My mother has always had straight hair.
She didn’t know how to deal with my curly hair when I was a kid, so she always tied it back for me.
And she tried different hairstyles that would make it straighter.

The comments I got on my hair did not stop as a I grew older.
Comments like, “Why is your hair kinky like that?”
“You shouldn’t wear your hair down if it’s not straight. Tie it back.”
“Tie back your hair or brush it.”
“Straighten your hair with chemical treatments.”
But thank god I never tried any of those things.
I always wore my hair in a bun.
I didn’t know how to take care of it.

That’s until I joined the group that changed my life: “Curly Girls Egypt.”
It taught me how to take care of my hair.
But my hair took time to go back to its natural curly state because it was always tied up or in a bun.

I was in a Saudi school where most Saudi girls had straight hair.
They made fun of my curly hair.
I used to hear them making jokes about it and mocking me.
But that only increased my confidence.
I used to cry because of it when I was young.
I had zero confidence in myself.

“Why do you style your hair that way? Why not leave it straight?” an Egyptian teacher once told me.
She was convinced that I had straight hair, and that I chose to make it curly.
She would give me advice like, “Brush your hair and use cooking grease.”
People made fun of my hair at home and at school all the time, but I didn’t pay attention to these comments.

During an awards ceremony at school, the principal refused to shake hands with me.
Even though she greeted and congratulated all the others.
“What’s wrong with your hair?” she said.
“I wish you’d brush your hair for once,” she used to tell me whenever she’d see me.

My hair started getting better with time.
And those who used to make fun of me would ask, “How do you make your hair look like that?”
Many girls at school, in my family, and some of my friends started wearing their hair natural like me.
I’m proud of my hair and my beauty.
I love my hair and I don’t care about any of those hurtful or mean comments I get.