This week’s guest: HOLYCURLIRIRI
She is a fantastic person with always a cheerful smile on her face. Her beautiful pictures on Instagram are worth seeing. She has shared her journey with me, and I am sharing this with you. Listen to her own inner voice!
CANDID CONTEXT: Who are you from your heart?
HOLLYCURLYRIRI: I’m a curly giggling old lady, those that give tight hugs, huge kisses, shoulders to cry on, and that love to offer everything they have.
CANDID CONTEXT: What are the things you love about yourself?
HOLLYCURLYRIRI: Honestly, 85% of the time, I am awake. I’m smiling or laughing. I can’t even tell you why, it is just a fact, and people say that my laugh is contagious, which makes me very happy! I’m just a pleased and thankful person.
Other than that, I love my curls and my curves as they represent my roots.
CANDID CONTEXT: What are your passions?
I love to bake and medicine. I love to help and make people happy. I love to hear music. But, most of all, I love to spend time with my loved ones.
CANDID CONTEXT: Did you ever feel inadequate in your life about your curls, and did anyone make fun of them?
HOLLYCURLYRIRI: Ever since a little girl, I was the only one with curly hair in my circle of family and friends, except for my dad. So when people talked about the curly girl, the likelihood of it being me was 99%.
When I got to adolescence, I hated it. I wanted to fit in so so so badly… My family would call me sheep, and I would go mental every time.
Can you picture a small chubby curly girl that combed her hair, parted it in the middle, and used headbands? Yeah, she did not fit the “cute girl” standards at that time.
One day 2 girls came to me and said, “your hair is so weird, you should stop using headbands and try to comb it!”. That left me so heartbroken. I promised myself I would straighten it as soon as my mom let me.
And so did I. Every time I straightened my hair, my mom would say my curls looked so much better. But I wouldn’t care. I was so sick of being the “curly-headed girl.” So I ignored my mom and family every time they would tell me that my curls were extraordinary.
CANDID CONTEXT: When did you start to understand your beautiful curls are worth to care?
HOLLYCURLYRIRI: When I got to university, I met some fantastic people. They loved my curls even though they had only seen them in the “fried noodle” phase! And that was when I started thinking that perhaps it wasn’t so bad to be curly!
I have so much to thank these 2 friends, my boyfriend, and my fam. Without them, there would be no curls at this point.
CANDID CONTEXT: How do you take care of your curls? – Your basic routine.
HOLLYCURLYRIRI: I wash my hair 2 times per week. I always shampoo and apply a masque afterward, alternating between hydration, nutrition, and reconstruction. I leave the masque on for 30 min to 1 hour (depending on if I’m in a hurry) with a heat cap on. Then I’ll comb and rinse with cold water. If I’m feeling extra fancy, I’ll apply conditioner. Afterward, I’ll put a leave-in, a gel, scrunch and diffuse it.
Seems easy but is very demanding!!
CANDID CONTEXT: Your Holy Grail product(s).
HOLLYCURLYRIRI: No doubt on this one: Shea Moisture’s Jamaican Black Castor Oil Masque. Totally revived my hair from the fried noodle state!
CANDID CONTEXT: How do you apply the products?
HOLLYCURLYRIRI: I always do it after the shower with my head flipped down. I’ll rake the product in and smooth it, then I scrunch for my life!
CANDID CONTEXT: Any secret tip for curly girls?
HOLLYCURLYRIRI: In the wintertime or during summer, whenever my ends start to dry, I apply a very hydrating masque before I shampoo to protect them from the shampoo. It always does the trick for me!
CANDID CONTEXT: How should all moms take care of curly hair kids, even if the moms don’t have curls or don’t know about curl management?
HOLLYCURLYRIRI: I’m not a mom yet, so this is a tough one. However, I remember being a little girl and having my grandma washing, combing, and finger coiling my hair. It was the best my curls ever looked.
I would advise moms to do their research and use natural products. However, I guess the key is to have a lot of patience and put in extra love.
CANDID CONTEXT: The mistakes one should avoid with curly hair.
HOLLYCURLYRIRI: This is an easy one for me because I’ve made a lot of them! One should never:
– use heat tools before applying heat protection (fried noodle alert!)
– use ponytails with wet hair (breakage alert!)
– go through a whole week without applying any deep treatment masque (dryness alert!)
– ignore the power of a satin pillowcase (crown frizz alert!)
– leave the house without thoroughly dried hair (frizz puff alert!)
– use a regular towel to dry your hair (not even gonna talk about it…)
– apply too much product (buildup isn’t cute)
– leave the hair greasy simply putting it in a bun (greasy scalp is responsible for alopecia – hair loss)
– go too much time without trimming the ends (regular trims help your hair grow, trust me, I’m the living proof of it!)
– let others say they look better with straight hair – Goodbye, Felicia!!
CANDID CONTEXT: Whom do you thank in life?
HOLLYCURLYRIRI: As I said, I’m very thankful, so I don’t think I can find only that one person. Everyone around me has helped me one way or another. My mom, my baby bro, my boyfriend, my fam, my best friends. All of them are awesome and have helped me so much. Easy peasy!
Even haters, because they make me laugh even more complicated than average!
CANDID CONTEXT: Who is your favorite person or your guardian angel? (If any)
HOLLYCURLYRIRI: I’m gonna go with a cliché: my mom. She always knows what is going on with me, and she always helps me. It is funny because she knows stuff about me before I even realize them. No, I don’t believe she is a psychic…
CANDID CONTEXT: How to be a beautiful person inside out, according to you?
HOLLYCURLYRIRI: My 3 commandments:
Never deny help to those in need.
Be with the ones you love.
Drink a lot of water.
CANDID CONTEXT: Your inner message for the world.
HOLLYCURLYRIRI: Create the pathway of hope and love. Walk along with it. Walk along with it in others’ shoes. Teach others to walk with you.
CANDID CONTEXT: Is there any place where people can reach you out?
HOLLYCURLYRIRI: Yeaaas, please, cutie! @hollycurlyriri
CANDID CONTEXT: Any comment about me or my website?
HOLLYCURLYRIRI: When you first approached me, you called my attention because of your interest in my past story rather than new tips and tricks. I was intrigued by your enthusiasm, and then I saw your website. It is so helpful and relevant. You are very gifted!
Thank you so much, HOLLYCURLYRIRI, for this beautiful opportunity to talk to you. Not only I wanted to know the healthy hair routine of your incredibly gorgeous curls, but I also intended to know you as a person – a woman. I hope to get you again at my den here.
Candid Context 