After years of straight and silky hair being the beauty ideal, the Curly Girl Method, popular on social media, is helping youngsters embrace their natural curls

BEFORE curly-haired icons like Taapsee Pannu, Sanya Malhotra, and Kangana Ranaut gained popularity on the big screen, curly-haired Gen-Zs and millennials grew up watching actors and models with shiny, straight and uncannily frizzfree hair, waving in the wind, with not a single curl or wave in sight.

- MAHIMA NAGARAJU

With this, it’s no wonder that many grew up not knowing their hair type or how to take care of it. In the last few years, with the ‘curly girl method’, a technique for maintaining and styling curly and wavy hair, gaining popularity on Indian social media, young people are learning to embrace their natural curls. “I had a weird relationship with my hair when I was younger; it was very thick. There were no curly hair icons at the time and when you’d occasionally see curly hair, it was not very natural. Once I started doing this method, my hair has become a greater part of my personality, it’s a part of my identity, in a way,” says Aasaavari Mohana Gobburu, an undergraduate student.