Hey Loves!
You all know me as Little with Big Curls, but to everyone else, I’m just Stephanie. I was born in Brooklyn, NY but both my parents were born in the Dominican Republic. Growing up in a Dominican household, I can only describe it in one word: LOUD!
Hair has always been a part of my life. Growing up, Saturdays included family get-togethers at my Tia’s two-bedroom apartment in the Bronx, where my mother and her four sisters did each other's hair. When I remember those days, I can hear my mother and her sisters gossiping, screaming, and cooking all at the same time. I can smell the relaxers, hair dyes, the smell from the hot blower, and the Dominican seasoning.
I remember getting my hair relaxed for the first time at 10. I finally felt pretty and I thought I was the bomb (lol)! I no longer had what is called, in Dominican culture, "UN PAJON," or messed up hair. After that, I religiously relaxed my hair every few weeks for as long as I can remember. However, in 2007, a few months after I had my daughter Jessanie Love, I made the decision to cut my hair. I didn’t feel pretty and was going through emotional issues. I felt I needed a change so I walked into a random hair salon in Harlem and told the lady I wanted a pixie cut. She looked at my hair, looked at me, shrugged her shoulders and told me to sit down. As I sat in the chair and looked at my new look, I felt a heavy weight lifted off my shoulders and promised myself I would never relax my hair again.
Though I stayed away from the chemicals, I continued my weekly routine of straightening my hair - and when I was introduced to the flat iron, I was in heaven!! I was able to flat iron my hairall the time and keep my straight hair on point. I had no clue the damage I was causing my hair. I was literally flat ironing my hair every single day (SMH!)
In April 2014, I hopped in the shower to wash my hair with the intention of wearing my hair curly when I realized I had lost my entire curl pattern. Suddenly, I felt like I’d lost something; I was sad yet determined to get my curls back. I began doing some research and stumbled across this amazingly diverse natural/curly hair community I had no idea existed. I began to follow a few curly girls on Instagram I felt had similar hair to mine for advice and hair tips. But what helped me most on my hair journey then was NaturallyCurly.com; I found myself on their website daily, spending hours learning about different curl textures, and how to care for my curls.
By January 2015, I had enough new growth and finally went through with another “Big Chop,” but this time for all the right reasons. I embrace my natural curls and absolutely love them! I learned to care for my curls through trial and error until I finally found what my hair liked and disliked. I’ve discovered so much about myself through this journey and wanted to share it with the world as well as help other women embrace their natural hair.
Thank you so much for stopping by my page and for your continued support. I look forward to continuing to share my journey with you and bringing you more awesome curly/natural content.
Hugs & Kisses
Stephanie