Journey To Loving Your Curls Feat. Jazba Singh

Learn All About Jazba Singh’s Curly Hair Journey

Via Instagram @beauty_nomad

By Shilpa Bhim

Welcome to the latest installment of Journey To Loving Your Curls, Ginas. This week we are sharing the highs, lows and everything in between of Jazba (Jaz) Singh’s curly hair journey.

Jaz, aka the beauty nomad, is a Melbourne based actress, model and blogger who champions genuine diversity and inclusivity across these industries. This woman is a force to be reckoned with!

Not only does Jaz want you to love the skin you’re in, but she also wants you to rock the curly tresses your mama gave you, like she does! Keep reading to find out all about Jaz and her curly hair journey.

Tell Us About Yourself

I'm Jazba- I am an Indian/Canadian/Aussie actor/model/blogger! I know there are a lot of hyphenations in my identity and what I do, but that's the way I like it.

To add another layer to the confusion: before I started working in entertainment, I went to grad school for a program called Socio-Legal Studies where I focused on critical race and gender work. I feel like we are at a historic moment in global conversations around race and inclusion and I think it's important to question the industries we work in about what they're doing to evolve in that space. 

Since I work in the acting and beauty industries, I am trying to use my platform to speak to brands I work with about diversity and inclusion on every level. Whether it's visual representation for people of colour in campaigns, to hiring practices, to education and training around different lived realities - we’ve gotta keep pushing for change!  

How Did You Feel About Your Curly Hair Growing Up?

To be honest, I didn't love my curls when I was younger. I didn't have the knowledge, tools, or resources to know how to handle them, and mostly what I saw in the media was images of straight-haired women. 

Curls were not celebrated the way they are today. Especially in the Indian film industry, Bollywood, where I now work, I very rarely saw a curly-haired actress. So for me, my curls were these difficult, unruly tangles that I needed to straighten out to be more in line with the world I saw around me. 

What Inspired You To Start Rocking Your Curls More?

What inspired me to start rocking my curls more often, after years of torturous straightening treatments, was encouragement from my family and friends in Australia and Canada who always championed my curls! 

Perhaps this was due to the fact that you don't often see curls being rocked naturally on Indian women, so they found them unique. But that's not to say curls aren't common amongst Indian women - we just don't see them being worn open and natural all that often, although I am relieved to see that changing these days! 

Can You Share Your Curly Hair Journey With Us?

I started my curly hair journey in 2018 when I moved back to India for the first time since I was a child. I moved to Mumbai to pursue my blogging and acting careers, and to my surprise, my agency really liked my curls. It reflected for me a change in attitude towards curls in India that I hadn't known before. So I started paying attention to curl products more and watching curly hair tutorials and eventually wearing my curls to auditions and meetings. I think my faith in my curls was fully rewarded when they helped me bag a leading role in a movie- because the director loved them!

The journey has had its ups and down- for example, there are days when my curls just frizz so much I feel mentally like they're out of my control, but I have largely learned to embrace their unpredictability and volume. It is also encouraging to see curly haired role models appearing in our global media so much more, and curly hair products and accessories being made to help us along in our journeys! 

What Are Your Top Tips And Products For Looking After Your Curls?
My top tips for curls are an age old Indian grandmother's secret: oiling your scalp once a week with either coconut, olive or amla oil. The amount this hydrates my hair is not even funny, especially during cold Canadian winters or dry Australian ones! I leave it in for about an hour and then shampoo out. 

On non-oiling days, I use low/non-detergent shampoos like Rumbie and Co's cleansing shampoo and then I use the cleansing conditioner from AfroShe which has avocado oil and my top tip is that I just leave it in without rinsing out! 

Do You Have A Favourite Way To Style Your Curly Hair?
My favourite way to style my curls is while they're damp, scrunch a nice rich styling cream through them (I have a really easy video tutorial up on my blog and Youtube channel doing this here), flip upside down and then diffuse them on the hottest but gentlest airflow setting. When you flip your hair back up, the curls have the best volume at the roots!! 

Any Other Tips For Curly Haired Women?
My tips for curly-haired girls just starting out on their curl journey is to know this: your curls are what make you unique! Sure, they set you apart, but in a good way! They are a part of who you are, so embracing them is also embracing yourself, and that's a powerful thing. 

Shilpa is a freelance beauty, health, and travel writer from Melbourne, Australia. When she’s not writing, she’s out and about exploring places around Australia and the world. You can keep up with her adventures over at @skb.ontherun and check out her latest articles here.