For the Love of Natural Hair: Celebrating Your Curls
Beauty is so much more than skin deep. Our unique features are a connection to our heritage, our community, and our identity. Natural hair holds a deeply personal significance that resonates with how we perceive ourselves and those around us. Loving our naturally gorgeous curls boosts our confidence while teaching our daughters and sisters to love their one-of-a-kind beauty as well.
In short, curly hair is simply magical.
Join us in celebrating natural hair and everything it means to us with your friends at RevAir. Curl care isn't merely a vital part of a healthy hair routine. Loving our curly hair is an important part of breaking beauty barriers, honoring our magical selves, and embracing the natural goddess within us all.
Why We Celebrate Natural Hair
Natural hair is a sacred aspect of many Afro-Caribbean communities. The history of natural hair as well as the subsequent attempts of Eurocentric beauty standards to erase the rich heritage of hair diversity has led to centuries of hiding our naturally beautiful locks.
Many women of color have learned to dislike their natural locks from colonization and anti-blackness, and strive to "manage" their curls with chemical relaxers and heat treatments. These tiresome efforts come at the expense of our hair's health and can often lead to damaged curls, frayed ends, and dry, irritated scalps. Moreover, when it comes to the modern beauty market, so many of our go-to products were not designed with Type 3 and Type 4 hair in mind.
Stop managing and start celebrating.
Natural hair is beautiful, intricately diverse, and compliments the goddess within. The natural hair movement itself first began in the 1960s and early ‘70s, with a cultural revolution in the form of curly-haired divas around the world embracing braids, afros, twists, and all manner of glamorous natural styles for Type 3 and Type 4 hair. This expanded into a celebration of inclusivity, ranging from slightly wavy hair to tight coils and everything in-between. In today's beauty scene, we acknowledge and celebrate the rich diversity of hair in multi-ethnic queens, Afro-Caribbean goddesses, and naturally stunning icons who dazzle and trend without the need to dull their sparkle.
Representation matters in the hair and beauty community. Embracing curly hair sets a new standard for our daughters, sisters, and generations after us. It's an exciting time to be a naturally gorgeous glam guru! Emerging beauty and wellness brands are popping up on the style scene with products for natural hair free of harsh chemicals and rich in hair-healthy ingredients. When the foundation of our beauty philosophy lies in a love of our hair, only the gentlest, highest quality holistic beauty brands will do.
We are the new standard of beauty goals and we're advancing a philosophy of self-love, pride, and inclusion every day, with every strand, every coil, and every curl.
Ways to Celebrate Natural Hair Everyday
Celebrating our natural hair isn't simply a hashtag. It's a lifestyle we can practice every day.
Check out these beautiful ways to celebrate natural hair and be part of the movement.
1.) Join a Natural Hair Community
Find a support group for your hair! Joining a natural hair forum, local community, or simply a small gathering of friends is a great way to get inspired, trade natural hair care tips, learn about new products, and enjoy amazing, uplifting energy.
If you're having trouble finding a natural beauty community in your area, join us on Twitter or Instagram and be a part of the conversation.
2.) Start a Hair Inspo Board
Put your Pinterest skills to use with a “celebrate hair” board! After all, we spend enough time pinning crafts we'll make "someday" and recipes we could whip up if we had the time. Start a board you'll actually use with natural hairstyle ideas, at-home hair care tips and routines to copy, and style icons who rock their natural curls.
3.) Support Local Businesses
Support your local Black-owned businesses that cater to natural hair. Rather than patronizing big box stores, stick to small businesses and put your coins where your values are. The quality of products and services is often far superior to commercial beauty brands that are usually not tailored with curly hair in mind. Supporting natural hair entrepreneurs is a great way to celebrate hair.
4.) Try a New Style
Set a goal to try a new style every week. A common misconception of natural hair is that it's not versatile and that curly hair is limited in style options. Nothing could be further from the truth. Type 3 and Type 4 curly hair are among the most versatile and unique of the hair types. Pick out a new style to try and beat hair boredom by giving your curls some extra love.
Research the origins of each style to better understand the rich cultural connection behind the beauty. For example, Senegalese Twists are a popular (and stunning!) natural hairstyle that originates from Senegal and traces its roots to West African glamour that became popular worldwide in the early 2000s. This dazzling braiding technique can be paired with funky fashion colors, highlights, and extensions to achieve volume and fashion aesthetic. Honoring the history behind the hair is a fabulous way to celebrate curls.
5.) Be Kind to Yourself and Your Hair
Practice the art of hyping yourself up. It may sound a bit silly, but self-affirmations have a profound impact on our mood, confidence, and energy throughout the day. Start your day by complimenting your hair. Instead of the hair self-scrutiny, we often fall prey to, identify three things you love about your hair.
Take a few mirror selfies when your hair is looking extra glamorous and permit yourself to pamper. Spend some extra time on a DIY natural hair mask, pick a glamorous weekend style simply for doing your daily grocery run, and practice embracing your hair's texture and tone. Celebrating natural hair is a process that comes from a practice in the art of loving our unprocessed, unaltered selves.
No Bad Hair Days (or Bad Hair)
At RevAir, we believe there are no bad hair days － or bad hair. Using the right styling products and tools is key when it comes to giving your hair its best, most vibrant life. One of the best ways to celebrate hair is by focusing on our hair care routine and prioritizing ourselves as we go about our busy lives.
Take a moment to identify your unique hair type. Is your hair more tightly coiled, loose waves, or somewhere in the middle? Once you've assessed your hair type, you can begin to choose products, tips, and salon perfect advice best suited for your natural hair. Many of our beauty gurus are amazed at the difference specialized hair care can make － and even more amazed at the fact that they've been using the wrong styling tools on their hair their whole lives!
Start re-prioritizing your beauty routine. Instead of implementing tools that strip away your hair's natural moisture and structure, make a rule to stop forcing your hair to conform to certain styles. The long-term damage to your natural hair can create frayed ends, build up, and breakage. Instead, prioritize hair health and wellness for natural hair. Avoid harsh chemicals, heat treatments, and relaxers in favor of nourishing hair products designed with a curly texture in mind. Swap out your old hairdryer for the effortless beauty of a reverse air hair dryer. These innovative styling tools are built with natural hair in mind to give your curls their best smoothness, volume, and shine without heat.
If you find your current weekly hair care routine is lacking, check out some natural hair routines from your favorite natural beauty bloggers, friends, and influencers. Be sure your routine includes the full cycle of hair care, from clarifying to pre-poo. Learn about seasonal styles that work with curly hair, as the best, easiest summer looks for natural hair. Include a few workouts looks as well, such as protective styles and loose buns, and don't forget the post-gym natural hair revival.
Many natural hair lovers find it helpful to track their hair care routine in a journal or on an app. This keeps us accountable to our hair care routine, even on our busiest days, and serves as a friendly reminder to love our natural hair.
Before long, you'll be a full-fledged naturlista, able to share your own tried and true natural beauty routine with curly-haired goddesses who are just beginning their natural hair journeys.
Looking for more ways to celebrate natural hair? Let us know what your favorite curly hair inspo is and follow along at our healthy hair blog. Here's to you and your naturally gorgeous hair!
