Tell Us Your Curl Story - My Curl Story - Fanny

We grew up in France, where there was generally more Afro hair culture in the 80s and 90s. But that didn't automatically make the care and routine any easier.

My name is Fanny, I'm 41, and I live in Munich. My mom is from France and my dad is from Cameroon. My sister and I have coily hair, with one twist: my sister has dark hair and I'm naturally blonde.

Back then, a lot of hair products weren't very gentle on the scalp or the hair itself. Many products were quite chemical or contained very few natural ingredients, and just weren't particularly gentle. I remember they felt very greasy and were always heavily fragranced. That bothered us a lot as kids, so we often ended up using standard products (not Afro products). We sometimes had products from the pharmacy too, but not as a rule, partly because it was very expensive back then.

Our mom always took her time and was patient with our hair, always with the challenge of balancing what worked for the hair with what was practical. As kids, we mostly had short hair - sometimes worn out, sometimes braided (by our mom or by our lovely neighbor from Mali).

Over the years I tried plenty of things, from my teens to today. Short to long, curly to not curly, chemically straightened to Afro. It's been a long journey - and I'm still on it. Like many others probably, I went through the "I-permanently-straighten-my-hair" phase for years. There were a lot of reasons at the time - not just because I liked the style, but also because it was practical, because I could pick a haircut... and because I felt it was more "appropriate" at work. I've since read that many people have grappled with this "social" feeling. It never came from my parents or friends - it came from me, in the professional world. Until I felt it was slowly time to come back to my hair's natural shape.

There were several wake-up calls back then: I got tired of having my hair washed/dried/straightened every week at the salon - even if Parisian women often do that, I didn't want to put me or my hair through that anymore. And above all, the wish to have a child came into play, and I knew chemical straightening wasn't healthy.

That important step pushed me to bring my hair back to its natural texture... going through a short transitional haircut (where the relaxer was still visible) before the big chop. Radical. Tough. But the right thing.

I didn't think this step would shift so much inside me, but suddenly wearing your hair super short and curly takes a lot of confidence and patience. Until you feel good with it and don't immediately reach for a headscarf to hide everything.

I keep rediscovering my features - or, let's say, seeing them differently. The styling around it, from jewelry to clothing, all gets reinterpreted. Some days with full energy, other days a bit less motivated... On those typical bad hair days, with my "spontaneous" hair (as I like to call it!), I need an extra dose of confidence and kindness toward myself... But it's a great feeling to have finally found the length and styling that's right for me.

After the big chop, I reached a point where I now want to look for care products that match my hair type and also work for blonde or lighter hair. I think natural products are best, though I lean toward the practical version - as a young mom, everything needs to be a bit quicker right now. But that shouldn't have to be a trade-off with our hair either. That's why I'm grateful to keep finding more tips and reading on Afro hair. I've only been on Instagram for a short time, but that's how I discovered you at Afrolocke. A huge bravo and thank you for taking us on so many hair journeys.

At 41, for some people it probably sounds late to "discover" your hair, but I'm convinced it's never too late. My hair texture is changing, and I'm evolving too.

Life events shape you, and your personality grows along with them. Learning to love my hair is part of that growth - a beautiful and valuable growth.

Warm wishes,

Fanny