Curl Friends of USC!

Welcome! We are so looking forward to a new and exciting school year. We hope to engage you all in conversations of hair, beauty, culture, and self care. With topics ranging from skin care and product reviews to natural hair in the workplace. Here is a brief introduction of each of our bloggers for this year!

Hey beautiful ladies!

First, let me introduce myself I am Amarra Washington one of the three bloggers of Collegiate Curls USC. I have a passion for holistic healthcare, buying black, and beauty which most of my future solo articles will be centered around! Holistic Healthcare is the health of one's entirety such as the mind, body and spirit. I find it important to have not only great physical health but mental and spiritual as well! In the future I plan on having segments about great local black owned companies in not only Columbia, but around South Carolina! I hope as readers you will all feel comfortable to interact and even help educate me on this journey.

I wanted to start pretty simple this month and give you guys a quick beauty tip to help keep your skin healthy for this current erratic weather. I understand taking care of your skin properly can be difficult because one moment it is hot and sticky and then the next it's a brisk morning but it is important to keep your skin moisturized with a light moisturizer and well hydrated with water! The moisturizer is crucial for when the air is a bit drier during those 8am classes, but the light viscosity is great to be not too heavy on the skin during damp heat.

Hi guys!

My name is Taylor Brown, a sophomore here at USC and I am also one of the bloggers for Collegiate Curls. I will be focusing on the social, cultural and personal aspect of hair this year. I plan to dive into the daily intersections of society and hair. What does having curly hair mean? What does having straight hair mean? How does the world around us perceive natural hair? How do we ourselves perceive natural hair? The answers to questions like these mold our views of ourselves, others and the world.

To start off this ongoing conversation I will share my personal experience with my own hair. I have been natural all 19 years of my life. I can recall having a love/hate relationship with my hair. I wanted a perm, a relaxer, a texturizer, a keratin treatment; anything to straighten my hair. I never quite knew how to manage my hair. I didn’t feel as beautiful when my hair was in its natural state, kinks and all. It has taken me years to learn to appreciate the beauty of being authentically me. With that being said I encourage you all to be authentically you too. I am looking forward to this year as I get the chance to hear and share individual’s hair stories, confront stigmas that surround natural hair and discuss societal beauty norms.

Until next time…

Taylor Brown

Hey friends!

My name is Daria Bosket and I am the final blogger of the three. This year you can expect all the tips and tricks on how to be the best you physically and spiritually. Self love and acceptance comes from within and is reflected on the outside so both ends have to be nurtured. I believe it is important to make time to do things that make you feel good and empowered. On the blog, I want to promote selfish self-care days where you can look forward to bomb products that are worth treating yourself to.

I have realized over the years that if you water a plant, it will grow. But adversely, if you neglect that plant it will die. The same goes for your mind, body, and soul. I hope to motivate you guys to take out the time and invest in the best version of yourselves, whether its hair, skin, nails, body, or health. Stay tuned for must-have products and goodies coming your way and all the tea on where to get them.

See y'all soon!

Daria B.