How can we empower one another to embrace our hair texture and manifest our greatness?

For influencer Cassidy J, falling in love with her curls has led her on a path of personal growth. “By taking the time to care for my natural hair, I have grown to appreciate how beautiful and versatile it is,” she says. “My goal is to help others by sharing my hair journey online. Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life.”

In this series, we’re calling on ELLE Canada Insiders to share their curly-hair stories in celebration of Kérastase’s new Curl Manifesto line: a seven-piece collection co-developed by scientists, curl experts and curly-haired individuals and formulated with moisture-locking manuka honey from New Zealand, fortifying ceramides and curl-defining glycerine to strengthen, hydrate and nourish all types of curls, coils and textures. We caught up with Cassidy to learn about her own curl manifesto.

How has your hair shaped your sense of identity?

“I’m a biracial individual: half-Haitian and half-Canadian. I grew up in a small town in Ontario, and there was very little diversity. For a long time, I wanted to have straight hair like my classmates. Sometimes I would attempt to flatten it with irons, and I often kept it in a bun to hide its texture. I spent so much energy trying to change my hair, that I never spent any time learning about caring for my curls. I always knew my natural hair was important to my identity, but I didn’t understand why the world didn’t embrace it.

“Once I started high school, I got my first phone and saw so many images of women with all different kinds of curl textures. It was inspiring. I discovered the natural-hair community and found articles and videos that validated my experience as a young Black girl struggling with her hair and self-image. When I started educating myself on how to style my hair in braids and twist outs and even how to wear it down, I felt like my real self. Since then, I’ve loved my hair on its best and worst days. It’s an important part of my racial identity, and now I’m very proud of my heritage and hair.”

How do you hope to inspire others to manifest their greatness?

“I hope that by embracing my natural curls, I can help others to feel more comfortable with theirs. I want to inspire by providing hairstyling tutorials online as well as using humour to validate the experiences of those who have gone through similar hair journeys. My intention is to show others that they can heal like I did and manifest their greatness with style.”

What’s your curly-hair staple?

“My go-to is most definitely the Refresh Absolu Hair Spray. Curly hair can take a lot of time to style, and I don’t always feel like washing it to attain perfect curls. Now I’m able to keep my second-day curls fresh, healthy-looking and moisturized.”