Pronouns: She/Her

Curl Type: 2c/3a

Sport: Skydiving, Rock Climbing, Running, Backpacking

Ethnicity: Quisqueyana y Borinqueña

How do you style your hair for a day outside?

I usually either do braids, wear my curls loose, or go for a messy bun.

Is this any different from how you normally style your hair for extended periods of time outside?

If I am outdoors for a weekend, I’ll curl my hair the night before. During the weekend I alternate between wearing my hair loose, styling it in a messy bun, or wearing a loose ponytail. I generally carry a small travel sized bottle of gel or coconut oil to help tame my hair in the backcountry and control my edges. I’d say for the most part my curls stay preserved for a short 2-3 day trip.

If I am preparing for a weeklong trip, that’s a little different. My curls generally don’t last a full week before they dry out and loose their shape. For extended trips I like to start off with two braids. I’ll wear them for the first couple of days along with different hats and headbands. For the final 3-4 days I unbraid my hair and wear it loose and wavy for the remainder of the trip. If I have access to bathrooms and showers, sometimes I’ll wash my hair and re-braid it again, but personally, I’d rather avoid it.

Are there any other styles you prefer when spending a lot of time in the outdoors?

If I have extra time and income, I’ll pay to get box braids done before a long trip, I like to do this especially when I am on vacation and traveling. Larger box braids that do not have rubber bands at the base are a style that doesn’t damage your curls or cause too much breakage as long. I generally don’t keep them in for more than three weeks.

What are some unique challenges that come from having naturally curly hair while living an active outdoor lifestyle?

Frizz! Usually after a day of sweat, wind and sun, my curls are frizzy and shapeless. I really have to get creative on how to style my hair so that I can continue to look good and feel good while I am outside.

Something that is really challenging with having curly hair is that once my hair gets wet I can kiss my style goodbye. The only time you’ll see a curly-haired adventurer make an carefree, last minute decision to deep water solo, cliff jump or swim in an alpine lake is in a car commercial. That is just not our reality. Curly hair shrinks as it dries. Facts. As a curly girl, a decision to get my hair wet means I have to pack leave-in conditioner to help detangle it before styling it into a bun or braids. So it can be kind of discouraging and difficult sometimes. That’s a huge reason why I like to wear braids—because I can wet my hair and not worry about tangles or frizz.