A student organization is inspiring and empowering students to embrace their natural hair texture and find community with others who want to learn about hair care.
Curl Power is a club where Mercer University students can learn how to care for and style their hair while being supported by other students in a comfortable environment.
Renee Leveridge, president of Curl Power, said the club is intended for students of all hair types, ethnicities and genders to build hair care skills.
“We are here to help you learn about your hair, learn how to take care of your hair and feel your best self all the time. You don’t have to have your hair braided down or put away all the time just because you feel like you don’t know what to do with it,” she said. “We want people to be comfortable with having their hands in their head and picking products on their own and sharing and helping other people learn with their hair.”
Leveridge, a rising senior majoring in electrical engineering, said joining Curl Power at the beginning of her undergraduate journey is what encouraged her to feel confident experimenting with styling her own hair.
“Curl Power taught me that it’s OK to experiment, and it’s OK if it doesn’t come out right the first time. I think what really sold it for me was when we were talking about our favorite hairstyles, and I showed (club members) a picture of what I wanted to do, and they were like, ‘Just do it!’” Leveridge said. “They were so encouraging, and it was just such a nice community to be a part of, and I want everybody to feel like that.
Serenity Cooper, a rising senior double-majoring in psychology and music and vice president of Curl Power, said she feels motivated to lead Curl Power with the goal of showing college students that it’s not too late to learn what works best for their natural hair.
“One of my favorite stories at Curl Power was when we were all sharing our experiences about our hair, and everyone told a traumatic hair story or a story about their hair journey. Everybody had stories that were also unique to them, but I noticed that everybody was still not as confident with their hair. We wanted to encourage them. That’s the goal,” she said. “There are so many Black girls who have perms or things like that growing up. We can do better as a community in teaching and educating, and that’s what we’re trying to do for everybody.”
Throughout the year, Curl Power hosts events where members can meet other students and talk openly about challenges they face with their hair while learning more about their hair type, porosity and products that suit them best. Some events are more hands on, where students can make their own hair masks for free with butters, oils and scents, or learn how to braid and twist using a mannequin’s head. The club also invites hairstylists and beauticians to answer questions for students.
Both Cooper and Leveridge said that throughout college, they have struggled with challenges in their personal and professional lives when it comes to feeling judged by others for their natural hair texture.
“My biggest obstacle is judgement from people that both look like me and don’t look like me,” Leveridge said. “I feel like I’m not allowed to try something new and mess up because everyone’s eyes are on me.”
“Identity is a big thing with hair. Sometimes if you’re just not confident in your hair, you’ll feel a certain way,” said Cooper. “I’ve had situations where if I wore my hair out, people would say, ‘I can’t see over your head,’ just because my hair is out. And they make me feel differently for things like that.”
Leveridge said clubs like Curl Power help students feel safe expressing themselves.
“It’s all about feeling seen. I feel as though so many people come to college and they don’t have the support system yet, they don’t know what’s going on, and they are not comfortable in themselves,” she said. “I would hate for someone to wake up in the morning and be like, ‘I don’t want to go to class today because my hair is not done.’ I want to instill confidence in people that it’s OK to mess up; it’s OK to look a little different now and again because it’s going to turn into something beautiful. I want people to feel like they can be themselves regardless of what they look like.”
Cooper said many young people, especially young women, face pressure to conform to beauty standards that often include straightening curly and natural hair and constantly changing styles. She wants people to feel more acceptance of their hair in its natural state.
“When you come to Curl Power, there’s no judgement here. We don’t want people to feel pressured or uncomfortable in any way shape or form. Just come as you are. No matter the length of your hair, the type or what kind of damage you have, you must learn to be OK with your hair as it is right now,” she said. “I feel like that’s so important. People are always thinking about what their next style will be, but it doesn’t matter; you must love yourself.”
