Meet Akhila, K18 copywriter, and colorful hair lover. She loves changing up her wavy hair expression with confidence, but that wasn’t always the case.

“I didn’t love my natural hair texture growing up. Compared to the straight hair popular in magazines and TV, my inconsistent waves felt like an anomaly. My American classmates weren't used to seeing an Asian person with wavy hair either. They’d question my natural hair, asking “Are you wearing a wig? Asians only have straight hair.” Some even pulled at strands to check if it was real (ouch). 

Ironically, wavy and curly hair is common amongst Asians, but popular culture in India where I was born, and Florida where I grew up, told me otherwise. 

Envious of the long, straight strands commonly seen in popular culture, I brushed my waves to a frizzy mess, flat-ironed, and doused my hair with heavy coconut oil to try and fit in. But in the process, I weighed down and damaged my natural texture. 

I wasn’t alone in going this route. My vibrant Indian community shared the same feelings about hiding their true hair texture. At events, I saw Indian women with long waves brushed into a muddled texture, pin straight hair with very visible heat damage from hot tools, and tight braids adorned with jasmine flowers trying to conceal kinks and curls. The worst of it was watching kids cry as their beautiful waves were brushed out.

Everything I saw around me sent the same message: natural waves and curls aren’t “good” hair.

All of this changed when I moved across the country to Los Angeles for college. Instead of seeing the straight hair I was used to, I found a diverse and inclusive community where all types of hair were celebrated. There were bold fashion colors, funky haircuts, gorgeous curls, and waves everywhere—and it inspired me.

After years of chopping my hair short so my waves wouldn’t stand a chance, I finally gathered the courage to experiment with my hair. I started to grow it out, curling it with hot tools or leaving it in braids overnight to wake up with defined waves. My friends helped me bleach and color my strands my favorite shade of hot pink. I felt more like myself than ever before, but as I discovered, not everyone was ready for my bold new look.

Visiting my family in Florida, I showed up at an Indian family friend get-together. I was feeling myself, but the women at the event felt differently. They criticized my hot pink waves, telling me to my face that they didn’t like it, and that I shouldn’t do it again. I wasn’t surprised by their reaction, but it still hurt. Eventually, I chopped off my colored ends to appease my community and get rid of the damage from the bleach.  

Lost in my hair expression, I pushed myself into a different hair stereotype. Believing that all wavy hair is actually curly in disguise, I started following every curly hair trend popping up on my social media feed–think no-poo washes, heavy conditioning, and lots of styling products. But my waves couldn’t handle the weight of it all. Overloaded with products and oil buildup, it lost its natural bounce.

It was then that I realized the solution was to repair my hair and focus on restoring its natural strength. I turned to K18’s molecular repair products, and they gave my hair the health and vitality I needed to embrace my true texture. With strong hair again, I got the courage to start coloring it once more through a K18 PRO stylist—ensuring my hair’s integrity was protected in the process. 

Over the past year, I’ve pretty much covered the whole rainbow of hair colors—and I’m not done yet.