Growing up I was super self-conscious about my feet. They lacked any recognizable arch, they were wider than most shoes seemed to allow for, one wider than the other, and perhaps most disturbing of them all—they were noticeably different. How could a pair, a set of presumably matching parts, be so distinctly different?
Now the differences between my feet are likely more abundant than I realized, but the moral of the story is our bodies aren’t perfectly symmetrical. So for all you Naturalistas confused or even stressed about the lack of uniformity in your curly crown, fret not. There are differences—some more subtle than others—between our hands, feet, breasts, and even our curls.
Now that you’re convinced that Multiple Curl Personalities (MCP) (I just made that up btw) are a normal part of life, you may be wondering how to best care for several curl patterns and/or textures? I put together this “ALA” Method with tips to help treat Multiple Curl Personalities:
Accept it!
This is usually the first step in overcoming any challenge. You just have to accept it! Accept that your loose pattern in the back, kinky in the middle, tight curls in the front is just who your hair is. It isn’t heat damage. It isn’t residual relaxed hair. Starting over won’t change it. Be real with yourself and be real with your hair. (She will likely flourish in return).
Learn
Now that you’ve acknowledged and accepted your MCP, it’s time to learn the details of each. The best way to learn about your hair is trial and error. Pay attention. Take notes. What works? What doesn’t work? Try a set regimen/products for a week or two and document your findings. How does each texture/curl pattern respond to the products and methods? As you work on developing a regimen, think of it just like one of those science experiments you used to do in grade school. It will be very important to isolate variables (otherwise known as constants) so you can easily identify which products or techniques your hair responds well to versus those it doesn’t.
Adjust Accordingly
Once you have accepted your MCP and taken the time to learn about how each of them behaves, it’s time to adjust accordingly. You may find that there are portions of your hair which need more or less attention, or even different types of products.
Whatever your hair goals are, fundamentally we should all want healthy hair. When we give our hair the attention it needs, products it loves, and methods that work—she (or he) thrives!