In this video, I’m talking directly to my Black girls about natural hair—like the real, messy, emotional part of it that nobody prepares you for. I share how I grew up believing “good hair” meant flat hair: perms, slick backs, straight everything. I had super thick, dense hair as a kid, but between my mom working long ER shifts and me living that island life (chlorine pool Fridays + beach weekends), relaxing my hair young was basically a recipe for disaster. By 14, my hair was breaking off so badly that I did a big chop (like… 2 cm of hair), hid it under braids for years, then repeated the cycle later because I genuinely didn’t know how to care for my curls. Quarantine is what saved my hair’s life. I finally had time to let it breathe, wash weekly, deep condition, and learn my hair instead of fighting it. I break down the simple routine that helped me grow my healthiest, longest hair—low manipulation braid outs, moisture + oil to lock it in, and patience. I also get into setbacks like dye damage, climate changes (Arizona dry heat vs NYC humidity), and my current struggle with heat damage and slick backs affecting my curl pattern in the front. The biggest takeaway: Black hair doesn’t need to be tamed—it needs to be understood, respected, and loved, and this journey is not linear.