Goodbye Curly Hair Community

IndiaBatson: Please comment below this what youtube content you would like to see next from me that is hair related! ie. "easy and not frizz free hair routine " "critiquing curly campaigns that were not inclusive" etc. how can i be the change you want to see?

Joss's Fragrance Mixology: The irony of perfection in the curly hair community is really sad to me when curls are really all about fun and a little bit of chaos (which is the opposite of perfection)

Sarah Callaway: I got thrown out of a CGM Facebook group for asking if there were any CGM friendly heat defense sprays because I needed to hear style my hair for a one off event (hadn't heat styled in a year before then). I also saw people accusing a woman of being an abusive mother because she straightened her daughter's hair for a dance show. Another thing was that most of the products people were pushing were waaaay beyond my budget (£30+ per bottle, I can only afford <£10) and the ones that I did manage to try were crap and definitely not good on my specific hair texture. All in all, I got so completely sick of the intensity and unfriendliness of the community. There was zero acceptance at all. I also got sick of trying to drag out my wash days to a point where I was probably smelly and gross looking but thought I was just 'in transition'. No girl, you just need to wash your hair every 3 days and cannot go any longer than that ‍♀️

Gray Mermaid: WAVE SHAMING! Waves are not failed curls! Sis, if you have perfectly defined curls please do not tell those of us with loose waves that we have straight hair! For my coily haired friends, I am sorry if being on the other end of the spectrum from me that you have also felt that your hair should be something more or different. We are both JUST RIGHT!

Saira Trehan: I love how realistic and honest this was. Not every day is a perfect hair day for me and sometimes I want to straighten my hair just to take a break for a little while

Cheryl Peter: My biggest complaint with the CG method is the sheer amount of time it takes to do it “right”. I don’t want to spend that much time on my hair - I’ve got better things to do!

daisy ._.: It’s kinda ridiculous how toxic the curly hair community can be-

carramaus: The day I was accused of “racial appropriation” for wearing my hair as it grows out of my head is the day I abandoned the curly community.

Maritime Bujo: Yessss to all of this! The gatekeeping in the curly community drives me crazy. About 5 years ago I started the CGM to heal my very heat-and-color-damaged hair. And it was amazing and brought back the amazing curls I have today. But the STRICTNESS, omg. I learned a lot about how to care for my hair, but the community was definitely NOT for me. I straighten my hair probably once every few months because it's so low maintenance for me. And you'd think I killed someone based on some peoples reactions LOL. At the end of the day, it's just hair. There are far bigger issues in the world than someone using heat or silicones haha

Sydney Jane: My initial curly hair journey was fun, but now definitely I’m seeing myself being very critical of my hair. Like to how we become critical of our bodies and our weight, I am now self conscious of my hair. It was fun and exciting and gratifying to begin with but now it’s an everyday struggle to have ‘perfect’ hair. Trying to make it curlier, coiler, consistent, when all your hair really wants to do is be hair. Like when did it stop being ok to have frizz and your hair messed up in the wind, in bed at night etc

Amy Galvin: Being a cosmetologist and in chemistry,you absolutely don’t need to spend any more than $10 tops for a great shampoo. Also, salon quality and drugstore quality can be comparable. Most are from the same parent companies and ingredients don’t vary that much. Spend your money on a talented stylist that understands your hair texture and shop for products based on performance and ingredients, not prestigious labels and hype.

Cristina Q: I feel like more wavy haired woman are constantly told they “don’t have curly hair”, like if your hair isn’t curly enough you can’t claim it/sit with us. It’s dumb. Sick of it myself

Ana Belen A: The cool thing about having curly hair is that is very different from person to person, even depending on the day. We should stop comparing because there's no right or wrong. Peace people!

Heidi Werner: I"m definitely frustrated with the LACK of guidance for those of us with more wavy hair. I have a few ringlets in the front and the rest is loose wave. like you said, everything emphasises perfection of 3 and 4 type curls. I've decided to let my hair be what it wants lol. I won't use flat iron any more and will get "curly cuts" but as for the rest of it. I just want happy hair again.

Isabella Demarko: Amen, I felt the exact same.

Faith Elizabeth: I just want to say thank you for being a representative of the wavy community. Several years ago, when I decided to embrace my waves - all I could find was girls with very curly hair. It wasn’t until I found you that I felt like I had someone to turn to with tips and products that would actually work for my hair. Much love. ❤️

Chayce V: Damn, I’m glad somebody said it. I started my curly journey two years ago and despite my hair being the curliest it’s ever been (thanks to proper love & care) I still feel like it’s not good enough. It’s not till I look back at old photos that I’m absolutely blown away at how far my hair is come. The standards in the curly community are definitely feel impossible to reach.

Nerm: YES “never wash more than once a week” I work out HARD six days a week I swear profusely from my head/hair I am NOT trying to live with filthy hair for a week just because I’m a wavy girl

MamaCass: Frizzy waves should not be the “ugly” before picture of every hair transformation illustration for example- advertisements for keratin treatments. Funky waves are beautiful too.

Eliza Martinez: An experience: I was walking around a mall (I had my hair natural, no products) and this guy that was selling straighteners asks me if he can straighten my hair so I could buy his product. I was thinking, I straightened my hair last week and I wanted to space it out, so I said no. He was super persistent and his response was “you don’t want to have soft, shiny, smooth, beautiful hair?” I love my hair the way it is and I don’t like that most people think that our frizzy, voluminous hair isn’t beautiful— because it is. I love that we could switch it up and keep it fun! Straightening our hair, letting it go natural, or have some major definition and clumps in our curls

Suzy D: I just want to say that curls do change over the life span depending on age and hormones and no one ever talks about that. My hair used to be spiral curls in my 20s and after having kids and numerous keratin treatments (stupid I know) it is now mixed from spiral to waves but I have learned to love it and stop abusing it!

Anna Bland: I’ve definitely struggled with feeling like my wavy hair wasn’t curly enough and like I had to apologize if I called it curly (I have loose spirals on wash day and it stretches out after that). Also, I think because I watched so many YouTube curlies doing product reviews and wash days, I felt like there was a magical perfect product combo out there and if I just tried enough different products, I’d find the mythical unicorn that was perfect for me. (Same with styling techniques). In reality, I ended up with a large basket of products that genuinely give pretty similar, decent results. I have stripped my routine to bare bones, chopped my hair to a cute curly bob, and I’m slowly working my way through the products I’ve purchased. Thankfully, none of them ever broke the bank, but I don’t love having so much to store and manage. I have perfectly good hair days since my chop with a leave in conditioner, quick brush to smooth, and a microfiber towel scrunch and go. It really is just hair and doesn’t need to take as much work and mental energy and money/products as many curly YouTubers seem to suggest.

Elen Shirley: I’ve gotten really tired of the “ritual” of it all, if that makes sense. So many curly hair content creators preach that you have to brush your hair this specific way and diffuse that specific way and apply your products in this exact order using that exact method or your curls won’t look good. It took me a long time to realize that there is no one size fits all curl routine. Just because it works for someone else doesn’t mean it will work for you. You have to play around and figure out what works for YOUR curls.

Laura: Thank you for this video! First of all, waves are curls. PERIOD. There are 3 types of curls: waves, spirals and coils. It's just that we call spirals curls, so people feel the need to correct us, when we call our waves curls lol I am a wavy girl too and I have never in my life felt my hair was not good enough until I crossed the curly community on social media. I have always been told by others that I have beautiful hair, even though I have a lot of frizz, my waves are not super defined, my texture is uneven, my hair is medium thickness and so on. All the things curly girls would shit on you for, people outside irl with different textures find appealing and beautiful. I am from Croatia btw and I think a lot of wavy and curly girls in europe do have such experiences. The first time I heard somebody straightened their 2a/2b waves everyday I was shook as in my brain it did not make sense. I only had my hair curled before a few times for a wedding, my confirmation and a small number of events and that was it and NEVER straightened before high school. Even now when I do straighten it I do it with a healthy mindset. I have to say though there is a commercial, which did traumatize me a bit in my childhood in the early 2000s. It was for Schwarzkopf Glisskur something and it had a woman with 3a/3b curls, which were so sleek and shiny you knew it was not real and then her hair transformed into shiny, sleek and straight hair. The product was a straightening product (but it's nothing like a chemical relaxer) and it made me feel so inadequate as her hair was already perfect by today's curly standards yet it was not straight, so it was supposed to look bad lol I did not realize it back then, but I think the seed of hating my frizz was planted right then and there even though I started to notice these things much later on in my life. I am happy with my hair without the curly hair method. I just follow advice from trichologists as this is their specialty. Dry or oily hair does not mean it's not healthy, the same as frizzy or sleek doesn't tell you anything about the hairs health if it's natural ofc. Damage from dying etc is something else

MC: I love this! You look so gorgeous here btw. I have ruined my hair in the last three months and cried alot trying to do all the right "curly girl" things. Last year I had a basic routine and my hair looked the best it had ever been! Gonna go back to the basics and hope my hair grows. Fingers crossed.

Alexa: I relate SO MUCH! During the pandemic I started to learn about my hair and how to style it, so I started doing research on the curly method and trying to find people with my similar texture, I realized how hard it was to try and maintain those curls because girl... the number of resources and time it took to get my curls and to keep them all day was too much, so I stopped following the rules and made a wavy hair routine that workers and suited my hair because it's fine and a mix of wavy in the top and soo straight in the bottom. Sometimes when you follow the rules you tend to compare yourself with the one who is doing a tutorial and you feel frustrated for not having the results, but we have to remember sisters that our hair is unique and beautiful

SharonBurgosRealtor: I'm a fluffy hair girl, too! I describe it as "cotton candy hair". My biggest frustration with CGM has been that pursuit of perfection and zero frizz. My hair will NEVER be frizz-free no matter what I do. The closest I came to that was after keratin treatment. Thank you for giving us permission to have fluffy, frizzy hair days and not feel like a failure.

Megan Emond: I followed the CGM religiously for about a year and I became so invested in it that if I had a “bad curl day” it would shift my whole mood down and i’d feel ugly. My hair is wavy/curly like yours and I was always trying so hard to make it curlier but not lose the volume… it became too much. Too much time, too much money and too much mentally. I shaved it all off and now 3 years later I use a normal rough towel and let it hair dry

Jodie Hawkes: This is so relatable. I’ve got 2B hair (with a bit of 2C) and it’s so frustrating when people say “wavy hair isn’t curly stop pretending your hair is curly!” Like I’m sorry??? My hair isn’t 3b/c but it’s not straight?? It’s not like you can force straight hair to be curly? Why is there a level of curl that you must reach in order to be “approved”. And it’s quite annoying because my hair might not be extremely curly but it’s still quite curly - I don’t have perfect tight ringlets but I still have lil coils?

Stephanie Medeiros: I have wavy curly hair too and it blows my mind how people are so controlling over something like hair type. WHO CARES lol. I’ve been learning to love my messy hair more often as a mom too. Also, CGM is totally unrealistic for busy people to maintain daily.

Estelle Bayer: i started liking my hair sooo much more when i started taking things from "straight" hair care that worked for me (like... shampooing! multiple times a week! and brushing my hair out when it gets too stringy) but keeping the curly advice that did work for me (use more conditioner! scrunch hair rather than rubbing at it! style wet or damp! don't be afraid of gel+cream+mousse, sometimes all at once)

Kita: Your hair sometimes seems like an impossible goal to reach for me. BUT that’s my fault for putting that standard for myself. Nevertheless, thanks for showing us your hair like this! So important!

Katherine S.: I'm so glad you did this! It's like we formed a community to get away from rigid expectations we couldn't or didn't want to meet (straight hair)... only to create our own.

Under The Turtle Shell: As a 54 year old woman with curly hair, I can say that I have been through it all with my hair and there is no PERFECT combination. Throughout the years I have had different lengths and styles and different hairdressers.... some gave me fabulous cuts with curls and others without.... some have really worked for me during that time in my life, others no so much. But in the end, it's JUST HAIR! It will grow back and I can always try again!

Deidra Connor: When I first started my CG journey, the curl community was already big but still growing. Devacurl and Shea Moisture was everyone's 'go to' curl products. We had wonderful curly girls to look to like you and Spisha and Allyson and Felicia and Bianca and Penny. But after a while the products we knew and loved were bought out by big corp and formulas were changed and products no longer worked or worse, caused damage. Then on top of it, more and more influencers jumped on the wagon paid by these big corp to do nothing but push their products. So instead of a community encouraging the curly girls to love and accept their natural texture (frizz and all), we had a sea of voices hawking products in search of the perfect curl. (Which doesn't exist.) Your video is refreshing and long over due. The curly movement was and has always been about accepting our texture, be it wavy, curly, kinky, fine, or coarse. All hair is beautiful. Lets get back to that! #embracethefrizz #lovethefluff #indiarocks

Allie Bat 🦇🖤: Im not a part of any community. My hair is wavy, and I’m going to use curly hair products to define them too, because it works for me. I don’t have to explain myself to anyone.

Oriana Recoba: I finally found a routine that works for my waves after 2 years of trying the curly girl method on and off, and even now there’s some days I rather straighten my hair because my waves will only look good for 1-2 days and then it’s just stringy, flat and frizzy. So with that being said it would be nice if we stop critiquing people for wanting to wear their hair straight just because it’s more manageable. Loved this video India!

Alissa Horan: Your hair is always beautiful. As a 3b curly, my thing is being accused of manipulating my hair a lot or spending a lot of time on it for it to look like this way. I’ve been accused of using rods, had to google that one. Nah sis. Stopping the cgm and using sulfates again just let my hair be free to do its thing. Cut my hair til it was all virgin. I’ve had the same hair since I was 3 years old. I agree the community is toxic. I only use drug store products, they’re still great. My hair is super healthy. During my transition trying to get my hair healthy again, I still called my wavy hair curly. Apparently it’s a sin lol. Then it got super healthy and alot more curl & I’m a fraud. You can’t win! My dad has 3c/4a hair & my mom is 2b/2c, it’s not a big surprise I got the hair I do. You’re gorgeous, always!

Rebecca S: As a fellow wavy, I love everything you said. Thank you for showing up with real life hair. We all have days where our hair isn't perfect or styled. I've started using a new shampoo and conditioner which comes in recycled bottles and then you just purchase a refill pouch when you need to. I feel like it's not "free" of all baddies but it's more important to me to stop creating so many bottles to go into waste than it is to use "free" products on my hair.

Inés: I couldn’t agree more, especially with the waves not being part of the community!

Ss H: After 4 years of CG I started looking at pics from pre-cg when I was using plain ass Aussie and it really looked better when I didn't know what I was doing and didn't care! Now I use Aussie and sometimes I straighten or use a curler iron Ironically, after I gave up I figured out how to do second, third and fourth day hair! Go figure!

Girlygirl1: 100% agree! I used to feel pressured to not straighten my hair AT ALL, use silicones/sulfates or dye it because the curly hair community makes it seem like evil when in reality it’s MY hair. Recently I straightened it and it felt nice because I felt so restricted on going natural all the time but it feels amazing to change up my hair style once in a while and I have been rocking frizzy wavy hair as well because I haven’t felt the effort to do my hair because it just gets so tiring sometimes that you just need a break. So I’m just gonna rock with what I got and do what makes ME happy and what my hair needs and wants

Mel Chrisman: Something I’m having a hard time with in the curly hair world is finding products that don’t have a ton of oils or butters in them. I have malassezia folliculitis and I feel like anyone with that issue or back acne or acne in general feels like they either have to straighten hair to have no breakouts on their backs or have their natural curls and just live with acne. Not all of us can use all kinds of oils! I break out so bad with most products. Thank goodness for skin carisma ingredient analyzer. I have to run every product through that to see if I can use it or not and now I’ve found a routine that doesn’t make me break out but it took me analyzing every curly hair product at Ulta and I’m still dealing with a residual breakout from a bunch of curlsmith products.

Stephanie P: As someone with natural curly hair, don’t F listen to anyone. I was always shamed for using non CGM hair products. Do whatever works best for yourself. Your hair is beautiful

MacKenzi Ash: The rigidity yes!!!! I was tired of exhausting myself in my curly hair routine just so I could fit in the the community and not disappoint everyone by using a straightener every now and then

Ann FitzGerald: I’m 51 years old and have been fighting with my hair my whole life. I’ve straightened for about 10 years because I can’t accept these cowlicks in front that are EXACTLY LIKE YOURS. What a joy to see them on someone else! The last few years, the straightening really started to take a toll and my hair was splitting and breaking like crazy. I’ve stopped straightening but now I’m stuck with one very curly section in front on the left that goes straight after a few inches, and one very wavy section on the right while the rest is straightish to bendy. I’ve been feeling like such a freak so I’m thrilled to see that yours looks basically like mine (except for my few grays within the brown) when it’s brushed out. Watching Kathleen Turner in “Romancing the Stone” from the 80’s, I noticed her cowlicks and frizz were allowed to just be—nowadays, only perfection seems to be the goal! Well, at my age, I’m not going there.

rbp 62: Just when I thought I couldn’t love you more girl! Thank you for sharing and not taking yourself too seriously. As a new wavy (1 1/2 years) I get the confusion but I choose to follow you and Swavy Courtney who are both super sweet and honest. So remember everyone you can choose your content and your products to fit your lifestyle and your pocketbook. As in life keeping our hearts and minds open to all people and curls is always a good way to go!

Grayawhile: I needed this! Recently did a heatless challenge on Instagram where I stopped straightening my hair, showed it in all it's crazy frizzy glory throughout the challenge, and found some of the curl community to be very rigid. The silver hair community is very supportive and has a "you do you" mentality.

miss kika: girll i relate!! i've been going through some hair loss and find that sometimes it's easier to just throw in some rollers for a more voluminous curl that hides problem areas. very strange that changing up your look is looked down upon also wish i hadn't bought into the idea that more expensive hair products does not equal better quality when i was younger

IndigoHooves12: Thank you so much for talking about this, it is such a true reality of the curly community. When my hair was frizzy, I wanted it to be straight. When my hair was curly, I wanted it to be wavy. And now that my hair is going through a wavy phase, I want it to be curly. It’s so hard to just be happy with the shape your hair is in!

Ashley Marie: I blow dried my hair every time I washed it when transitioning into curly hair because I have very thick hair. You gotta do what works for you! I don’t understand how people can tell someone you don’t have curly hair. What impresses me is everyone loving their natural hair even if it waves, curls, or coils etc.

Jeanne Dumond: I've been in the curly community for about 15 years now and it is too restrictive for me. I became way too obsessed with my hair to the point that when I started blowing it out I was RELIEVED. No more having to check for frizz, refresh every day, no more using a bunch of products... No more questioning everything. Now I'm at the point where I'm either blowing it out, or wearing my hair in twists. And my hair is the longest it's ever been. I'm super grateful to the curl community for teaching me how to care for my hair but now it's time for ME to make my decisions.

Mel S: When I orginially found your channel, it was because my daughter has curls. And mine is more wavy. So I wanted what was best for her and helping her maintain whatever style she wanted to rock. We straighten it a few times a year. She's 11, and really beginning to become her own person and how she wants to look. 90% of the time she rocks a braid to combat frizz. Other time its in a pony tail. She's one of the few at school with curls and kids will annoy her with "why's your hair frizzy" or "so big". It upsets her. So I love your channel. Showing hair is beautiful. Frizz ain't killing nobody! Rock what cha got and embrace your inner beauty!!

Beinta Gaard: I love how you (and also for example Swavy Curly Courtney) represent the wavy part of the curly community. I believe alot of people think of my hair as straight for being 2a waves. And I can wear it almost straight if I brush it out straight out of the shower, or blow dry it, but it can look quite wavy as well. I love the versatility in wavy hair and THAT is not appreciated enough in this community ❤️ Love your content!

Judy Willis: Girl yes. Let’s stop trying to fit in a curl box and just embrace the way our hair looks day in and day out!

Christiana McPherson, LCSW: One of the things I've always loved about my hair is how versatile it is. I have really fine hair so it takes me maybe 10 minutes to blow dry whether that's round brush styling or diffusing. My day 2 hair is stringy so I dry brush it and then it's a whole new look, like beach waves instead of tight curls. There has to be place for all of us

Just Beth Brown: Curl community "gatekeeping" against people with wavy-curly hair pushed me to bail a couple of years ago. I'm so bummed to hear that it's still happening. :(

Ana_Lynn_W: This is something I needed to hear right now. Both my daughters have wavy curly hair and also myself. My oldest literally wants to straighten it all the time and my youngest daughter doesn't want to straighten it but she also doesn't want to find curls. She wants to brush it out and it be fluffy. With my youngest daughter keep trying to offer to straighten it or to do all the steps to make it pretty beautiful curls but she just wants it fluffy. I've now decided I'm just gonna let her have it fluffy because that's how she wants it.

Cara Redhorn: Thank you for doing this video! Boy do I relate!! My biggest grievances with the curly hair community are the toxicity, and the hate toward wavy haired girls, and girls with coily or kinky curl types. Waves are a type of curl! Point blank, period. Wavies are not trying to appropriate anything! Type 4 hair is curly, too! Sorrynotsorry. I love the tight curl pattern on type 4's - so beautiful! I used to wear my hair straight all the time (like in my user pic here), because I did not know how to manage it. I started the curly girl method in 2019 to embrace my hair texture and get my curls back. During childhood, I had ringlets. Now, I have hair that is both wavy and curly - a mix of 2B, 2C, and 3A, even a bit of 3B - which are ALL types of *curls.* Like you, India, nowadays I don't follow the curly girl method so religiously, lol. I also use silicones sometimes - they aren't all bad, and some people's hair loves silicones. I do gently dry brush my hair when I need to. Stephanie Mero, the Curl Ninja, says that dry brushing isn't bad at all! She actually recommends that curlies don't brush wet hair, because hair is at its most fragile then. Her videos on hair porosity are amazing, also, and so are her other videos. Most people have their porosity backward - for example, calling their hair low porosity when it's actually high porosity. She also says that it is your porosity that matters most when choosing the right products for you, not your 'curl type.' I agree with her 100%. Anyway, all the rigidity, and the toxic "I'm a curly, you're not!" crap has me steering clear of the curly haired community. It's a shame. We should all be supportive of each other.

Diamond Lee: Amen India, sing it sista!! Ive been a wavy girl my whole life, always going back & forth between straight & wavy. honestly, the whole Curly Girl Cult Method is completely OUT OF CONTROL. and WHY do these people even care who is wavy/curly& who isnt???? Move on people, life is WAY too short. AND it is NOT one size fits all with styling & products. I found your channel a few moths ago & subscribed when I decided to go back to my wonky waves. great content & thank you for all the fabulous tips! from styling to application, it has helped me so much. for a long time the only method I knew was wearing it “crunchy” keep on doing you & keeping it real

Soda Sunnnyshine: Curls (and by this I mean, any hair that’s not straight) are something that are so individual. I feel like Curls never looks the same way twice and everyone’s hair is so uniquely theirs and that’s part of what makes it cool. It’s not fair to have everyone try to reach the same standard. that totally defeats the whole “BE YOU” part of what the curly hair community was supposed to be about.

Cheryl Hartl: I just started wearing my hair natural in the fall, so not quite a year ago. I too have wavy hair but it is super baby fine. I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO STRESSED IN MY LIFE ABOUT MY HAIR AS I HAVE BEEN SINCE GOING NATURAL! What I expected to be a fun, easy thing to do has been the most difficult and challenging thing ever. I used to wash my hair and go, now suddenly I need to know about porosity and elasticity, hydo-fatigue and protein over-load - I don’t know how to figure any of those out, even after watching hours and hours of YouTube videos!

Mery MaK: I fricking love this video, it's probably one of my favourites of yours !! I have the same hair texture and I always felt the same like it wasn't special, thank you for making other girls feel comfortable and confident in their own skin we need more youtubers like you

shaggysgf: Girl i feel sooo much what you're saying from the very beggining! my hair are for sure not straight but i don't have a full head of curls either..some strands are like 2A but some 3A and i feel people look at me like i'm insane when i say i have curly hair..sometimes it's upsetting to be honest, because i got these curls from my mom and i'm love them no matter how other precive them.

K MacC: YOU are incredible and I looove how real you keep it. I get irritated with the judgement that seems to fly out of people and I try my absolute best not to be the same. It took me a VERY long time to stop comparing my hair to others and hoping that what that woman uses will work for me too-even if we have the same curl type. I have been absolutely loving my curly hair journey and I have days when I feel so incredibly beautiful when my 2b-3a(ish) curls are 'a poppin' BUT they are not always that way. It's usually about a 2 day window of amazing curls but I absolutely love those 2 days! I will say that ever since I watched your video about Aussie, I have been using the curl oil and Moisture (?) oil on every refresh day. I do get sucked into trying expensive brands but Aussie is my ride or die, as is a homemade cream that CurlyTay shared a looong time ago. The combination of the three after adding water is SO great for my hair. Thank you for everything you've taught me while on this journey of mine.

Aine Rafferty Art: India was one of the first influencers who helped me in my own curly hair journey I naturally have wavy hair and felt pressure to have the 3c type curls when I had 2B/2C. But this is so refreshing to hear now, I got a perm and I may fake the curls now but I’ll embrace them also the CGM NEVER worked for me, I need the sulphates for my oily hair and light conditioner so my hair doesn’t get weighed down. Do what works for your hair

Kristina Santoro: Thank you! I embraced my natural curls/waves over the past few years and while fun, I’ve decided to try a new look with bangs and straighter hair. I just couldn’t take feeling like I wasn’t embracing the “techniques” enough. Like I have a part that is really straight and I’d curl it to make it look like the rest of my hair—god forbid! I hated the “shame” many influencers spout. Life’s too short!

Terry Kobrenski: The rules, oh the rules! I am almost 70 years young and have been wearing my wavy hair natural off and on since my college days. Let me tell you, my hair looked great back then with no curly or wavy specific products and no rules. And yes, I used to brush my wavy hair! I think all this curly girl madness is ridiculous.

Grace S: I will forever brush my hair out before washing it. For me, it’s so much easier to wash when it’s detangled before I get it wet. I don’t want to spend 10-15 minutes detangling it with my fingers and feeling like my hair is falling out. CGM would say this is a big no no but my hair hasn’t fallen out yet and is down to the middle of my back. DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU!!

Kate Whitley: Thank you so much for expressing your thoughts on this! When I started the CG method I had two kids. Now I have four and they’re all very young so I simply cannot spend as much time and money on my hair anymore. I sort of gave up because I couldn’t do it “properly.” But this video helped me realize that my way of doing CG will not look like anyone else’s because aside from fitting my hair type, this routine has to fit my LIFE. Modifying the CG method according to what works for me is something I won’t feel bad about anymore. :) THANK YOU INDIA!

Lisa Neufeld: The pressure of having "perfect curls" is crazy. I've never been told that I was doing anything wrong, but without even thinking about it, a lot of influencers make people feel less than. Also I was so afraid of trying any bold haircuts because I would have to straighten my hair. I finally just did it and got a haircut I've wanted for years, but have been afraid to get. I love it.

Mariposa Violeta: I agree being told "you dont' have curly hair" when my hair is like yours sucks. I never realized I had curls because I always had long hair which weighed my curls down so when I went shoulder length at 21 and my hair dresser told me I was shocked. I let my hair do it's own thing most of the time and let the "perfection" effort be more when it's a special occasion or just randomly because I feel like it. I love watching your curly product reviews but sadly living in Canada things are much more expensive and most products I can't find here in the store. I won't buy online because already more for being in Canada then add shipping and drives prices up even more. As much as I love my curls when I do have them I need other things in life that are more essential like food so it's now more of a treat to fix my hair nice. We need to stop judging others for their hair not being "perfect" or exactly like everyone else and be happy that someone has the confidence to go out regardless if they're having a "good" hair day or not. If you want to straighten it, dye it, cut it or whatever go for it don't and let others' expectations or ideals for you stop you from doing something different. As India said "it's just hair" and it'll grow back if you cut it or if you don't like the dye you can change it and cut it off when it grows out

S7T8A8R7: When I first started it was nice learning how to take care of your hair and getting it healthy. Now I just chill and do the bare minimum when I feel like it, and put in effort when I feel like it. Besides I do love the volume when it's less defined.

Jessica K.: I'd love to see a "lazy" day. like.. something that is actually manageable. Having wavy hair, I have to do SO much to it to get it to look put together because it doesn't naturally form these pretty ringlets, and it's just not realistic for me to spend 40+ minutes doing my hair every day.. but if you were to share a 5-minute hair refresh or something like that, that is sustainable for people who don't always have the energy to do things the "right" way.

sarah jost: Speaking TRUTH. I used to absolutely love my hair…I’m a frizzy wavy haired girl much like yourself I have literally always worn my hair natural. But I feel like now all I hear is that my hair isn’t curly enough so I struggle with feeling like it’s not beautiful. I didn’t ask for that brain shift to happen but over time it just has without me knowing. I’ve been really trying to rid myself of curly content (except yourself) on instagram just so I can get back to loving the way I look…because you’re right…it’s hair…it’s not that serious!!

lilz0208: I never cared. I just love how my hair acts in all its elements. I have waves, finger waves, straight Shirley temple curls etc all in my head space. I love it. Be happy with yourself. Edit: all I am concerned about is healthy hair.

Carmen O: I totally relate! My hair is what I would call a messy/swavy hair, a little less wavy than yours is. It's also fine, but I have a lot of it. I feel like most of the "rules" don't apply to my type of hair, so I've just been doing what I know works for my hair. My hair needs silicone to help maintain structure. And there is no saving it after day one. It just is. I also love using a wand and straightening my hair. My hair type allows me that variety. I love your hair content because your hair is similar enough to mine that I feel seen and heard. Thank you for that!

Namita Gupta: seriously, thank you for making this video. I have almost exactly similar looking hair as you and I feel so much pressure to get zero frizz moisturised curls. I love, that now we are appreciating our natural curly hair more as society, but can we also please appreciate the REAL natural reality of curly hair, which is sometimes frizz and almost no coils. Thank you so much for your video

In Its Season: I really enjoyed the aspect of the curly hair community that focused on loving your hair and doing what you could to protect it and keep it healthy but in the end, it was too legalistic for me. There were too many do's and don'ts- sometimes I feel like brushing it or dyeing it! It took all of the fun out of hair just for the CHANCE that it MIGHT make my hair curl better.

Haley Vicknair: Sometimes I find I feel more beautiful when my hair is straight/heat styled and there’s nothing wrong with that… and there’s times where I want my curly hair. I definitely use more heat than what the CG method suggests and I find my waves/curls bounce back. Do whatever makes you feel the best regardless of what anyone thinks

Heysavvy: I’m super new to embracing my weird waves (I’ve just been frustrated with my hair forever) and I appreciate you sharing affordable products and encouragement that perfection isn’t the goal!

Ariana Z: honestly this is a really needed video so thank you :) I have a mixed curl pattern and my main aim was to make it "perfect" but I realised that to everyone else my hair looked pretty much the same lol, whether it was more frizzy one day or more defined. This is because frizz is a natural part of wavy/curly hair you can't get rid of and it shouldn't be seen as 'bad' or 'ugly' in any way. And no matter how much I try to get it more defined, it just damages my hair in the end because of all the product, sometimes I do take a break to straighten it and that's not a bad thing. Like u said, at the end of the day it's just hair yh so in the end, many people just break away from the community, it's quite toxic as no matter what u do you get judged. Even wavy hair gets seen as 'not curly enough'. And people just end up doing their own thing with whatever makes them happy, which usually doesn't include strict rules

Elena Sharpe: It's so sad and such a throw back that in modern days only 2 types of hair are viewed as "standard" that's poke straight or uniformly curly . We live in the world of an exclusive diversity and still fail to recognise this diversity in ourselves.

Amanda: For me it’s exactly what you said when you started your journey. There’s so much information out there and none of those people are even me! It’s really hard to find the right products when you have to go through the ones you just spent money on. For instance I bought an “nicer” hair dryer and have been regretting it. I miss my cheaper one. Also applying products to my hair so far has been a fail. Every time I think something worked, I do it the next week and it doesn’t. How much to put, when to put it in, when to brush, when to scrunch etc. I just wanna let my hair be but I honestly don’t even know how to do that anymore.

Soda Sunnnyshine: Can I just say, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. you do such a good job of keeping your channel real. And showing us all the sides of life. Life in general for everyone can be a struggle sometimes and having someone honestly acknowledge that is so refreshing and amazing and should be talked about more.

desiree rasor: thank you for sharing. I love how real you are. when I was a little girl, I had an AFRO of ringleted curls, as i’ve gotten older and dyed my hair, hormones have hit me, i’ve straightened and curled the life out of it, my hair has turned more into a wavy, beach look. I used to obsess over getting those ringlets back. but now i’m trying to embrace what my hair is now and just keep it healthy. people always complimented my curly hair, and now that it’s not the same as it used to be I don’t get that anymore and it makes me sad. thank you for sharing this again, you’re an amazing representer for curly hair. showing the down sides and the good sides. :) social media has destroyed society.

ann martin: The best thing I ever heard about my wavy hair: " You are so lucky/fortunate to have wavy hair- You can wear straight(er) or wavy/curly. You Got The Best of BOTH Worlds !" ... I agree, Yes, I do..and Thank you....

Melinda Donaldson: I didn't join curly groups to be told that my hair isn't curly- I have 2B to 3A curls. Yes I said it curls. I joined So I could learn how to better take care of my hair and make my curls last and look their best. Many people in these curly groups are just mean.

Seanny: I can so relate! I used to work in a small office and both my co-workers had curly hair. One co-worker had Shirley Temple curls (look it up) thick rich brown hair with lovely ringlet curls. The other had much smaller tighter curls. I decided to embrace my wavy curls and let your hair go natural and encouraged the curl and over a few months it had a decent amount of curl. BUT I never really loved it on me. When I decided to go back to straightening my hair my co-workers immediately started acting weird around me. Shirley Temple Curls told me " you only have wavy hair NOT curly!" The other one just plain stopped being friendly. They both ignored me. Once I was back to my straight hair a 3rd co-worker said "we know where you spend your money, by having your hair blown out and straightened every day. Besides the fact that is wasn't true (I always do my own hair but I paid attention to my stylist and learned how to do it.) It's like I betrayed them. My goodness, can't we all just get along!?!

Heidi Purcell: As a stylist for many decades, wavy girl, I thank you for embracing the less than perfect hair days!

Wendy Chamberlain: Ohhhhhh curl gurl!! Thank you for making the waves/curls out there loose! As a hairstylist who specialized in curls I’m so glad you are saying this!

Jade Dankwa: a thing that annoys me is the ‘perfect standard’ of curly hair being really long hair…like as someone who prefers short hair on me i feel like it’s not really seen as much..SHORT HAIR IS BEAUTIFUL JUST AS MUCH AS LONG HAIR and i find that when my hair is longer i never want to wear it curly coz of how long it takes me to style another thing is the lack of dying and bleaching…coz i’m a teenager like i’m 18 and i have loved dying and bleaching my hair for a few years as a way of expression…i still do…and while i know it is not good for your hair, the CGM really frowns upon it and whenever i dye or bleach my hair (causing my curls to not be healthy) people always comment on it..like i want to dye my hair…let me enjoy it and another thing (the last one coz i could go on for ages and this is already long) is the ‘perfection’ of having basically the same curl pattern on your whole head..like i have anywhere from 2b to 3b (sometimes) and i have noticed that if i try to get them all the same it doesn’t work or is a pain to keep up with..like my second day hair always looks ‘bad’ coz my curls just don’t hold no matter what products i use…and the pressure to have every day be a good hair day is just unrealistic…i think the CG community should strive to let people embrace THEIR OWN curls and help make people feel comfortable with THEIR hair and not a standard that the majority of the CG community can’t have..also they should just let people do what they want, for example my mum has curly hair but she hasn’t let it be natural in years coz she doesn’t like it and that is COMPLETELY FINE and if people want to cut their hair super short and dye it a bunch of colours then thats also fine coz it is their hair and people shouldn’t be frowned upon just coz they want to do something anyways yh that all for now :))

mce1939: You are beautiful no matter what. And I enjoy your videos because they are easy and relatable. I'm in my 40s and have had naturally curly hair since the 80s. This was in the "old days," pre-curly-hair-community and social media and curly girl method and all that. And thank goodness for that! I've always just done whatever the heck I want with my hair and I could care less what anyone else thinks. I think that's my main grievance with the curly community, is that there are rules. "Hair rules?" Um, not for me! I have lovely virgin curly hair, haven't used heat since 1995, never been colored, I'm going gray naturally, and clutch your pearls, I wash my hair every single day! I do me. You do you. You know? I enjoy seeing the range of what curly hair people are doing. And your channel is one of my faves <3

Nicole Williams: I love this! I am still pretty new in my wavy girl journey and I'm so shocked how much definition I'm getting already! However, my hair is soooo much more damaged than I ever thought it would be! I really thought I took better care of it than that! The biggest struggle for me personally is the lower density. I've definitely seen worse and I have a descent amount to work with but it's definitely low-medium density and trying to cover the 2 cowlicks on the back when its drying is a nightmare! The only youtubers I have found that have talked about that are gals that have super coily hair vs my just wavy 2b/2c hair so that's challenging. Also with it being fine, finding the right amount of product especially because it's so dry right now go get the moisture/hold without weighing it down is definitely challenging. Lastly I struggle with being just outdoorsy in general. I live on a ranch and train horses and workout and being in the dirt all day trying to find protective styles and nit wear hats as much especially since it's summer is truly so so so challenging But all in all I am having fun learning with my hair and finding what works for it and getting it healthy again and I find myself being anxious for wash day so I can try a new product combo/techniques and stuff and just find what works Oh also not touching my hair until it is 100% dry is a feat in itself

Bridget Neuman: I feel like the curly hair community has made me think that my 2c hair has to last and look good as long as the ‘perfect’ 3b hair when most of those influencers we look up to with that perfect hair usually only create their best content on their first or second day of hair when it looks the best. That’s why I really also enjoy watching influencer's week in my hair videos not only to help teach me about taking care of my hair but also to help me realize that no one’s curly hair is perfect for 6 days straight and most of the time, for the last couple days before washing it, they put their hair in an updo.

Emma Bryant: Really appreciated this bc I identify so much!! I have wavy hair but am always striving for defined, fat, juicy curly ropes which seldom happen, but your beachy brushed out waves are much more achievable for me, and they're gorgeous!! Also, spending hours striving for perfection only to tie it up until the next wash ☺️

Rebecca Allen: This is the first of your videos I have seen, and I’m sorry it’s so overwhelming. In the end, no one is going to be happy with all the content someone produces, and no one can produce all the content that everyone needs. India- you do what works for you. You put out there what makes you feel good about you, even if it involves embracing the frizz. If what other influencers say doesn’t work for you, stop paying attention to them. Viewers- same advice. Regarding “waves are not curls”- waves require different care than curls. For any hair type to say there is no representation is is not quite accurate. The frustration originated in those of us with curls searching for how to care for and style our hair and what we always found involved brushing, straightening, waving, or using a curling iron, or finding images of beautiful beach waves we will never have. I’m old enough to have seen all this evolve. Wavy is not the same as curly and to properly care for what we have involves accuracy in understanding it. Wavy is a beautiful texture all on its own. Call it what it is and embrace that. If the curly hair community isn’t working for you, maybe it’s time to be a pioneer and blaze your own trail. I’m also old enough to remember life before google and facebook. Maybe it’s a good idea to edit your social media feeds and eliminate friends, followers, and influencers who are truly toxic.

Katie Demski: I LOVE THIS VIDEO. I fell into the CGC trap last summer. I was obsessed with having the perfect curly girl routine (on my lightened, wavey-curly, thicc hair) Slowly I’ve broken out of that regimented obsessive routine and this summer am loving one and done hair. A leave in cream and air dry ✌️

Chiara Salvadori: To me the biggest bummer is the fact that “you can’t colour your hair”… no sidenotes, no ways out, no fun allowed. I was personally tired of my ashy blonde hair and I started dyeing it auburn, then started using henna. My hair wasn’t more fragile when I was using chemical dyes and it’s now the healthiest it’s ever been after using henna for months. I’m also so much happier, colouring my hair is a way to cuddle myself and feel at my best

Goodies with Grace: I’ve been rocking my curly hair my entire 40 years and I’ve loved it! I’ve never followed the curly girl method but I’ve always tried to practice some healthy hair tips. All in all embracing your hair should be fun and not so serious! Just experiment and see what’s works best for you and Rock your curls!!!