I said it. It sucks. You have to deal with frizz, tangling, and family saying your hair "isn't right." You get thrown into the deep end of people just expecting you to know how to properly care for hair, which is worse when your family doesn't bother teaching you about the care for it. Researching, and researching, and researching, over, and over is MANDATORY.

You can't walk into a department store knowing they have products suitable for your needs. You have to look at gel, mousse, curl cream, leave-in conditioner, hair masks, etc, and figure out what works for you by trial and error. Sure, there are guides that can *help* you figure it out, but for the most part, you just have to keep trying over and over again until you finally find a routine for you. And don't get me started on diffusing. There is a separate kind of attachment on a blow drier just to dry my curls without looking as if a wrung it out like a mop, which is cool, but since it is curly hair, it takes forever to dry. It is actually an entire workout to use a diffuser, having to constantly position your arms and head just for some curls you don't even know will turn out nice.

For people with straight hair, their end results after a shower are consistent. They know each time they hop out, they are going to have nice straight hair that you can style to your heart's content. Curly hair on the other hand is notorious for never having consistent results along with having few styling opportunities without straightening it. Even if you do the same routine that got you beautifully defined curls the first time, might not do the same thing again, which makes it incredibly frustrating since you don't know what you will end up with. Styling is also expected because if you don't, your hair looks like a clump of mashed potatoes. I have to use 5 different products to make my hair look even remotely good. I just want to have straight, frizz-free, hair that I can shampoo, condition, and be done with.