I’ve been thinking about my beauty goals for 2018 (more deep conditioning, less sleeping in makeup), and realized that there’s one thing I’m thoroughly sick of seeing and doing: “taming” my hair. When did we become so obsessed with anything labeled “anti-frizz"” I’m amazed at how much we’re willing to do for the sake of smooth-looking hair, even if we preach all that “I love myself unapologetically” stuff.
As a beauty editor, I’m bombarded with frizz-taming products on a weekly basis. But even outside of my work, I’ve started to realize that the whole “anti-frizz” mentality has plagued me since I was a kid?and if it affected me, it must have affected plenty of other girls and women. My earliest hair memories involve three very specific products: a soft bristle brush, Luster’s Pink Lotion and L.A. Looks Gel (extreme hold); probably because that’s all I ever used. My mother, who grew up in a traditional Italian household, was hardly a natural hair expert. But with limited skills and the help of black women in our neighborhood, she mastered the braid and bangs combo my sisters and I wore until we could manage on our own.
I’m amazed at how much we’re willing to do for the sake of smooth-looking hair.

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Every day my sisters and I lined up in front of our bedroom vanity and stood there, as o...