Curly and wavy hair often comes with its own set of challenges — understanding the right routine to unlearning years of treating natural texture as something to be controlled. Hairstylist and entrepreneur Isha Mahabal, co-founder of The Curl Co and founder of The Alchemic Beauty, has been working to change that perception. As The Curl Co brought its Curl Culture community event to Hyderabad, Isha speaks to CE about understanding textured hair, simplifying haircare, and embracing natural curls with confidence.
The Hyderabad edition marks the seventh chapter of Curl Culture, which has been travelling across cities since the beginning of the year. Talking about what makes this edition significant for the brand, Isha explains, “As a brand, we do this community-based event called Curl Culture. This has been a great exercise to build community, hear what our consumers want to say, and also teach them a little bit about their hair.”
The thought behind taking the initiative offline came from Isha’s experience of connecting with people virtually. Recalling how the idea of taking these conversations to different cities came about, she shares, “I am a hairdresser by profession, and I thought, why don’t we do this offline, and my co-founder said we should do it. That’s how it came altogether.”
Her understanding of textured hair is also rooted in her own experience and the way she viewed her curls while growing up. Looking back at how her relationship with her hair changed over the years, she recalls, “Growing up, I never liked my hair, and I became a hairdresser in 2013. The majority of my life, I used to straighten my hair,” before adding, “Back in 2018-2019 I realised that my hair was getting damaged because of using these chemical products.”
With countless products and elaborate routines now available, knowing where to begin can itself become difficult. On what she considers some of the common mistakes people make while caring for their hair, Isha observes, “The first would be just overcomplicating stuff. There are so many products, and every product is marketed in such a way that you feel you need it. I usually feel that consumers get very confused and overwhelmed by the amount of products, and that discourages them from continuing. I always tell people, don’t overcomplicate it. It’s just hair. Some days it’s going to look great, some days it’s not going to, and we need to accept that. Another thing I see people making mistakes with is stepping out in the sun with wet hair or sleeping with wet hair. I think that’s the worst thing that you can do for your hair.”
For those dealing with Hyderabad’s changing weather, haircare can bring its own set of concerns. Sharing what people with different hair textures should keep in mind while living in the city, she expresses, “If you live in a place that is hot, humid, and sunny, the number one thing is to use some sort of protection for your hair. If they have curly or wavy hair, please use a hair gel because it forms an anti-humidity protection for your hair of sorts. It will help your hair last longer in that shape and also will look less frizzy. My second tip is: please don’t overdo it with oiling in humid weather because your scalp is already in a very moist condition. Adding more oil to the scalp is going to make it worse.”
Beyond external care, Isha also looks at the role of everyday habits and nutrition in maintaining hair. Explaining what she means when she talks about overall hair health, she notes, “Hair health has two aspects: one is outer damage, from heat, colouring, bleaching that dries out your hair, and the second is internal, which is what you’re eating, whether you’re eating protein or are deficient. Healthy hair is a combination of both, because if you’re deficient and not eating protein, your hair will break despite bond repair, while external damage can affect it despite eating healthy.”
With more initiatives and products in the pipeline, the brand’s efforts continue to centre on creating a space where textured hair is understood rather than corrected, and where curls and waves can be embraced as they naturally are.
