Curl Culture in Utah
- Demi Oakeson
- Jun 28, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 12, 2022
Making All Curls Beautiful
"Why can't I have normal hair like the other girls? why can't I make a single friend? How come I was given this thick, puffy mop on top of my head?" Kindra heard Abby's cries from the next room over and went to help. Kindra asked Abby what was wrong when Abby got so angry, sad, and frustrated with the way she looked.
Abby was a 10-year-old girl living in Northern Utah. She and her family origins were from South Africa where curls, kinks, head scarfs, dukes and so many more foreign hairstyles to Utah were considered normal where the Moore’s are from.
"How can little humans be so mean?" thought Kindra. We were taught our whole lives that everyone has their own kind of beauty. Curls are so cute, curls are so unique, and they make you stand out. God needed a trusted, loving, and kind individual to stand up and be different in front of your classmates. These words Kindra spoke to Abby were encouraging, Abby agreed she loved her hair and wanted to be a kind, loving, trusted individual even with her unique hair.
Her teenage years didn't get much better with certain individuals always seeming to call her out on her curls.
However, Abby found close friends and felt that she was a part of something new. Her sister taught her how to braid, twist, and do cornrows. She does them all the time for her friends. Every day Abby tries to make her African roots not so foreign in her new home.
Sadly there are hundreds of kiddos like Abby all over the world who don't seem to fit in. Here in Utah, we don't see much diversity and it can be intimidating for all ages to feel at home. we are not a very diverse state and kids and adults get more comfortable every day talking down to
others. When was this even ok? After all, the world wouldn't spin if we were all alike.
Abby is brave, strong, and has a love for her roots. She continues to educate her peers and share her love of curls with others. Although it isn't always easy standing up for what you believe in, someone has to do it. I have been inspired by Abby and want to continue to grow my knowledge of my curls.
How I took care of my curls at first...
Growing up neither my mom nor I had any idea how to take care of curls. She would buy me shampoo and conditioners that said curly friendly from your local drug store. She got me a diffuser and some gel to help keep the curl hold. These are all things needed for curls. However, those drug store products weren't always as curly-friendly as they said.
I was a dancer and spent 4 plus hours a night at the studio. Because of that, my hair was always pulled back and I showered every night. This led to me going to bed with wet hair on a cotton pillowcase. I had no idea how damaging this was.
Here is a list of 8 don'ts with curls!
Our Sheltered State
I recently took a trip to Texas, where we made a Target stop of course. Every store I go into I have to look up and down the hair aisle to check their curl line. To my surprise, Texas had a whole entire aisle of curl products. All different women started their own line for their kinks and curls. I was in curl heaven. Never in my life have I seen so many curl head products or businesses. At this moment my eyes were opened to the sheltered state I live in. I hope to be like Abby and spread a little bit of curl culture to my friends and family every day.
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