On social media, you also share some of your curl care routine. What tips would you give to those who are just starting to look after curly hair?

The first thing I want to say is, don’t think it too hard. There are three things you need for curly hair: hydration, moderate oil, and setting to keep the curls. I don’t think you need a lot of products, either. Just put a leave-in conditioner or curl cream and liquidy type gel. These two are enough. Apply the product evenly to wet hair. After you section your hair, brush it with a tangle teaser and scrunch it. Does your upper hair not show any curls at all and you want more root volume? This styling method can create hidden curls and get voluminous curls. Sometimes, some people don’t dry their hair at all. However, this can lead to scalp problems, and if your hair stays hydrated for a long time, internal damage can occur.

Still on the subject of your videos, they’ve become popular in Brazil and you’ve even done some reviews of well-known brands here, such as Skala and Salon Line. What was it like receiving messages from across the globe and inspiring so many people?

At first, I was dumbfounded, and I thought ‘Why is my content so influential?’ I could see that many of my followers are interested in KPOP or K-culture. As a Korean, I thought it would be amazing that I have tight curls that are not often seen in the Korean media. Furthermore, I use Brazilian curly hair products. Surprisingly, Brazilian products are very suitable for Korean hair texture.  I have a lot of hair, and the amount of products I use is enormous. Also quality of the product is good, and the price is reasonable. Also, Brazil Brocurlies helped me a lot by recommending tips and products on curly hair in the comments. 

Do you believe that embracing curly hair could be the beginning for more curly South Korean women becoming more confident about themselves?

Definitely! Most Koreans with curly hair think that they can’t style their curly hair because they do not have  “pretty curls.” However, I’m sure they have their own special curls and can find their style. I could inspire them by showing them how to style their hair through my contents. I have thin, bushy, and tight curls that are difficult to care for. If I can do it, they also can! I’ve met many Koreans who said they grew their curly hair because of me. The fact that one person’s content can change the lives of many Koreans with curly hair is enough to be my driving force. Now I’m approaching a different mission. Starting with Korea, I want to spread and establish a culture of curls in East Asia first.

Can you find specific products for curly hair in Korea easily?

Unfortunately, products for curly hair are still hard to find in Korea. There are cases where individuals make and sell their products, but I think the completeness of the products is inevitably not so great. That’s why there is a need for professionals who understand various Korean curly hair. To be honest, I have plans to make my products. While working in a hair salon, I often ask my customers what products they use. They told me that there are so many different products overseas that there is difficulty in choosing what to use and there is a high possibility that they will fail in selecting products.

It is difficult to find a product that one can settle down on, so they end up living as “product nomads” I’ve tried most of the curly hair products found on Amazon for five years, and I rarely liked them. In our hair salon, we also style with overseas products of our choice. Most domestic products are targeted at people with perms, so they are excessively sticky, and natural curly hair can’t get enough moisture and holding with those products. 

In many Korean dramas, people with curly or kinky hair are seen as villains, dirty or just plain unremarkable. How has society and the South Korean media affected your relationship with your hair?

The media has had so much impact both positively and negatively. When the media covers an object and put evaluative judgment on it, I guess the public takes it for as it is. In Korea, curly hair portrayed on the media is messy, comical, rebellious, and not pretty. Just by looking at the shampoo advertisement, the ideal hair is glossy, shiny and straightened. In Korea, there was a 20,000-member community called Gopjeommo (short for “a group that hates curly hair”), which was run by one hair salon.

Also, the beauty industry even used the word “Malignant Curlyhair” to make the perception that curly hair must be straightened. One of my YouTube videos “There’s No Malignant Curlyhair in the World” was to point out that a global company that makes hair device advertised with promotional video by using the word “malignant curlyhair”. It makes viewers think that curly hair is something that must be cured or fixed. This perception is why Koreans with curly hair have begun to permanently straighten their hair.

Going through the hair transition process or even understanding how to take care of your natural hair can be quite challenging. Do you have any mantras or thoughts that have helped you through your process?

I think I’ve grown my hair for about five, or six years. Until the first year since I started growing it out, I sometimes thought about getting a straight perm. I think it’s because I don’t have any friends who grow curly hair and because I felt lonely. However, now I run Korea’s Curly hair community, and I got a lot of help from talking about curly hair and sharing the process of growing it. It was also fun to help out Brocurlies by making content with the information I got during the process of growing my curly hair.

Of course, there is a moment that I sometimes call Curl-Boredom. This is those times when I don’t like my curly hair no matter what I wear. Then I look at various hairstyles that I saved in Pinterest, and try each one of them. I don’t have a special mantra. Every time that I see many salon’s customers who want to embrace who they are, and when the moment comes that I style them and when I make sure that their curls are beautiful, I feel most tremendous. 

How do you see the representation of curly and kinky hair in the Korean media today? Is there anyone who inspires you in this regard?

Curly hair was not cool in the past. I feel that the perception of curly hair is getting more positive these days. You can see it by watching celebrities in the Korean media, especially K-pop idols. Danielle of New Jeans, model Park Jennie, and ROSÉ also showed various curly hairstyles. In particular, Danielle suggested a style that is easy to produce without deviating from Korean fashion while making natural curls and sometimes creating stronger curls. These days, hairstyles such as vintage perm, nerd perm, and panning perm are trending. Anyway, I think that hair with textures is getting recognized as a style. Also, I’ve seen the reels of a Korean hairdresser who stopped calling curly hair “malicious ” and declared that they have decided to call it “strong curly hair”.

Also, it seems that more and more people are studying curly hair as a separate curl type such as 2b and 3a. It’s a good change, and if experts first suggest various styles to the customer and act as a guide, the culture of curly hair will spread faster. I like the model named Park Jennie, who is a Korean-American mixed-race model. She’s still in high school, but I like the sense of styling her curly hair in various ways. I think Korean curly hair is still reluctant to do a bold style. 

Do you have any message you’d like to leave for your fans (broccurlies) in Brazil?

After I met Brazil broccurlies, my world have expanded. Even though we are in different countries, I can found out that there are many people who want to know their beauty in every country, and it was amazing to know the characteristics of products that change according to different country. I am so grateful for all the positive words and various information from brucurlies.

Korea is now in its infancy to accept curly hair. In future, I am sure there will be a various Curly K-beauty products, curly hair dressers and professional hair salons, just like in Brazil. My goal is to establish a Korean reinterpreted curly hair culture and style. I’ve never visited Brazil before, but I really want to go there someday. I would like to see the Brazil culture and talk about curly hair with people.