Curly hair is beautiful, unique, and sometimes misunderstood. Those with naturally curly locks sometimes struggle with maintaining healthy curls and finding products and styles that work for their texture. That’s why having a National Curly Hair Day can be meaningful for this community. But is there an official day dedicated to celebrating curls?
National Curly Hair Day
National Curly Hair Day, celebrated annually on June 22, is a cherished occasion for curly-haired individuals around the world. This unofficial holiday was established by Curlfriends and various brands, aiming to foster acceptance, empowerment, and education surrounding curly hair. The celebration serves as a platform for people to embrace their natural curls, promoting self-confidence and positive body image.
Participating in National Curly Hair Day events is easy and fun – individuals can join in by sharing their experiences on social media, attending meetups, or indulging in specialized curly hair services. The hashtag #NationalCurlyHairDay is commonly used to share content and connect with others celebrating the beauty of curly hair. Join the festivities and let your curls shine on this special day dedicated to curly hair appreciation!
Discovering the Holiday’s Meaning
National Curly Hair Day aims to spread empowerment and education around curly hair. For too long, curly hair has been called “unruly,” “unmanageable,” and even “unprofessional” by the mainstream beauty industry and media. This unofficial holiday seeks to change that narrative.
The day encourages embracing the natural texture, learning how to properly care for curls, and celebrating the diversity and beauty of curly hair. Brands and salons use it as an opportunity to provide advice and discounted services to those with curls, coils, and waves.
Curly Hair Appreciation
There are a few key reasons why taking a day to celebrate curly hair is important:
- Representation – Curly hair is still underrepresented and sometimes not accepted in mainstream media and fashion. Celebrating curls can help shift perceptions.
- Self-Love – Many people with curly hair struggle with loving their natural texture. The holiday promotes self-acceptance.
- Education – Curly hair has different needs for proper care. The day spreads awareness of those needs.
- Community – Connecting with others who understand the curly hair journey helps people feel supported.
The day is also a reminder that curly hair is beautiful in its natural state – no straightening required!
National Curly Hair Day Festivities
There are many fun ways to celebrate the curly holiday each year on June 22nd:
- Post a curly hair selfie on social media with the hashtag #NationalCurlyHairDay
- Attend or host an empowering curly meetup in your city
- Ask your hairstylist for a curly cut or tips for your curl type
- Try a new curly style, like finger coils or braidouts
- Experiment with new products made for curly hair
- Watch YouTube tutorials from curly influencers and vloggers
- Rock your curls out loud and proud all day long!
Big curl brands like DevaCurl, Mixed Chicks, and CurlyWorld also celebrate by providing discounts, giveaways, and curl positivity across social media.
Getting involved is as easy as grabbing your favorite hair gel and letting your curls shine!
National Curly Hair Creator
While many curly-haired people probably wish they’d thought of the idea for a curly hair holiday, the founder of National Curly Hair Day is a beauty editor named Michelle Breyer.
Michelle Breyer’s “Aha” Moment
Michelle Breyer has worked as a beauty editor for over 20 years. She was also born with a head full of beautiful curls but spent years damaging her hair to make it straight.
In 2017, after yet another disastrous hair straightening session, Michelle had an “aha” moment. She realized how many people with curly hair struggle to accept and properly care for their natural texture.
Michelle talked the idea over with her daughter, who also has curly hair. She realized creating a National Curly Hair Day would help unite, empower, and celebrate the curly community. And with Michelle’s platform and connections in the beauty industry, she could make it happen.
Planning the First National Curly Hair Day
For the first National Curly Hair Day in 2018, Michelle Breyer reached out to hair brands like DevaCurl and CurlyWorld to come on board. Beauty magazines like InStyle also helped promote the new holiday.
The social media hashtag #NationalCurlyHairDay let curlfriends find and share information. Bloggers and vloggers created content about curly hair history, acceptance, and care. Brands offered deep discounts on products as part of the celebration.
Based on the enthusiastic response, Michelle and the other founders knew they had created something special. Five years later, National Curly Hair Day is still going strong each June 22nd with celebration across social platforms, salons, and the curly community.
National Curly Hair Day Events & Activism
The social media celebration with selfies, tips, discounts, and positivity took off quickly. But the founders and partners behind National Curly Hair Day wanted to do even more.
The day has sparked many in-person events, fundraising activism, and education around embracing natural hair.
Curlfest & Local Meetups
Curlfest, founded in New York City by curly influencer Tracey Coleman, brings the online curly community together. The annual festival is now the world’s largest natural hair event.
Curlfest and local curl meetups across the country coincide with National Curly Hair Day. These allow curlfriends to meet, get styling advice, find the right products, and celebrate texture and diversity.
Curly Hair Fundraisers
The holiday has galvanized fundraising around making curly hair education and services accessible. Two of the biggest fundraisers are Curl-Aide and Curlpowerment.
Curl-Aide raises money to provide free curly haircuts for those in need. The organization was founded by hairstylist Leah Vernon after a mom reached out saying she couldn’t afford a curly cut for her biracial daughter. Vernon saw this as a chance to empower children of color and provide education around embracing natural hair. She partnered with DevaCurl and other big curly brands to raise over $50k on the first National Curly Hair Day in 2018.
Curlpowerment takes a similar approach – providing curly hair education and services to marginalized communities and children. The nonprofit was started by curly influencer Danessa Myricks on the very first National Curly Hair Day with the goal to spread empowerment through understanding curly hair.
Campaigns Against Discrimination
Another impact of National Curly Hair Day has been building awareness around ending hair discrimination, especially in schools and workplaces.
Campaigns like the CROWN Act (which bans hair discrimination based on style or texture) have gained steam each year around June 22nd. The holiday has put a spotlight on the prejudice those with natural Black hair still face regularly.
Though the natural hair movement has come a long way, the founders and nonprofits fueled by National Curly Hair Day want to continue making positive change year-round.
Google’s Curly Hair Tribute
Since National Curly Hair Day promotes diversity, acceptance, and empowerment around natural hair, it aligns well with Google’s overall mission and values around inclusion. Though Google doesn’t officially recognize it as a holiday, its search platform does surface content and information around the annual event.
By powering searches around the curly hair holiday and showing support on social media, Google uses its global influence to spread awareness of National Curly Hair Day. And each year, the company ensures information panels, keyword trends, and top search results reflect the latest details on the unofficial curly holiday happening on June 22nd.
So while National Curly Hair Day wasn’t created by nor is officially recognized by the search engine, Google still plays a role in educating and connecting people to the annual celebration of curls.
Conclusion
Within just a few years, National Curly Hair Day has become an important date for promoting diversity, self-love, and proper education around curly hair care.
What started as a simple hashtag and social media celebration quickly blossomed into global nonprofit activism, in-person festivals drawing thousands, and awareness campaigns fighting against hair discrimination.
The holiday’s meteoric rise shows the desire for unity, empowerment, and celebration within the natural hair community. As the curly movement continues, National Curly Hair Day offers the chance for people across cultures and hair types to support healthy curls and confidently wear their natural texture.
No matter your curl pattern, hair color, or background – June 22nd belongs to you. National Curly Hair Day reminds the world that curly hair is beautiful in all its unique glory.
FAQs About National Curly Hair Day
Curly-haired individuals unite! National Curly Hair Day is a celebration dedicated to embracing and honoring those luscious locks. If you’re curious about what this day entails or how you can get involved, check out some common questions related to this curly-haired holiday:
Is National Curly Hair Day an official holiday?
No, National Curly Hair Day is an unofficial holiday, founded by beauty editor Michelle Breyer to celebrate and support the curly community. It is recognized online and through local events but not as an official US holiday.
What does the curly hair holiday symbolize?
The day symbolizes unity, empowerment, self-love, and education around curly hair. It promotes diversity by celebrating all curl types and working to shift perceptions of what professional, beautiful hair looks like.
How did Google play a role in the curly hair day?
Google search helps people find information on National Curly Hair Day events, meaning, history and more each year. Though not officially recognized by Google, its platform connects users to resources around the annual June 22nd celebration of curls.
Where can I buy National Curly Hair Day merchandise?
Many curly hair brands like DevaCurl, Rizos Curls, CurlyWorld, and more create National Curly Hair Day merchandise and t-shirts that are available directly on their sites or through retailers like Target and Walmart.
Are all curly hair types included in the holiday?
Yes! National Curly Hair day is meant to be inclusive – embracing type 2 wavy hair through 4C coils. All curl patterns, textures, lengths and colors are welcome to celebrate natural hair positivity each June 22nd.