Hair has been a journey—sometimes a challenge, sometimes a joy, but always a part of me. From childhood tangles to learning how to care for my kids’ curls, every step has taught me something new.
Raising five little ones with completely different hair types, I quickly realised that looking after curls isn’t just about products—it’s about understanding, patience, and love. That’s why I started CURLiD. I wanted to make curly hair care easier, to share what I’ve learned, and to help others feel confident in their own hair.
Here’s how it all began.
It Started at Home
The earliest memory I have of my own hair was me not brushing it properly and putting it in a ponytail every day until a giant dreadlock appeared in the middle. My mum was so proud of me taking on my own hair but hadn’t realised it was just the surface. She went to brush it out and gave up against this huge dread that was going nowhere. My dad (English, white) with no experience of my hair type sat me down and patiently got to the bottom of the dread.
From there I took better care, but my hair brought more troubles my way. In primary school, I went in with a smooth up-do and came home looking like a wild lion. One day, waiting in reception after school, I remember another boy sitting with me staring. Then out of nowhere, he said, “Look at your hair, coloured girl.” I was so sensitive, so that one hurt, and I didn’t really know why I got that unkindness. But one thing is, I built resilience, and mum built us to be strong, so I held it together and kept going.
That came up again in secondary school, where some girls in the year above would call me “poodle head.” I was a lot stronger by then and didn’t take any nonsense, but in an all-white school with all-white friends, strength was what I showed. But it still annoyed me that they could say that. I’m half Jamaican, half English, and I always say I’m too white for the blacks and too black for the whites. So in that moment, that was a me problem. None of my friends could relate to it. So strength is all I could show.
Since then, I’ve been told my hair smells of bacon, seen people wipe their hands after touching my hair, and felt the need to straighten it to fit, especially in a professional setting, which only damaged my hair.
Now, let’s cut to 2018. I brought my first little girl into the world, and I was still straightening my hair. Her curls were different from mine (all unique in our own curls, aren’t we?), and I had to learn all about hers too. It was in that moment I decided to stop straightening my hair for good. I knew I wanted to teach my daughters to love who they are, and as they say, they don’t do what you say, they do what you do. So I knew I could start showing her how to love natural hair or hide it. I chose to teach love.
Since then, 5 babies in total, I have nearly every hair type under one roof (no joke). They’re all so different, so I set about trying to find a way to help them understand their hair, care for it well, and love their curls.
When thinking about their hair, I consider language as a huge part. Many people like to walk into our room and touch one head and say it’s softer, and the other is thick (or coarse). I shut this down as much as I can because it’s dropping tiny nuggets of negativity from a young age. Yes, their hair is different, and textures require different things and have different abilities, but hair in whatever form belongs to you and it’s beautiful. No one has the right to categorise your hair as good or bad, and I hate that we live in a beauty-obsessed world where those categories happen daily. I am not perfect, and I make those mistakes myself sometimes too, but I am making a conscious effort to do better.
All I knew was that I wanted them to recognise the importance of healthy hair, understand their unique hair needs, make the best choices for hair, and take good care of their hair.
So there we have it, the backstory that led to me setting up CURLiD in 2022.
The Challenges of Curly Hair
Now, don’t get me wrong. Caring for 5 curls is NOT easy. Goodness me. Finding the right products and routine was the number one struggle that birthed CURLiD’s first baby, the hair analysis kit (you can read more here). After filling my cupboards with thousands of products and never finding the ones that worked, I was fed up of wasting so much money. I wanted a straight answer: what product should I use to get the results I want? That was not easy for myself, let alone 5 others. We’re talking porosities of every kind and me trying to understand what to do. Now thank God, after working with trichologists, educating myself from experts, I now understand exactly what their hair needs, but that information isn’t available to everyone so easily. I had to start a business to find it!
Nonetheless, after 2 years, I got there and we found our swing. That doesn’t mean we don’t still have our struggles.
How many people can just stick a brush through their hair and walk out the door? For me, I’m planning wash days, night-time styles, product refills for 5, whose tool is who, travel packs, haircuts. Just one morning is a conveyor belt of curls. It’s so cute—these little curly heads—but it’s work! Then you have the battles with them. First one: detangling—neighbours think I’m killing them. “I want my hair down” (No, it takes too long, you jump on your head too much, curly hair is so fragile, let’s keep it safe). Sooooo many conversations to be had.
It’s a minefield, but like I said, I got my swing, and that was the routine that worked, the products that worked, and the tools that assisted. I didn’t go on to sell products because if there’s one thing I know, curly hair is so unique and you have to understand your own unique hair. Plus there are so many products out on the market I didn’t want to add to that confusion. But the tools—they were a game changer for me, and that’s why I packed them up to make them easily accessible for others. What I call the must-haves.
So many mums stop me on the streets to ask hair advice, and now I have a place to send them to make it easier. Just get these 7, and you’ll be off to a great start!
I’m not just trying to sell a load of tools. I created the business to help others, and in turn, it’s allowed me to teach my children so much about running a business that puts its customers first. They help me every step of the way.
The Game-Changers
So, these game-changing tools… What are they? They are the tools I turned into the curl menu. 7 tools to help you find your swing. They’re really simple little tweaks, but they make all the difference. The Detangle Dream is my number one go-to. Of all the brushes, this is the one that detangles with ease. I found it a bit tricky to get to grips with at first, but once I knew, that was it. The kids will literally ask me what brush I’m using if I use another one and ask me to use the black one instead.
Then we have The Helping Hands Clips. I never used these in my life, and once I incorporated them, I don’t look back. Brushing a whole bulk of hair was a painful job, the girls felt it, but I was advised by a trichologist to separate first, and once I did that, it was magic—halved the struggle completely, giving easier access to different sections of hair. They also help me get all my products evenly distributed, and if I do a twist, they keep them in place too. They have great grip on them.
Next, we have The Reviver. I never brush their curls dry, and neither should you, so this is just the essential item you have to have if you’re not washing. Spray and brush, simple. The Cozy Curl Bonnet takes care of night times, keeping the curls in one place and gentle, stopping the hair from getting messier. We don’t wash our hair every day, so The Silky Shield is a gentle silk option for those days. It’s nice and big too, as I have long hair, so it fits a lot in. It’s great for braids too.
Then we move onto our up-do tools: The Silky Loop and The Smoothing Sister Brush. I don’t want a hard bristle brush, even if it could slick it down more. I wanted a gentler option, and it’s lovely to hold. I use these all daily, by the way, and the kids know exactly what hair tools they need to grab too.
I put it together as a menu (just because I love food). I know buying everything at once isn’t always an option, so I just let you know what you need to get started and so you can get things at your own pace.
Some just want to dive straight in, and that’s why I did The Curl Menu: Complete Care Kit, which is discounted because you’re putting a lot into my business.
So, that’s The Curl Menu.
We’d love to get to know you better! Come and join our community—follow our family page for a peek into our world and our educational business page for expert curl care tips.
And we’d really love to hear from you! Drop us an email at hello@curlid.com and tell us a little about yourself—What’s your name? Where are you based? What’s your hair type? Your biggest struggle? Your favourite products? If you have kids, how many? Let’s talk curls!
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