Curly hair comes with a bounce, personality and a whole lot of unsolicited hands. If you’ve ever reached out to pet someone’s curls like they’re a Labradoodle, this is your official cease-and-desist notice.
Because curly hair? It’s not just hair. It’s a lifestyle, a commitment and sometimes, a high-stakes science experiment involving gel ratios and the humidity index. And it deserves respect, not surprise pokes, invasive questions, or random ‘boing’ attempts at the office.
So, whether you’re a curl-adjacent or curl-clueless, here’s your crash course in curly etiquette 101:
Rule 1: Don’t. Touch. The. Hair.
We get it — curls are fascinating! They bounce! They shine! They look like maggi! But they’re also super sensitive (much like their owner). One uninvited touch can send those well-behaved spirals straight into Frizzville and they ain’t coming back for at least 2-3 business days.
So the best approach? Admire from a respectful distance. Compliments are always welcome — running your finger through our curls, not so much. Promise, we’ll still love you.
Rule 2: Skip the tricky questions
Curly hair doesn’t need to be ‘fixed’, straightened or explained, it’s not a perm, it’s not that much work (okay, sometimes it is), and it’s not secretly dreaming of being flat. If you’re curious, that’s totally okay! But instead of asking why it’s not straight, try something like: ‘Your curls are amazing!’ That one always makes us giggle and kick our legs.
Rule 3: Compliments? Yes. Backhanded one? Hard pass.
‘Your hair is wild!’
Okay, this isn’t a safari. These curls didn’t just roll in from the jungle — they were detangled, deep conditioned, scrunched, diffused and blessed by the curl gods.
Rule 4: Respect the routine
Wash day isn’t just a hair care — it’s a full-on commitment, we’re talking all hands on deck, type of day. There’s diffusing, scrunching, washing your hair with the first tears of a newborn, it takes work! So if your curly-haired friend says they need time for their hair, believe them. We’re trying to raise them right but every curl has its own agenda.
In short? Curly hair is bold, beautiful and comes with clear boundaries — like a fabulous houseplant that thrives when admired but not poked. So yes, look. Yes, compliment. But touch? That’s going to be a no from us.
And please retire the ‘you’d look better with it straight’ line forever — it’s tired, outdated, and frankly the curls are offended.
Now that you know the rules, be the curl hype squad the world needs. Just remember: hands off the hair and everyone stays friends.