Nothing has become more vital over the course of naturalistas life than learning how to love her hair. For some of us this happened early in life and for others it came much later with proper education, styling, and understanding of why our hair is unique. I know I was a later bloomer and stepped into the natural hair space courtesy of my younger sister who tried to sell me on wearing my out and proud. We didn’t come from an era that celebrated natural hair and having sleek/straight hair was the more desirable look at the time. How times have changed, and I am so thankful for that. Now that natural hair is more prevalent in TV, social media, and digital spaces, parents are provided with the opportunity to educate their young girls early about their textured hair and why every tendril on their hair is so special. However, choosing when and where to start with this education in self-love is essential as young girls grow up and become exposed to hair conversations, inquiries, and questions that can shape how they view their hair. Here are a few tips for raising your daughter to embrace her curls from moms of curly haired little princesses rising to the occasion.
@naturallycurlykids
“I tell my girls to never compromise yourself to please someone else. Embrace who you are to the fullest, that includes your curls, you, my darling, were made without mistake. I am all about self love and embracing one’s God-given self.”
Muneera Page
“Teaching my girls to love their natural hair and embrace uniqueness has always been an important part of our lives. To help them gain confidence and appreciation of self-care, we recite daily affirmations in the mirror every morning as well as read books with diverse children showing different hair lengths and textures. I also allow my girls to help with wash days by choosing their own hairstyles. We love taking mommy and me selfies, no greater way to capture memories!”
Dana Harvey
“I first noticed my oldest daughter’s comments about how much she loves Elsa and Rapunzel’s hair from the movies she frequently watched on repeat. Jumping on this quickly, I encouraged her to watch movies with more diversity in hair types like Moana, Princess and the Frog, and Brave. I purchased books that integrated character diversity like ‘Happy Within’ by Marisa Taylor (a good friend of mine”> and positive affirmations such as, ‘I Like Myself’ by Karen Beaumont. Most girls follow their mother’s example and being that we have completely opposite hair types, I encourage hair time to be a fun bonding time where I’ll attempt to style with fun clips and bows to match mommy’s. No matter the craziness of the request, I will always ask her how SHE wants me to style it that day so she knows she gets a choice. I will always and forever speak positive affirmations to them, as I know we never truly appreciate our own beauty.”
Dayna Bolden
Image Source: Lajoy Photography LLC
“Raising my daughter to love her hair starts with me first. I have to be her first example of self-love by loving myself. I try to be the most positive example for my daughter by wearing my natural hair texture proudly. She can see me and be confident in her hair. I tell my daughter daily how beautiful she is. I love complimenting her on her hair so that she is always confident in what God blessed her with. Representation matters, so I try to get her books with little girls that look like her so that she can always see a piece of herself in the content she consumes.”
Michelle Thames
“By reading books to her with characters whose hair looks like hers. We also recite affirmations daily in the mirror about her hair. She also has seen me go through my natural hair and loc journey and she understands that her hair is beautiful just the way it comes out of her scalp. I always tell her how beautiful her and her curls are.”
Shay J.
“Growing up, I didn’t always love my hair because I didn’t understand it and it felt like a burden, so when I had kids, I knew I’d be intentional with how I pour into them and encourage them to embrace their natural hair. I never speak negatively to them about their hair or complain that it’s too thick, too time consuming, or too hard to do. I show them positive images of other kids in the media and point out that the person has hair like them. I want them to know that there are people out there who look like them. I get them involved in the process of doing their hair and explain what each product is and why we use them, to teach them how to eventually care for their hair on their own. I tell them that God took His time to coil each strand of their hair and made them unique, so they need a little more TLC and attention.”
We’re sending so much love and virtual hugs to all our NC families. Thanks for sharing your words of encouragement mamas.
We want to hear from you, in the comments below, let us know how you encourage your curly kids to embrace their natural curls, coils and waves.
