• How Sri Lankan women are learning to love their curls

Growing up in Sri Lanka, curly hair was almost always seen as something to be ‘fixed.’ Many of us who had wild, coiled, or wavy hair will remember being told to ‘tame it’ or ‘tie it up.’ 

The truth is, most of us were never really taught how to care for our curls. Back in school, the girls with curly hair only had a few ‘solutions’: brushing, ironing, or constantly tying it up. The goal was simple: make it look straight, neat, and manageable.

But times have changed. With the internet and social media connecting us across borders, Sri Lankan women have finally joined the global movement of curly-haired empowerment. Online communities have become classrooms for curl care, where influencers share routines, review products, and celebrate their natural textures. 

“For the first time, I realised that what I thought was a ‘problem’ was actually a curl pattern,” shared Aadya Karunasinghe, who discovered curly hair influencers during the pandemic.

Aadya recalled her school days with a mix of amusement and nostalgia. “Nobody really wanted curly hair; it was just something to be tamed,” she said. “I used to brush my hair a hundred times a night, hoping it would somehow turn straight. My mother and friends didn’t know how to help, and we were all chasing this idea of ‘neat and tidy’ hair.” 

Even now, she noted that curly hair could still feel “unruly” in corporate spaces. “Before a formal event, my mother still says, ‘Let’s comb your hair,’ and I have to remind her, my curls aren’t meant to be brushed.” For Aadya, embracing her curls has been both a personal and cultural journey towards confidence and self-acceptance.

The Curly Girl Method

At its core, the Curly Girl Method (CGM) is about unlearning what we thought we knew about hair care. It’s built on the idea that curls need moisture, not punishment. Forget the harsh sulphates and silicones that strip natural oils. CGM encourages gentle cleansing, co-washing (washing with conditioner), and nourishing your hair with natural oils and hydrating ingredients.

But as anyone who has started this journey will tell you, it’s a process of trial and error. 

“It’s all trial and error,” laughed Jaya Karunaratne, a mother of two daughters who recently adopted the method. “I ruined my hair in my youth trying every viral method, but when you finally find what works, it’s magic.”

Jaya reflected on her earlier struggles: “I had my hair straightened for years. I always chemically relaxed it and lost so much hair because of it. In school, I had voluminous curls but was labelled the ‘unruly girl with untameable hair.’ No one knew what to do with curly hair back then. For dance performances, they would cover my hair in gel just to hold it down and stop it from frizzing.” 

Now, she smiles when talking about her hair transformation. “Even at 40, I’m finally learning to care for my hair the way it was meant to be. It’s been a real journey of recovery and self-acceptance,” she said.

Curly hair is now often classified by ‘type’ – Type 2 (wavy), Type 3 (curly), and Type 4 (coily or afro). But, as Jaya put it, “We’re so quick to categorise, but the truth is our hair is dynamic. It changes with hormones, humidity, and even stress. Once you stop fighting it and start listening to it, that’s when it truly flourishes.”

The dos and don’ts of curl care

Getting the perfect curl might sound like alchemy, but it’s really about understanding what your hair needs and what it doesn’t.

Do

• Co-wash or use sulphate-free cleansers
• Use natural oils like coconut, jojoba, or shea
• Add proteins (egg, avocado) and humectants (honey, glycerin)
• Scrunch products in, don’t brush them through
• Dry with a cotton T-shirt or curl towel, not a terry towel
• 
  

Don’t

• Wash your hair daily — let the oils balance
• Use sulphates, silicones, or drying alcohols
• Overuse heat, even diffusers
• Brush dry curls (chaos guaranteed)
• Colour too often — chemicals can reverse progress

Curls, culture and confidence

For Sri Lankan women, embracing curls is more than a beauty trend; it is cultural reclamation. For decades, straight hair was equated with professionalism, neatness, and class. Now, a new generation is rewriting that narrative, one curl at a time.

“It’s not just hair. It’s part of who you are,” said Ashila Kuruppuge, reflecting on her ongoing struggle to embrace her natural curls. “I try my best not to brush my hair because I know it’s bad for my texture; it breaks easily. But sometimes, I just can’t stand how big or messy it looks compared to others. It’s a daily challenge.”

She went on to share something deeply personal: “I don’t have many photos with my loose curly hair because even when I wear it out, I end up tying it back. I’m still ashamed of my big, beautiful mess. I think it’s because I never really got over the childhood trauma of being told by teachers to ‘be neater,’ even when I had brushed my hair a hundred times already.”

For Ashila and countless others, embracing natural curls is an act of self-healing and quiet rebellion. It’s about pushing back against generations of Eurocentric beauty ideals and allowing one’s natural texture to exist freely.

While it remains a challenge, and will likely continue to be a learning process for many, the fact that resources are now widely available has made all the difference. More Sri Lankan women are embracing their curls with pride, and with local creators stepping up to share their own experiences and tips, maintaining curly hair no longer feels like an impossible task. 

What’s more, the growing use of local products, rather than depending solely on expensive imported ones, has been a blessing for many. It’s heartening to see a community forming around this shared experience, one that empowers, educates, and uplifts.

So while it is still a challenge for some, the growing curly-hair movement in Sri Lanka stands as proof that beauty isn’t uniform, it’s personal. Your curls aren’t something to hide or tame; they are something to celebrate. Whether they spiral, coil, wave, or frizz, each curl tells a story – one of identity, resilience, and rediscovery, one strand at a time.