Though we know beauty standards are always evolving, there are some key aspects that don’t really change too dramatically. Let’s consider a woman’s physique, if she’s tall and slim she’s labelled model like, if she’s voluptuous she’s put in a bucket labelled plus size. If we really think about it, beauty standards have now become a thing of what’s trending or what’s in style as opposed to something that’s set in stone for a decade or more. Let’s take the 90’s, the 90’s was a decade where curls were acceptable and something to be desired, particularly in a women, from Julia Robert’s vibrant, luscious loose curls to Mariah Carey’s easy breezy ringlets. 

Fast forward 10 years to the early 2000's, mainstream media, let us know that natural curls aren’t “it” anymore and natural’s curls required some finishing touches for it to continue to remain picture perfect or dreamy. In came the love for chemical relaxers once again, in addition to the infamous Brazilian Blowout Treatment, hailing from Brazil. This marked the beginning of a never ending desire for perfection achieved through high chemical keratin treatments, designed to create the sleekest, shiniest and straightest locks, without a care for the after or more long term damaging effects stemming from the inclusion of highly toxic ingredients such as Formaldehyde.

During this time, it was probably fair to say ignorance was truly bliss! Can you imagine your hair going through a harsh, highly chemical fuelled hair treatment followed by a blow dry and flat iron in order for the chemical treatment to activate and thereafter the process of bonding with the hair shaft takes place? 

The more interesting part is the regularity in which this treatment must be done in order to sustain this idea of perfect, silky straight locks. On average, a follow up treatment is recommended every 12 weeks! That is four times a year, your hair is required to go through this gruelling, chemically damaging hair treatment! 

Increased awareness and greater appreciation

Add on another 10 years, a revival for natural curls begins in the underworld, chemical treatments slowly bow out and the championing of natural curls begins (again!). As awareness steadily develops it grabs mainstream media’s attention once again. Why? The world stopped and was forced to grapple with the dreaded coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. While adhering to the stay at home policy as a means of protection, many were unable to follow and maintain regular hair salon appointments where they would undergo some form of keratin treatment. This brought a lot of attention to the idea of caring for your hair naturally at home and the discovery of clean, and more natural hair products. We saw a stripping back of the Hollywood veil with many female celebrities resorting to embracing their natural hair texture including Gabrielle Union, Kerry Washington, Ariana Grande and even the likes of the picture perfect Kardashian’s - Khloe Kardashian in particular, in an Instagram upload she captioned “I rarely wear my natural hair texture, Felt kinda cute (please don’t ruin the feeling)”. She went further in her Instagram story upload with a side by side of her curly hair as a child and then, added “I’ve been getting Straightening Treatments on my hair for years. I’ve been getting Brazilian Blowouts and other treatments since I’ve been a teenager, I stopped because of COVID, I actually kind a like my curls”. We know that Khloe Kardashian was just one of many millions who have undergone the exact same process with their hair during this time. One of the small positives to come out of the COVID pandemic is this increased love, awareness and acceptance of how beautiful natural curls are. 

We believe this was not just another “curls are in” again moment, but a pivotal moment in the Curly Hair industry. Where the work of many natural hair or curly hair experts, stylists, researchers, brand owners were given a well deserved platform.  How did this become such a pivotal time for curly hair? We as humans in the 21st century were forced to master the concept of unfiltered self love including a love for your natural curls, in a new, refreshing and unconventional manner. 

5 years on, considerable progress has been made and if we are to go by Hollywood standards, curly hair is still very much “in style” and still trending. Curly hair is now appreciated, celebrated and continues to be embraced the right way.  Does this mean curly hair has become more attractive? Though we are of the view that curly hair has remained incredibly attractive and highly desirable. The recognition by mainstream media could suggest that indeed curly hair is more attractive in both women and men. The recognition of natural curls by mainstream media can be largely attributable to the rise of curly hair influencers on Instagram and Titok showcasing their natural curls by sharing curly hair products, washday routines, best styling tips and techniques. This has further propelled an increase in indie curly hair brands as well as existing well established textured hair care brands to develop and create product lines targeting the needs of this market.

The beauty of the curly hair movement is that you are more empowered now than ever to nurture your curls the right way with a degree of independence, such that you do not need to be in a salon chair on a monthly basis. Curly hair experts do not necessarily need to operate out of salon to be specialists. 

Emerson is proof that curly hair education empowers you to make the right product selection for your hair type as we’ve helped and continue to help ‘000s of clients do just that and achieve incredible results they didn’t know were possible.