I Restored My Natural Curls With This Curly Hair Routine! (2C/3A Curls With Curly Bangs)
- Posted on 05 January, 2023
- Short Hair
- By Anonymous
I have had curly hair my entire life, but once I got pregnant with. my son, my hair grew completely straight for the entire 9 months, and then a year after that while I was nursing. I have been on a journey for the last couple of years to find my curls and re-learn how to do them. It has been a really emotional but successful process (and at times, really frustrating!) I wanted to make this video to share everything that I've learned over this past year, as well as share why it's so important to me to rediscover my curls. Links to all the products and tools that I used in this video can be found below. This is not a sponsored video, these are all products that I own and have purchased with my own money and love so much!
***This description may contain links from my Amazon Affiliate profile that allow me to earn a commission if purchased***
// P R O D U C T S
Continuous Spray Bottle: https://amzn.to/3Qe0bq2
Olaplex Clarifying Shampoo: https://amzn.to/3IdDlNu
JVN Nurture Shampoo & Conditioner: https://amzn.to/3Gz9b62
JVN Pre-Wash Scalp Oil: https://amzn.to/3VEM26A
Ouidad Advanced Climate Control Gel: https://amzn.to/3V0KUKj
XMONDO Wavetech Wave Foam: https://amzn.to/3FSUhXW
Denman Brush (7 row): https://amzn.to/3vhM8pN
Shark Beauty FlexStyle: https://tinyurl.com/2sr4s68a
// S U B S C R I B E
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/ElyseMyersoff...
// F O L L O W
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Official Website: https://www.elysemyers.com
// S U P P O R T
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// C O N T A C T
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I have spent the last eight months learning everything I possibly can about my curly hair and we are going to do a curly hair tutorial. Today we are starting with freshly washed hair, do not touch a towel to your head, get an old cotton t-shirt and just kind of scrunch out like the excess dripping water, but we still want to keep our hair very, very, very wet because that's what's going to Keep it from not getting frizzy for normal, everyday, shampoo and conditioner. I use the jvn line, but once every two weeks I use a clarifying shampoo by olaplex, which just gets rid of all of the product. Buildup and kind of strips your hair from all of the gunk and allows you to kind of start fresh. Like I said you want your hair to be very, very wet. So if, at any point, it feels like it's not damp enough, get like a little spray bottle of water and you can just re-wet it, because that is like the key to not having any frizz the two products that we're going to use today are a mousse And a gel, the mousse that I love is Brad Mondo's, wave Tech, wave foam and the gel that I use is ooidad Advanced climate control. The two other things you're going to need is a seven row Denman brush. This is like the game changer for my girls and a diffuser. Okay, let's get started we're gon na apply product section by section and we're going to repeat this with every single layer. So take your mousse. Do a few pumps about that much and apply it all through the hair and make sure to kind of rub the roots to make sure it gets all in the roots. Okay, it's gon na get really sudsy. It'S gon na feel like too much product. I promise it isn't just trust me. Next get your gel with each layer. I'D say you use about the size of a dime kind of rake it through and now you're gon na get your Denman brush. This is where we're gon na actually style the curls. We'Re going to brush the product through the hair to make sure that it's evenly distributed. Now this is the fancy part. The curls should kind of already be curling, but what we're going to do is we're going to kind of take each curl each Clump we're going to brush up and out. You see how the curl kind of takes its shape you twist it wrap it around. The handle as if you're curling your hair and then you just kind of release and you do that for each clump of hair we go and that side is done now, even if you don't want to coil the hair around the handle. I would highly recommend getting this brush and just using it to kind of take all the clumps and to brush up and down and to give it a little Shake because what's happening there is the brush is helping the curls kind of form into their natural clumps. So that when we diffuse, we can diffuse them kind of as a family and then once it's all dry, then we can break the curls apart. But if it's all broken up at the beginning, that's where the frizz comes from. So just like, when you're curling, your hair, with like a curling iron, how you make like the George Washington, curls and then you wait for it to cool, and then you rake them out. It'S the same principle with naturally curly hair, just a little bit longer of a process, foreign look like they're, going the right way and are happy we're going to pull our next section down and repeat this process throughout our entire head. It'S really important to remember that when you're using a brush like this, you always want to go to the root and brush up, and the more that you do this. The more that you're going to learn your curls and kind of naturally know which direction that they go. So you don't really have to test each strand foreign moving on to the next section. If you have bangs we're going to separate the bangs out from like the top section and kind of do those separately, this last section is the one that you might need to start spraying your hair with water, because it's been up and drying the longest without any Product, especially if you have bangs foreign, so as you can see, I've left my bangs for last. It'S because I'm going to use basically the same technique with the brush, but I'm actually going to force some curls in the opposite direction that they want to go just because I don't want all the curls in the front of my face to go the exact same Way, that's kind of what creates that very young Shirley Temple, look which is cute, but not really the look I'm going for. I want there to be more volume and have it look a little bit more stylistic than just perfect curls foreign. Now, if a curl doesn't want to be forced in One Direction, I'm not going to fight it because that just creates frizz, but for the most part they really do what you want them to do with the brush. So once you've gotten your curls pretty much where you want them to be, this is when we plop - and this is also when all of that, like extra product, that you're feeling a little bit uneasy about, goes away. Okay, I'm going to teach you how to plop. So we're going to take the shirt that we dried our hair with and we're going to lay it out in front of us with the sleeves facing like furthest away from us now. My hair is really short, so it's not going to be as noticeable, but when you have longer hair you're going to want to kind of lay your hair flat against the shirt. So it's like laying in front of you and then what we're going to do is we're going to take the bottom of the shirt and fold it up once and then we're going to wrap it around our head. Now, once you kind of wrap the shirt completely around the front of your head to the point where it's touching itself in the back you're going to take the sleeves of your shirt, and this is why I love using a shirt instead of like an expensive curly Hair towel specifically for curly hair is because you can tie the sleeves together so you're going to take the sleeves, wrap them, bring them from the back to the front and then tie them together like that I'll show you foreign just like that, depending on how wet Your hair is and how long your hair is. You can plop anywhere from like five to ten minutes, but you don't want to do it longer than that, because you don't want to dry your hair out, that's going to make it frizzy and we want it to be very, very wet when we go in to Diffuse it - and this is really just going to let the product form like a cast on my hair so that it can set, and then I can diffuse and it won't get frizzy notice. How pretty much every single thing that I do is just to avoid frizz. The curls want to curl; they just need help not expanding before they need to foreign. So I know it seems counterintuitive to wrap your hair up after you spent all of that time manually. Wrapping the hair around the brush and doing all the product um, the curls - are still going to stay curly and you can always go in and fix the random one that kind of got messed up, but this is a much better way to do it. While it's really wet, you don't want to do any coiling when it's really dry. Now, it's time to diffuse, if you notice, I'm using a technique called hover diffusing, which means I'm not immediately taking the diffuser and shoving it on my hair and actually touching the diffuser to my head. This just helps the hair set before we end up messing with it at all. We really want the product to form a really good cast on the hair. Once you feel, like your hair, isn't as fragile and the curls are kind of getting to be more set in place, then you can go in and start to actually touch the diffuser to your hair. Usually by this point, I can feel if my hair needs a little bit more product which, right now it does, you can tell it needs more product when it starts to feel too soft. You want it to still feel a little crunchy until it's completely dry and if it doesn't feel crunchy and it's starting to feel really dry and really soft too fast. That'S when it frizzes up foreign of the way dry, we're going to start to add volume. So we're going to start to flip our hair all to one side now we're gon na go the other way if it feels big and silly perfect. What we're going to do now is separate each individual, like huge clump of curls and kind of make them their own individual ringlets foreign to work fast, because I'm losing natural light. I'Ve been on quite the journey trying to learn how to love my curls and oh, my God, I'm not gon na cry. I swear um wow. I did not expect to get emotional um, so I grew up all obviously always having curly, hair and um. I learned how to do it when I was younger. I used a lot of my brother's gel and I just remembered it coming in this like clear tub and it was always like blue or clear or like green, and I just would like goop it onto my hands and, like I was like walking gel. I was the gel and having three brothers I never ever really wanted to express my femininity, femininity, femininity feminine, that's a hard one. I never wanted to be feminine because um that made me feel like I didn't fit in with my brothers and so um. I did my curls just so that they were done and you know they weren't like going crazy, but I never enjoyed them. I felt like I couldn't, because my brothers didn't have long curly, hair um and it just made me feel kind of like an outsider. Having long hair um, I really struggled with like not understanding how to really be a girl, um I've never really dressed femininely and um. My Curls always felt like this thing that I had been fighting against my entire life, and I also was just a bigger kid and I felt like when my hair was Curly and it was bigger that it made me look bigger and um, and I was I Was really afraid to take up space in every way in, in my body, in my hair, in the volume of my voice um, I was really really afraid to be perceived and to take up space and so learning how to do my curls take care of my Curls Love My Curls um. Even do things like cut my bangs like having curly bangs is literally life-changing for me, which sounds crazy, but I have just been fighting against all of these things that are natural to me in my body for so long because I just didn't understand them, and I Didn'T want to take the time to learn how to do them and to love them and care for them. Why would I love something that other people don't love of me right like why not just change it so that I can be loved by people and um? I'M slowly unlearning a lot of that from my life and my curly hair and my curly bangs um is a step in that process and I really didn't expect to get emotional about this. So I'm really sorry, but I'm I'm still getting used to the way. I look in the mirror if you were to remove me from the hair, and this hair would be on somebody else. I'D be like, oh, my God, that is the coolest hairstyle and that person is so cool. But I see myself in the mirror and I just think like how dare you have hair that big big? Do you know what I mean? This is literally my hair. It'S just cut s my hair, but I just think like you're, a liar liar. Why do I feel that way? I I'm excited for it to grow, though I had to cut it really short to get all of the straight growth out of it. When I was pregnant, my hair grew bone straight and if you have curly hair and your hair grew straight when you were pregnant as well. Please tell me in the comments, because I had never heard of that happening before, and it was like one day I looked in the mirror and I had two different people's hair in my head and I just was so confused and so I've slowly been cutting. All of it out and it's finally all gone, which is why it is just so fluffy now and so short, but I am excited for it to grow, because I do want to experience the long curly hair that I didn't get to enjoy. When I was a little kid and when I had it and so yeah also it's raining today, which means my hair is just like a little bit larger than it usually would be because of the humidity in the air um. I am looking in the camera and I'm trying to not um laugh because it is a little bit bigger than normal and that's okay. I'M allowed to take up the space and I'm excited about it and I'm learning to love what I look like now with my new hair and my natural curls, so um, I just wanted to give a disclaimer that it won't always come out this large. If you follow that routine, unless it's raining so there it is um. I really hope that this was easy to follow and I tried my hardest to kind of explain each step, but if we do ever need to just do like longer videos for each step, I am more than happy to do that and give more explanation, because it's Taken me, like eight months, to get my hair to this point and to learn what I have and to put it into practice and to make mistakes and to fix those mistakes and to try products and hate them and love them and everything in between. And so it is a process, and so, if there's any way that I can help give somebody the confidence that has been instilled in me through the process of learning how to do my hair. I want to be a part of that. I want to be able to give that to you and so um yeah. Thank you so much for watching. I really really appreciate your support and um. I'M I'm so proud that you guys love the curls so much it just. It is very healing for me and I'm not looking for like outside validation, um. I don't. I don't need it to Love My Curls, but having it is so so beautiful and I'm very grateful for it so um. I love you guys so much and I will see you next time. Bye,
Comments
Brad Mondo: Your curls look stunning!! So happy you like wavetech wave foam too
Janine McNeilly: “I was afraid to take up space.” Wow, I related to this! I wore my hair in a ponytail every single day, even in my own home, from the age of 11-18. I was terrified of people seeing my hair and commenting on it because I was so insecure. This was also the early/mid 2000s when pin straight hair was super trendy and I felt like a frizzy mess compared to all the other girls at my school. I’m 28 now and I love my hair more than ever! Thank you for this tutorial and the little therapy session at the end!
Sophia Peil: I’ve never run across your content before, but I got emotional right along with you because your story is so similar to my own. It’s true what they say: “If you ask a curly girl about her hair, she’ll tell you about her life.” It is so true that the process of accepting and loving your curls can actually be a process of accepting and loving yourself. I enjoyed this video so much and your curls are gorgeous. You found a new subscriber in me
Nadine Graber: I’m 58 years old and have had curly hair in my entire life and always struggled with it. Especially after college when I started working I was told by numerous people that my curly hair was unprofessional. For the last eight years I’ve been getting keratin treatments so it is straight but watching your video has me thinking of embracing my curls again. Thank you for this!
Emily Cooper: I never post comments but MY HAIR WENT STRAIGHT POST PARTUM! I had a suuuuper obvious band around my head where you could tell what grew when and I could not stand it. I have not heard of it happening to anyone else, the severity of what I experienced. Chopped off all the floppy straight hairs that didn’t know what they wanted to be after 2 years, and now you and I are hair twins
Constance Robbins: I’m a hairdresser and I just want to commend you on doing such a great job of explaining your routine! This is one of the clearest hair tutorials I’ve seen. Well done Elyse!
Cali Hinojosa: Thank you for discussing this. As a teen in the early 2000s who was also an emo kid, straight hair was it. I HATED my hair. I hated that it felt like EVERYONE had an opinion on it too. I was never taught how to take care of my hair. It always looked like a frizzy mess until I got a hair straightener at 14 and fried it every day. Now I’m in my 30s trying to figure it out and frustrated for the little girl in me who deserved better.
Rebecca L: I am 32 years old and have spent my entire life wishing my hair smaller. I accepted it was naturally frizzy and awful and embarrassing until a stylist recently told me it was actually extremely curly. I haven’t gotten to the place where I can rock my curls - don’t totally know how to do it on my own and I’m still battling my feelings about how it looks- but I am motivated to try after your tutorial and your super honest words at the end. Thank you very very much. ❤
Katherine X: I’m 41, grew up without a mom, just men. I feel seen and understood by your explanation of the fear of perception/taking up space. Got super emotional with you while watching. Thanks for helping me with the courage to try this out and accept my curls. ❤
Ryan Thomas: I am biracial and have SUCH a similar story of taking YEARS to love and understand my curls with a super white single mom who had no idea what to do with my massive hair. It’s really hard for me to put into words how beautiful and relatable your story and this video is. I also have had 3 babies now and EVERY time loose my curls. I actually just had my third baby just two years after my second so my hair had just grown back and I had cut off the old hair when I surprisingly found out I was pregnant again. It actually made me super sad to go thru this hair journey all over again because it is really a challenge to figure out what to do with hair curly and straight hair and then go thru it again with straight and curly hair growing back in. Definitely effects my confidence. Well, sorry for the super long comment. I just really loved this and connected so much. Wish I could hug you because I don’t have many friends that have gone thru such similar stuff like me. Cheers
Nvard Gambaryan: No one talks about the emotional aspect of having curls as a child as a teenager i felt every single word you said♥️
Anna MacGillivray: I also had straight hair growth during pregnancy! I was previously so proud of the work I put into my curly hair and when it stopped responding I was so confused and felt like it was one of many mini identity crises that come with being a new mom. It has made me totally reevaluate my hair and honestly I’ve lost some interest in trying. Thanks for the inspiration to get back to it and find my gorgeous curls again.
miss_bell_92: I've been following you on TT for quite some time and remember seeing the first video of you with your curls and I was like, "Whoa! When did that happen?" I'm SO glad you're learning to embrace and love a part of yourself that you've struggled with that you were born with. Just one thing, no... two: 1. Don't apologize for being emotional! That's what the journey is all about. 2. YOU'RE GORGEOUS!!!
Emily Francois: I can’t tell you how many “curly girl” routines I’ve watched and felt so overwhelmed and like I’d never be able to do it. Also.. the overstimulation with products, I’ve never heard someone else feel that way. I so feel like I’m suffocating and instantly regret doing my hair. I’m hopeful to try these products or to find some that don’t make me feel that way! Thanks for taking up space to teach and share your voice. ❤❤❤
Morayo Adedapo: As a natural hair girl its somewhat comforting to know everyone cries over their curls. I love seeing people rediscover their hair and learning to be comfortable in their own skin
Jacqueline Carpenter: I have seen countless curly girl videos and have always left feeling completely overwhelmed and have yet to try to embrace my natural curls. Yours is the first video I’ve watched that makes the process not only make sense but feel approachable. For the first time since I was a teenager; you’ve made me decide to go for it and get my curls back. Thank you for taking the time to put this together. It was brilliantly done. ❤️❤️❤️
Simply KO: This made me SO happy to watch. I have never, in my 31 years, accepted/learned how to enhance my natural curls. After my last hair cut they really are starting to pop and after deep clarifying shampoos taking all the gunk off my hair, I finally have curls to learn to do! Thank you Elyse. Subscribing as I didn't know you had a youtube channel. You are true golden soul and I wish you nothing but the best in life ♥
SK & Callie: My girlfriend first got curly hair during puberty, and now a decade later she is on a hair journey and we are learning how to care for her hair. Thank you for inspiring curly haired people to take up the space and feel beautiful in their curls!
mrsgoofykid10: “I was really afraid to take up space.” That really resonated with me. What a perfect way to articulate that feeling. I feel that so much.
DigitalDorothy: I’m only wavy, but this tutorial was really helpful. I’m just starting “the journey” and still combating frizz. I see where I’m messing up now, thank you! This cut is super cute on you by the way. Keep on takin’ up that space! ❤
Mallory C: This video is edited and produced SO WELL. I am shook. The text, images, wow. I don’t even have curly hair and I watched it all. Kudos.
2portal: I'm 20 years old, It's genuinely incredible to see this. it feels like seeing countless problems i've tried to solve but never quite got. But you did it! I never thought the frizz could actually be tamed I just assumed it was some curse impossible to properly manage. And everything is explained so well, that I finally feel like I might be able to get a handle on these long curls. None of the people around me growing up have had curly hair so as much as they'd like to help everything has been a little off, but this feels so careful and it's honestly incredible. As a guy i've always had a little lingering voice that's just said it'd be easier if I cut it all off, but I feel like knowing that it could grow long like this makes me feel so hopeful.
Kelsey Webb: The emotional toll of being a bigger girl with curly hair is so hard to recognize! Then when I finally started to accept and heal my body image, I got pregnant and lost my curls too! My first pregnancy is what inspired me to look into CGM and now that I’m pregnant again I miss my curls so much! I have to keep reminding myself they’ll come back.
Rebecca Lee: Holy shit this is so so relatable… it really got me tearing up. Learning how to work WITH my curly hair rather than against helped me learn to accept other things about myself. I never wanted to take up space and I always felt like my curls were too big and noticeable and that straight hair helped me fit in. But it seriously I know it sounds silly but finding ways to love my curly hair has changed my whole outlook on my self and my appearance. I am so happy that you have found ways to love your natural hair :)
Sara Marie: My hair was never truly curly until I hit puberty, and since no one else in my fam has curly hair, it’s been a journey can relate to many of the struggles you mentioned. Thank you for sharing this video and for loving yourself enough to learn about and care for yourself in this way it’s a lovely encouragement
Emily Littlefield: “Afraid to take up space” = me too. Elyse you are so lovely and open and honest. Thank you for all that you do to show me how it’s ok to take up space and to love my curly hair.
Elisa Llewellyn-Sendik: Imposter syndrome is so real and can impact all facets of our lives. Your curls are gorgeous and I’m so glad you’ve allowed them and yourself take all the space they need. I’ve got poker straight hair and am SO inspired by your journey.
Whit W: Ugh I used to have these big, beautiful, healthy curls down to my waist. I had finally figured them out and embraced them, then I got pregnant and it went straight and never went back. I've learned to love this hair too (it's waaaayyy easier to manage!), but part of me is hoping that any future pregnancies might change it back. Yours look so great and makes me wish it even more!!
Belinda Prentice: Thank you so much for this. I have had dead straight hair all my life, became pre-menopausal last year and my hair suddenly decided to throw me a few random curly days per month and it’s all new to me. I’ve tried watching a few “professional” videos but they are all super intricate and require eleventy billion products. This is super easy to follow and means I might embrace those days instead of just straightening it and throw it into a super tight bun plastered to my head.
blondiecates1: "I was afraid to take up space." That really hit me because even as an adult I tell myself "don't be a bother, don't be annoying." I think many of us feel your statement although in different ways. As someone with straight hair I always wished mine was curly! I had a friend when I was in Middle School who had hair with beautiful chunky curls and I was always so jealous!
A Seguin: I’ve been on a curl journey for 2 years. I have been down the video and product rabbit hole many times. This is, by far, one of the best curly videos I have watched. It’s simple, clear and concise. I just did my own hair and it looks pretty amazing, if I do say so myself. Thank you for making this. As for getting emotional about your hair, I think many of us can relate. I’ve spent the past couple of years apologizing for my hair!! WTH? Saying I’m sorry it’s so big and unruly when someone compliments me. Loving the same curls on someone else (you!) and hating it on myself! It has been quite the journey and I’m sure it’s not over yet. We tie so much of our self worth on our hair-this journey has been like going to therapy. Again, thank you for this wonderful, helpful video and for ALL your videos across social media. You’re a wonder. ❤
Rachel Hicks: After pregnancy, my hair turned from straight to wavy and now I’m trying to learn how work with it. I go from being excited to overwhelmed and it really is a journey to try to accept myself looking different from how I have looked my entire life - especially when I have more bad hair days than good ones right now
Sara Johnson: I find this to be extremely helpful because it can feel so hard to find these types of videos on shorter hair, so I never really know if I'm doing something right or if it will even work for my hair length let alone type. Also, I'm slowly becoming convinced to consider bangs because growing up I just thought they wouldn't work with curly hair and they always look so nice!
Jamie Ramirez: I have board straight hair and was still fascinated by this process and I am so grateful that you shared so much about accepting ourselves.❤
Sandy Cornell: “I was really afraid to take up space, in every way.” Oh man, that line alone brought me to tears. It felt so raw and true, and it really hit home for me. A lifetime of being told my wavy, frizzy hair was too big. That I was too thin, and then “nice and chubby” after having children. That I laughed too loud, and smiled too big. The list goes on, and it makes me sad to even read now! The “how dare you?” and “you’re a liar” are things I’ve thought countless times, but you always think you’re alone. So thank you for being so vulnerable PS. My hair became MUCH straighter during my pregnancies… plus I lost a TON post-partum. Now I find myself missing my “poofy” hair!
Iris And Friends: Thank you so much for sharing this with me! I have a stepdaughter that is just starting to really love her curls, and being her mom with straight hair I’ve struggled with trying to help her see her own natural beauty, especially with her hair. So much of what you said reminded me of her and towards the end of your video I was crying with you. I can’t wait to share this with her. Who knew a video like this would mean soooooo much! Thank you again! You’re the best Elyse! I genuinely mean that❤️
Melani Nathan: Gosh, I have such a similar story to you. I have cerebral palsy and recently diagnosed ADHD. I worked so hard my entire life to fly under the radar and stay unseen. I still struggle but I'm growing. Also, my hair totally grew out straight when I had my babies. My youngest is three and I'm still slowly cutting out the straight ends. Thank you for making so many of us feel seen.
Veronica H.: I feel like a mom, and feel so proud of you for finding confidence to take up your well deserved “space”. Get it girl!!!
Lyndsie Wyant: The amount that I 100% relate to EVERYTHING you said about growing up with curls is leaving me dumbfounded. Elise, thank you. Thank you for saying the things I didn't even know how to put into words. I feel so validated and seen. Also, thank you for sharing your journey with your curls, and this new routine that you've developed. I am beyond excited to give it a shot and learn how to love myself, and my hair just as I am.
Rina Locke: The perception lately of being seen has been something I have struggled with. I'm AFAB, present femme, identify as non-binary but I don't "look how a non-binary person should look" which has resulted in me pulling my hair back and not working so hard on my curls. Which I love. I'm going to work hard on reimagining myself this year and owning space and follow your tutorial! <3
ProfMcGonagil: Also, I just have to say, I see you. I appreciate you so much. We have had a similar emotional hair journey. Your content over the years has helped me immeasurably. I always say I’m a “recovering people-pleaser” and I’m making a concerted effort to take up space, love myself for me, and to live without fear. Thank you for all that you do. You have made a big difference in my life and mental health and I wanted to make sure you know!
Alicia Guajardo: I’m sitting here in tears as well when you started talking about your curly journey. This is a subject so close to my own heart. 3 years ago I started my curly journey and I got so much positive feedback about people loving my curls, it was overwhelming. It’s amazing what happens when you stop fighting what your hair naturally wants to do and you start to learn how to let it shine. To discover that you actually have beautiful hair when you’ve been trying to hide it your entire life is a big realization. When something goes from being your biggest hassle to your biggest asset, it’s incredible. Of course it’s going to get emotional; you’ve been fighting your hair your entire life and now you’ve found a routine that makes your hair beautiful and flattering. It’s a big change in your life and the journey of learning to love yourself. Please know that you don’t ever have to apologize for getting emotional or showing emotion over something that you feel is unwarranted or incongruous. We love hearing the genuine you speak out and shine; and showing your vulnerability is a truly beautiful thing that some of us don’t get to see often enough in life, it makes life meaningful. These are the moments we live for. Thank you for helping me find a new curl routine; my curls need help! This tutorial is so easy to follow and neurodivergent-friendly. Thank you for being genuinely YOU Elyse, keep shining on! We love you! ♥️
Abby Mickey: My naturally curly hair (that I fought with my whole life and straightened for years) also went straight during pregnancy. Happy to know this is kind of normal and the curls I eventually learned to love will hopefully come back :) and looking forward to raising a daughter who loves her curls!
AidanBagnall: As a mama of a 7 year old daughter with your same hair type, it broke my heart to hear how you felt as a child. And reminded me of why I (with only 2a waves myself) immediately started reading and studying up on curls when she was turning 2, so I could help her love them always. I’m so glad you’re having this experience now. I’m crying right along with you. ❤
The Story Taylor: Yup. The same thing happened to me when I got pregnant. It's so weird. Half my hair was curly and half was straight. My baby is now one and a half and i finally have my curls back. And both my baby girl and my toddler have the same ringlets. And i'm so happy for it. It's so strange to see how different people feel about their curls growing up. Everyone always complimented mine and i hated it. My hair was down to my waist and my mom didn't know how to care for it properly wich meant i was walking around with a lion's mane. Now i love it. May dad passed away two years ago and i'm so proud i got my curls from him and now my babies have to. Carrying on the curl legacy.
Cheryl Northness: I started having gray hair when I was 16. Having gray hair used to be such a negative stigma. Finally, at 52 I have embraced my gray hair and I am letting it grow out. I have always wondered what my natural color is, so here we are! I also have naturally curly hair! Love your hair! Big hair is awesome!
annievvho: My hair has gotten more curly as I’ve gotten older, and actually with each pregnancy. I found it so funny when you said, “Obviously, always having curly hair.” I have always been bigger and afraid to take up space, too. I felt what you said there, deeply. Thank you for all of your content. You are life changing for me.
Erin M Laswell: Thanks for being vulnerable and sharing your journey. I was always called “one of the big ones” as a kid (by my family… ) and had curly hair. Every day, multiple times a day, I would wet down the curls and brush my hair as straight as I could. I was embarrassed to look different. When I went through puberty my childhood dream came true and my hair went stick straight. Now as an adult, I wish I could have my curls back. I wish I could love and take care of them. Instead I’m rockin’ a pixie and trying everyday to love my postpartum body alongside. Thanks for all you do ❤
Sara VanDeCreek: I have very straight hair, but I decided to watch this anyway to see what you have learned. I am so glad I did! What an amazing journey you have been on! Congratulations on finding that love for who you are.
Morgan Flowers: I cannot thank you enough for this tutorial! I’ve been working with my wavy/curly hair since late 2021, and I felt like I would reach a breakthrough and then POOF. It would refuse to work with me. I’ve been so frustrated with my curls for the last couple of months, but your tips gave it new life. I’ve still got some perfecting to do, and I’m still working on being used to my mane of hair. But, again, thank you. You helped me breathe new life into them. ❤
Amanda Cope: Oh my goodness! Hearing you say that your hair grew straight while you were pregnant was a light bulb moment for me. During my last pregnancy, with my only girl, my hair changed SO much. My curls nearly disappeared, but I still had so much frizz. I was baffled and in an effort to get my hair back I broke all the curly girl rules. I think I damaged my hair further with terrible products. Anyways, my daughter is 3 now and I've cut my hair several times since and my curls are starting to come back. I've jumped back on the curly girl bandwagon and started implementing some tried and true techniques. I was so glad to watch your video and will definitely be using some of the techniques you described that were new to me. Your curls are fantastic! You are fantastic! Thanks for taking up space and sharing yourself with so many people!
Classic Kina: I LOVED everything about this video. Your knowledge, skill, vulnerability, personal story and your beautiful personality. Stunning!
Jenna Allen: I’m so glad I watched this! I almost didn’t because I’m 41 and I have had curly hair my whole life and no one has ever had a clue what to do with it. I’ve never heard any of the process you described and it makes so much sense! I also lost my curl after being pregnant and so my hair is much more relaxed now that it was before pregnancy. I really felt and identified with the emotions you expressed at the end of your video. I always felt very different with my curly red hair. Thank you for sharing this video.
Lindsey Long: I don’t even have curl hair and I watched EVERY SECOND of this video. Elyse - you are awesome. Thank you for sharing your journey and your heart ❤️
Haley_ish: I love, love, love this! Elyse, you created a beautiful, thoughtful, clear tutorial But, most importantly, the way you open up about feelings and experiences with "taking up space" is so powerful. You've brought it up in other videos too, but it's so affirming and inspiring to see you rightfully declare yourself worthy of time, effort, care, and space. I'm still working on this with makeup too-- I love a bold, dark lipstick but always worry that I'm being too much if I wear it. You remind me that anyone with raised eyebrows can go find less
Dawn Gore: I am a fellow curly in Nebraska! If took me a long while one to embrace my curls as well. Have watched hundreds of curly hair videos. You have done an amazing job with this tutorial. I have many people who are at the beginning their curly girl journey and I find it difficult to point them to a place to start that isn’t overwhelming. You’ve solved this problem for me!
Mm.: Thank you for talking about having curls as a child/teen, the stress was real. Growing up I never knew how to take care of my curly hair, and my family hated my hair, calling it unkept and messy, which made me slowly hate it too. Sometimes I found myself crying in front of the mirror with a brush trying to straighten it out in any way but it just ended up frizzy. Now that I’m older I’m starting to embrace my natural curls and trying to revive them. This video was super helpful!! Thank you ❤
emilykraft89: I had straight hair my whole life, then when I was pregnant and postpartum it grew curly! My kids are almost five and my hair is still curly, but I've been treating it like it's straight because I never learned how to manage curly hair. Thanks so much for the video and journey - I'll be trying this out!
HuffleZPuffle: Me, a person with stick straight hair that won't even hold an artificial curl, here watching a curly hair tutorial and loving it because Elyse ♀️ You're great, lady! And curls look awesome
Samantha Evans: This is THE BEST curly hair tutorial! And I’ve watched hundreds of them. Thanks Elyse! It was very clear and easy to follow. I love that you share all the different facets of your life with us, even things as trivial as hair tips.
Daydream: loved watching you over the past months getting more comfortable styling your curls! my hair is long and heavy and any curls that haven't been ruined by bleach are just terribly weighed down. looking forward to doing a chop in the winter, i'll be using this video as a guide to see if i can get my curls back!
Mikaila Ventura: Amazing job explaining the process!! I, too, have recently learned how to restore my curls…and I can totally relate to EVERYTHING you mentioned about being a child and not wanting to “take up space”….I never wanted my hair to be big (although I grew up in the 80s when everyone’s hair was BIG), but I was also a chunky kid…still am! Ha ha! So, yes, it took me a while to want to wear my hair big. I commend you., Thank you for being brave. It only leads to more bravery in others! Thank you!
mary casey: "I really didn't expect to get emotional about this..." I'm so glad you did and kept it in the video. It was beautiful and I can totally relate to that kind of unexpected emotion- which I think is important to feel, honor and share with others. Thank you-this a great video on so many levels!!!
sashacfort: Thank you for your vulnerability and the amazing tutorial! It’s crazy how much emotion and vulnerability our hair can hold. I am on a similar journey to embracing my curls (at 37) and so appreciate you taking the time to share what you’ve learned
SpazzyTrish: I really appreciate this tutorial! I didn't have curly hair growing up, in fact my hair didn't start becoming curly until I was like 24 (I'm 27 now). My mom has always had curly hair but she always just gels them down and leaves them crunchy. It's been frustrating trying to figure out what to do with my hair, it's so different from how it used to be. I am now trying to find the best way to embrace my fairly new curls! This tutorial is so straightforward and helpful, thank you!
Ashley Bunderson: I learned SO much watching this, thank you!! You and your curls are stunning I would love to see what you’ve learned about second, third or fourth-day curls! I’ve always struggled with that.
Amanda Thee Author: I relate to your story so much, especially your statement of "why would I love something other people don't love of me" I've dated people who've told me I look better with straight hair/ they like me more with straight hair, and somehow I'd convinced myself that I felt the same way. Once I started doing my hair naturally, I had so much heat and dye and bleach damage that it's taken a few years and a very short cut for me to actually see my natural curl pattern. It's still a battle, and some days its tough as I'm still trying to find the right products but... thank you for sharing your advice and your journey.
casey kish: I just went through this in my life as well. I grew up in a household were everyone had straight hair. No one bothered to learn how to take care of my hair so my hair was extremely frizzy and not pretty. They would dry brush my hair daily. I was made fun of for it. Now I use the right products and techniques and I love my beautiful natural curls.
Christina Ward: Elyse, thank you!!! I’ve been trying to make my curly hair work for years and this is the first video where I feel like I’ve fully understood what all the methods do. Can’t wait to try out all these steps! Your curls look INCREDIBLE
mizlyn4: Thank you so much for making such a clear tutorial!! The step by step is so easy to follow and nice to see done by someone I can relate to. My hair used to be ringlets when I was younger and then got straight/wavy starting in middle school. It wasn't until I had my daughter 3 years ago that my hair got their curls back. I'm excited to actually learn how to take care of them
nicole meyer: Thank you so much for sharing this, you deserve to take up space! Your story is powerful and deserves to be heard :) I have also been on a journey with my curly hair and I am excited to lean into it more.
Bree Redmond: Dear Elyse, You are an inspiration!! Truly. You have been such an inspiration to me. As a woman with ADHD. As a socially awkward person. As someone with anxiety. As a mom. As an indecisive person. As someone who struggles with insecurities. As someone who battles people pleasing. As someone who struggles with depression and has been suicidal. As someone who has fought her curly hair for over two decades. Thank you for sharing your experiences, opinions, and life with the world, as well as this tutorial!! I enjoy all your videos and podcast and love how sincere you are. Keep being your authentic self and don’t let anyone make you feel less than the exceptional person you are!!
Jene Rae May: Love your hair, love the way you explained this! The way you edit and break down with the notes and pictures makes me happy on a deep level!!! Very informative and helpful. Will you make more indepth videos on product and using the brush to curl up please?! Also I relate to your story, thanks for sharing. This encourages me to keep going with my curly hair journey! :)
MickeyS4466: Well, I didn't expect to cry either, and yet here I am <3 Your curls and your acceptance of yourself are beautiful! I have two big questions: How do you find out what kind of curls you have? 2C/3A??? Secondly, how long does the entire process take? I lied. One more question...How long do they last/keep their shape between washings? Thank you, and love you!
Dawn Webb: Thank you so much for this. Im proud of you for going on this journey. I dont think theres a curly girl out there who hasn't fought with their hair emotionally and physically. Now I take no greater pleasure than making my curls big. I ask my HusButch all the time "Is my hair hairin'?" and she knows to make sure its BIG
Hale M: Your hair is so much like mine! I've kept my hair pixie-cut short since I was 10 and I finally grew it out to about your length a few years ago, when I was 20. I had never seen it curly and taken care of like it was then, and I got so many compliments on it! Ultimately I decided I liked it better shorter because it was less work, but I'm much more open to growing it out again!
Lora Royster: This is huge for me!!!! I am 65 years old and just started to embrace my curly hair. I grew up thinking it was the worst part of me! Can’t wait to try it out. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! Love you❤
Shawna Anderson: I'm not one to normally comment on YT, but I have to - Elyse!! Ugh, I just love you so much. You are beautiful and amazing. Thank you for sharing vulnerably with us as you always do. You are a gift and a joy. I hope we can all take away that we deserve to take up space! So much love and gratitude for your presence here
Mixxie: I would love if my mom was alive to see this. I watched her struggle with her curls my entire life. She had large soft ringlets like yours. I always thought i had straight hair until I stopped blow-drying. I discovered the annoying "wings" my bangs would form was the beginning of my own curl pattern. Once I realized I had curly hair (not as curly as mommy mom's or brother's) I read a book and learned to stop brushing and shampooing and started using just a curl conditioner. It too me until I was 40 to discover this.
Marjorie Ashley: Great tutorial and love your curly hair story. I had curly wavy hair growing up so frizz was a thing for me too. Decades later I now embrace it as I learned and keep learning tips, tricks, hacks or whatever you want to call it to tame my curls and waves. When I was pregnant my hair changed too but it actually got curlier, go figure! Thank you for sharing! PS you don’t take up space, you fill it with the gentle kindness you bring to this content you’ve created. ❤
Ashleigh Hislop: Perfectly explained. I've spent the last 3 years on a body acceptance/intuitive eating journey, and embracing my wavy/curly 2b hair went hand in hand with this process.
Nowkoh - Naoko: Aw, so awesome! The curly hair looks great! I'd love to know what you do for Day 2, and if things get smushed overnight, and if reviving is necessary? Thanks for taking the time to explain everything so thoroughly!
diana laura gonzalez: Excelente video!! Resumen muy claro de como rescatar los rizos. Yo pensé que era la única que se ponía así de emocional al verme rizada y darme cuenta que mi cabello es hermoso y que sufrí toda mi vida por no aceptarlo tal cual es. El método curly para mi va más allá del cuidado del cabello, es el inicio de una mejor relación conmigo misma. PD es espectacular tu melena
Jessica Blackman: Thank you so much for sharing this story. I am 31 years old and this last year I have been experiencing the same journey with falling in love and figuring out my curls as well. I grew up with people making fun of my hair all the time because of how curly and frizzy it was, and I never wanted to learn how to take care of them and love them , I just wanted to hide them in a bun or pony tail or straighten it like all of the "pretty girls" did. I have learned so much with about my curls and love them now, and my confidence has soared because they are MINE! I cant tell you how much my story relates to yours and I am so happy for you that your curls mean so much to you. Keep loving yourself for who you are you are beautiful!
Jocelyn Garcia: You are the literal definition of wholesome. Just look it up in the dictionary and your face should just be all that is next to the word because you truly are just an incredible human. Elyse, I need you to know that because you have chosen to take up space in this world, you have inspired me and motivated me, and encouraged me to receive what is good in this world and verbally reject what is bad. You've helped me learn to love myself for me and not apologize for being myself. Gosh I wish I could sit down and tell you all the ways you have helped me and now, I'm going to go try your curly hair routine and see if you help me rock my curls in a new way. I need you to know that I genuinely love you even though you are a stranger on the internet and I wish I could be your friend. Happy new year love. Keep being amazing.
Allison Freed: This is so incredibly helpful, thorough and approachable for someone like me who is only just realizing they have genuinely curly hair, not a weird, wavy, frizzy mess that needs to be straightened into submission. It's only thanks to TikTok and all the curly girl content that I realized I had another option and I could like how my hair looked without heat tools. A thing I'd still like to know is long does a routine like this take once you've got it down and how long does your hair last before you need to wash and start over? Part of the appeal of a straightener is it's quick and reliable.
Storytime with Auntie Rachel: Thank you so much! I discovered you on Instagram. - I think from an ADHD angle, I stayed because I love your wit and musical talent. Then you made this video, and it’s life changing because I have followed curly hair accounts on Insta for over a year now and none of the routines have felt completely doable to me. I found the products or the steps too confusing. The whole process felt like a lot. However your video is super easy to follow and I get it and I’m going to give it a go. I think my hair is a similar curl to yours. I’m super excited to give this a go. Thank you for making such a great video and I really love that you are embracing your beautiful curls. By the way, my mum had super curly hair, way curlier than mine, it would grow upwards and out. When she was pregnant her hair grew completely straight like yours did. It never went back to being as curly. Kind of finer and wavy.
Anna Wassom: Fabulous video! I’m 46 and am finally embracing my curls. My hair went from straight to curly when i hit puberty and went so many years with my curly hair not being accepted in my personal or professional space. I’ve had 2 pregnancies. My hair went bone straight with my first pregnancy and super crazy curly with my second pregnancy. I’m not sure if it’s coincidence; but my oldest has straight hair and my youngest has curly hair (turned curly when she hit puberty as well).
Sandra Kern: I’ve always had soft waves… but while pregnant it got REALLY curly. And I was just as weirded out as you were. Also, both my kids were born with straight black hair - and now they have wavy brown/blond-ish hair.
littlemisscakedoc: "I am allowed to take up space" so much power in this! Thank you for your honesty and vulnerability, Elyse! Your insight helps me learn to love myself too
Traci Silva: I grew up with two sisters that have beautiful curls. Before having children, my hair was stick straight. After children my hair became curly just like my two sisters. I had no idea how to care for my hair and hated it because I felt like an imposter. Thank you for validating that I deserve to have my curls. I am embracing the compliments about my curly hair with a little more grace.
Christine Chrisman: OMG thank you so much for this. I have had wavy hair most of my life, but years ago I went through chemo and then i got a totally different texture and ringlets! So i've had to learn so much about how to take care of my curls and this was great. But your emotional sharing at the end really really touched me, and obviously lots of others... xoxox
CeeCee: I never knew someone else felt this way about their curls. I was the only one I knew with big, boofy, curly hair and I felt like it was too much, it made me stand out, people commented on it way too much, they made me so self conscious and my mother had no idea to look after them. I hated them and shaved them off once I got old enough. I'm now 37 and found a great hair care line that has taken the frizz out of my hair and I'm now, all these years later learning to love my curls. Thank you for such a well-put-together tutorial and vulnerability about something that others seem to not see as a big deal - curly hair and learning to love & take care of their curls.
Kim Ashbaker: My hair went curly after I had my kids. It was straight until then. I continued to try and flat-iron out my curls, until a couple of years ago when I embraced them. Love your video!
kaiyaramsey: I’m a mom of a 14 year old girl who struggles with her curls. I loooove her curls and I so want her to feel happy and proud of her own natural self. I’m excited to share this with her. Thank you!
Rasha Sharif: Aww girl! You have a pretty hair! Curly hair is a statement by itself and tells a lot about you! You are strong. I might be the only person who just use conditioners and oils for bd let us hair frizz and look as big as possible lol I dislike gels/mouses and anything sticky you look pretty. It will grow and drive everyone crazy no worries.
Danica Radlo: Love this! A couple of months ago, you posted on IG about embracing your personal natural hair, curly or straight. You inspired me to start wearing my naturally curly. Since then, my hair has gone from 2A/B to a mix of 2C/3A. I'm saving this one! I've been doing the bowl method before styling but not the styling technique you use.... I have to try it next wash day! Please please please do more routines! I have to diffuse before bed because I have to be at work by 7am. I'm still trying to figure out sleeping with a bonnet and satin/silk cases. I added firm hold hair spray last time, a la 80s. I would LOVE to see your night routine!
Tiffany Simons: My hair got curlier when I was pregnant! It is totally a thing. Thank you for this video. My daughter has super curly hair so I am glad she will have a confident role model in you!!
Abby Roy: This tutorial was so thorough, I'm so thankful. I've had stick straight hair my whole life but in the last few years have noticed I think it's actually wavy. When I'm in the shower and when it's wet right after the shower, I see a clear wave pattern. I'd love to try some of these steps to see if I can get any definition! Also, I just wanted to check in as another girl who was afraid to take up space growing up. I was always the tallest and loudest in the class and so many kids would make fun of how loud I was, it was mortifying. Now at 35 years old (in a week!) I'm finally willing to be as loud as I want to be and surround myself with people who love that side of me and don't make me feel bad for it. <3
Carolyn Roth: THANK YOU for this! You did an incredible job, your editing efforts were worth it and you weren’t the only who got a bit emotional thinking about trying to make yourself smaller. I felt that SO much and have struggled with having thick, curly, frizzy hair my whole love because of that feeling. I am trying my best to squash that fear with my 12yr old daughter as she inherited the same hair gene and wants to be as small/unnoticeable as possible, just like I did at her age. ❤