pull at your hair strands and cause damage to the hair cuticle. This in turn won’t help with you taming your curls. It’s why you should use something like a soft cotton t-shirt to squeeze most of the moisture out of your hair.

Air-dry your hair

If you don’t have an old cotton t-shirt that you can use, you can try to air-dry your hair. Don’t use something like heat styling. This will only damage your hair.

Don’t brush

Seems simple right? Brushing equals frizz, especially for women with curls. Instead, you could choose something along the lines of a wide-toothed comb or just your fingers.

Define your curls

One of the most important steps is to define your curls with a defining gel. Use it on wet hair and scrunch your curls upward. This should help tremendously with making your curly hair less ugly ;).

Protect your hair with a serum

Another thing that you can do is to use a hair serum to create a barrier against humidity. Humidity can really cause your curls to be out of control. Use some hair serum on your wet hair and seal in some moisture to prevent that from happening. 

You can also use hairspray to combat the humidity!

Last but not least

There is something called hair-smoothing cream. This is a cream that you can apply to your dry hair every time that frizz strikes and your curls are out of control!

How to accept my natural curls and why you really should!

Now, here is the most important step! As I said earlier, in a perfect world everyone should be able to enjoy their curly hair as much as he or she wants without anyone saying otherwise.

But we can only dream of such a place, for now, so let’s find some ways to accept your naturally curly hair and be proud of them. Really… They are amazing and I know for sure that most men (and women) are amazed by the amazing curls you have!

How to accept your natural curls and don’t find them ugly anymore

It is clear that some people don’t like their hair or are conditioned to not like their hair. 

Now, beginning to accept your natural hairstyle is easier set than done. It is going to take you being honest to yourself and finding out why you don’t like your naturally curly hair and then doing something about it.

To help you along I want to give you a couple of tips you can use to start liking instead of hating your curly hair.

The ways to accept your curly hair

1. Don’t bother with what other people think and live in the now

This also is easier said than done. Most people only focus on the limitations of their hair and that’s not the way to go about it. One of the key ways to accepting your curly hair is becoming aware of where your hair is in your transition. With this I mean you may be starting with using better products for your curly hair and see some slight differences and benefits in the following weeks. Enjoy that. Celebrate it even though it might not be where you want it to be. Keep busy with finding ways to like your hair!

2. Don’t be afraid to experiment

Experiments with your hair can be done in two ways. The first one is how you wear your hair and the second one is experimenting with products. Learn about what certain products could do with your hair and start experimenting with them.

Maybe you don’t like your hair now but you find a product that makes you go WOW about your hair. You never know until you try!

3. Find your style

Who doesn’t want to have a signature style? I know I want that! Search online for people with the most beautiful curly hair and see how they wear it. You can then start to wear your hair the same way and see if you like it for yourself. This way you might stumble upon a hairstyle you didn’t know existed but you quite like. Problem solved!

4. Don’t obsess over the length of your hair

It’s not a secret that we all obsess over the length of our hair and there is one major reason for it: Shrinkage of the hair. Many girls rock a natural straight hairdo and it looks amazingly long, but with curls that’s different. Coils, kinks, and curls have a tendency to draw up and out and therefore will look less long than their natural straight counterparts.

Try to let this go because it’s a recipe for hating your hair! Your hair is fine at any stage it’s in. Do you want it longer? The only thing you have to do to get there is to make sure your hair is in great shape/health and give it time to grow!

5. Condition, condition, condition

I said it earlier in the article. Making sure your hair is happy and healthy is an important thing to do. In a world where there are lots of things that can ruin your hair, there is one thing that you know will make your hair look better: deep conditioning! Deep conditioning can literally solve all your hair problems! Do you have dry hair, brittle, weak, and/or hair that is breaking? Give it a deep conditioning treatment and your problems melt away!

Conclusion

Again: No, curly hair is not ugly at all! I know that sometimes people can be harsh and tell you otherwise, but you really have to feel in your heart that it just isn’t the case! You have beautiful curly hair and lots of people would die for killer curls!

I hope that I have helped you a little in your journey to loving your hair. I hope that if you read the whole damn thing, started working on it, and made it all better, you sent me an email telling me how great your hair looks! Make a picture as well! I love to see your killer curls :).

Favorite products

It can be challenging to find the right products. There are so many that most of the time it is much trial and error to find the right ones for you. Now, I don’t say that I know exactly what you need… I just want to give you a sneak peek into my favorite products. Hopefully, there is something there for you.

1) L’Oreal Paris Elvive Total Repair 5 Repairing Conditioner – This conditioner is great for damaged hair and is filled with protein and ceramide. It will give you strong, silky, shiny healthy hair.

2) PURA D’OR Original Gold Label Anti-Thinning Biotin Shampoo – The PURA D’OR shampoo is filled with argan oil, nettle extract, red seaweed, and much more to give your hair the best possible treatment (contains no sulfates)

3) Olaplex Hair Perfector No 3 Repairing Treatment – The Olaplex hair perfector treatment gives your hair and your scalp what it deserves.