Inspiring report from a photographer who went through a hair transition –

“Curled hair is beautiful, it draws attention, it’s different… But it takes work! As a teenager, he only saw the side of the work. In high school, nicknames like miojinho, poodle and bad hair were very common. I laughed, pretended I didn’t care, but deep down I hated it. I felt out of character; beautiful it was to have straight hair.

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I lost count of how many times I woke up in the morning and my wires were armed. Wasting water, kilos of cream and gel, and nothing solved. The solution used to be a pretty bland bun. She left the house frustrated. At that time, there was little variety of products for curls; I tried to alternate between three brands plus a blue gel and finished with perfume to disguise the strong odor.

– (Personal Archive/Instagram Reproduction)

Until the miraculous progressive brush appeared, which promised “damage-free” straightening. My eyes sparkled. I made an appointment at a trusted salon after convincing my country. It was almost impossible to keep your eyes open during the procedure, as the formaldehyde burned like a burn and the odor was impossible. Still, she was happy. Me thrilled when seeing the result. After the first wash, however, I realized that the product was only activated with heat — a love-hate relationship with the dryer and flat iron began; I spent two hours a day with my allies for ten years of my life.

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During that time, I lost count of how many times I applied formaldehyde — on average every two or three months. In the media, an endless amount of cases of burned scalp, breathing problems, fall capillary… I didn’t care. I was only concerned with aesthetics, with feeling good and beautiful.

A year ago, I started noticing girls with curly hair, the proliferation of specific products on shelves and in TV ads, in videos on the internet. Questions came naturally: What if I tried? How would it be? Would you accept me?

Insecurity was also inevitable. Fear of what others would think and say. Fear of not finding myself beautiful. But I had to try! I matured the idea and, for the first time, I put health first. Knowing that curly hair was all the rage helped, of course. I read countless reports, tips and motivational phrases. I realized that it would be the kind of decision that would help me find myself again as a person. I imagined how good it would be to get rid of the dryer, flat iron and progressive. But as everything has its priceI knew it wouldn’t be easy.

I immediately stopped with the progressive. I didn’t have the courage to venture into the Big Chop (BC), term used for the cut very short that takes away all the chemistry from the wires at once. For five months, I continued to make a brush to disguise the curly root. It was a difficult period and reading testimonials from other girls who went through the same situation was very encouraging. count to the greatest number from people who were transitioning and who would let my natural hair grow back also helped — to my surprise, everyone was supportive.

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The great time has come to take on the curls. I went to the pharmacy to buy moisturizing creams — essentials for curly hair! — and I put into practice a technique called dedoliss, which is basically curling small strands of hair with your finger to get a curly shape. I loved the result! I felt a weight lift off my backit was free!

I haven’t cut my hair yet, but plan to do so soon. Use dryer to help get more defined, but the flat iron has been retired. Each curl that forms is a victory. There are days when he doesn’t roll for nothing, but I manage. Despite that I feel happy and I don’t regret a minute of having made that decision.

The transition generates changes within you and that change comes from heart. And everything external will be just a detail. Acceptance, self-love, self-knowledge. Some girls have already asked me how I’m dealing with this and what I’m doing. This made me extremely happy! Knowing that I can help someone through this is also very rewarding.”