Curls around the world: A Journey with a Natural Cleopatra
Hello! My name is Olivia also known as @Cleopatrasfashion! I am originally from Egypt but moved to NYC when I was younger. Today I want to share with you my natural hair journey and what it takes for you to find your natural / curly hair pattern!
I was born with naturally curly hair and as I got older, it was a bit frustrating not knowing what to do with it. During my years in grammar school, my hair was usually pulled back in a bun and I would never do anything else to it. My school was very diverse, and I noticed that the most people would also flat iron their hair, blow dry it straight or add some type of chemical to alter their natural hair.
Once I started high school, puberty hit and that’s when everyone starts caring more about their looks. Back then, sleek, straight shiny hair was the trend…something I didn’t have. At this point, I was already sick of pulling my hair back in a bun every day had to do something different. Of course, I caved and purchased a flat iron, hoping this would solve all of my awkward hair troubles. What actually happened was that I would dread spending 2 hours straightening it every weekend, getting arm cramps, just to have the style last maybe 5 days. To my horror, summer time was the worst because nothing would prevent it from being poufy and frizzy from the humidity. I briefly even considered the chemical treatment to straighten my curls but quickly brought myself back down to earth realizing it just wasn't worth spending so much money to only damage my hair. Your girl was on a budget, so flat iron it was! On days when straightening wasn't an option, I would normally use those colorful blue / green gels that always came in a huge tub for about $5.99 that left your hair so crunchy and hard, it felt like cement.
After the serious struggle in high school, I entered college, and started understanding what it meant to love myself as I am, naturally. I started to encompass self-care as a whole so, working out, eating healthy, knowledge in fashion/style and really taking care of my body. I think this is when my curly hair journey really started as in February 2015.
While in college, I started working for a high-end tech company and was introduced to all these tech gadgets and a blow dryer that had a diffuser attachment. This was a first for me, I didn't know what it was used for and never used it-my poor naïve college self! I realized didn't really know much about curly hair products because every hair type is different and what works for one person might not work for someone else. When I was shopping in Sephora came across curly hair products I was interested in giving a shot, why not? After all, it's all about testing products out and seeing what works for you, right? At first, I was getting the curls but you know my ends weren't so great due to the heat damage I subjected my hair too.
I was eventually introduced to a model who worked for a well know curl product company and it just so happened that they look for curly hair models to get haircuts. As a broke student, you already know I was all over that opportunity! It beat getting a “not so great” haircut every 6-8 months while trying to trim away all of the dead ends and damaged hair myself. That's when I discovered that a curly hair community existed and this opportunity introduced me to more hair products, cutting techniques, as well as different application methods to help your curls to form.
No hair day is perfect, that’s for sure as you can see in some of my photos, but that may be due to weather, amount of product I use, and where I was in my transition period. So, here is my advice, one curly to another: Don’t expect perfection; patience is vital, so don’t convince yourself it will happen overnight. It's all about trial and error, the more you do your hair and understand the product and the ingredients in the products, the better your hair will turn out with time. Some shampoo, and products strip away the natural oils in your hair, so keep your hair well moisturized. Keep an eye out for harmful ingredients like silicones and sulfates, sleep on satin, constant trims, and very little to no heat! I would say it took me almost 2 years to fully transition to my current curly hair so never stop trying! Thank you so much for reading and I wish all of you the very best on your own personal curly girl journey’s!
