A Beautiful Hair Journey
By Krystena LuCastro · Originally published on Medium May 8, 2025
By Mommy
I want to give my daughters a beautiful hair journey.
Not one full of confusion or comparison —
But one rooted in pride. In care. In knowing.
I want them to feel at home in their hair,
Because one day, I’ll pass the baton.
And when I do, I want to hand over something strong.
Healthy. Loved. Cherished.
Because that wasn’t my journey growing up.
I didn’t love my hair.
I didn’t even like it.
I wanted it to move, fall, behave like ‘those girls”.
I didn’t know my hair wasn’t supposed to imitate — it was meant to stand out.
I used the “creamy crack”.
Tried styles made for textures that weren’t mine.
And each time, I came back disappointed.
Not because my hair failed —
But because I just didn’t yet understand its power.
Now I do.
Now I know my hair is strong, versatile, alive.
And that’s the foundation I want to give them.
Not shame.
Not resentment.
Just knowledge, love, and acceptance — right from the start.
They’ll make their own mistakes.
They’ll explore.
Maybe fry it, dye it, cut it, regret a style or two.
Get frustrated with all the work it takes.
That’s part of the journey too.
But they’ll never start from zero.
They’ll start from roots that were nourished.
Even when I’m tired —
Even when I’m sighing through wash day,
Twisting through tangles with sore hands and a long list of things to do —
I remember what this is all really about.
It’s not just about their hair.
It’s about their identity.
It’s about showing them what self-care looks like.
It’s about teaching self-acceptance and that what they are is enough.
That they are worthy of the time.
The effort.
The tenderness.
That beauty doesn’t come from becoming someone else —
It comes from becoming themselves.
This is my responsibility.
And my honor.
To nurture their crowns while they’re too young to know what they carry —
So that one day, when they do know,
They’ll lift their heads a little higher.
Because their hair was always more than hair.
It was love.
It was legacy.
It was freedom.
And it was cherished from the very start.
Read the published version on Medium