Val Mercado's Hair Transformation Journey | Skin Deep | Refinery29

[@refinery29]

Who else can relate to Val's journey of accepting her curls? Share your stories with us here!

[@ayeshasiddiqua1170]

Refinery29 Me.. Haha

[@sirena11]

MEEEEEE SUPER THIN CURLY..... IT GETS SO TANGLED AND FRIZZY AND FLAT AND UGLY THROUGHOUT THE DAY!!!! 😥😥😥😥😥

[@kaylawills16]

No one in my family has curly hair but me so my earliest memories are of my white European grandparents who I lived with calling me homeless, bum, dirty, etc. My papa used to say "well wake up and smell the homeless" when he would see me in the kitchen.

[@tasniaislam3951]

Refinery29 For the next Skin Deep series introduce South Asian influencers and their journey. Just a suggestion! ❤️❤️❤️

[@LarrissaRose]

I can relate in having the need that I will be more accepted with straight hair. I would always ask my mom to relax my hair and it wasn't until college where I was able to accept my curls and start to style them in a way that wasn't a bun.

[@karinab5157]

What a gorgeous woman! That white top and jeans look is so fabulous on her.

[@barbarahardison6369]

Karina B I swea

[@alexamelchor2787]

Okay

[@Sasha-kw5ud]

Her curls are BOMB 💖

[@NamNguyen-ls6pb]

check out her youtube channel. shes a BOMBBBB

[@refinery29]

+ayishanurudeen Agreed!

[@MattGarcyaDC]

Which one

[@diminiegohomeyouredrunk8175]

Nam Nguyen what is it?

[@gr82bdanyelle]

Diminie, Go home you’re drunk Val Mercado

[@emilybnz]

I don’t even have curly hair but thanks for helping all the people who don’t like their beautiful curly hair 💕

[@mariagenesis8124]

I love how even if you dont have curly hair, you still support us and even finding curly beautiful really means a lot bc a lot of people think its ugly. You're appreciated. :)

[@sarax3835]

emilybnz does blow drying your hair make it straighter lol I always do it now and before my hair used to be wavy now it’s straight lool

[@alexisrene5854]

Sara X yeah heat over time can do that

[@karmstrong6566]

@@mariagenesis8124 honestly, I dont get how anyone could see it as ugly. I always thought it was really beautiful.

[@marriannaperreira7526]

Maria Genesis curly hair is everything💯don’t ever be ashamed of it That’s beauty

[@margauxii129]

When a woman decides/realizes that she is beautiful, she becomes beautiful.

[@refinery29]

+margauxii Love this!

[@margauxii129]

Refinery29 ❤

[@Sickapig]

😭❤️👌

[@alextay416]

Absolutely ❤️

[@danijelanella4862]

❤️

[@abigailcortes2064]

Omg val is so gorgeous. But why did she wash her hair, get a blowout and go get it curly again all in the same day 😭

[@briannacarter8051]

Abigail Cortes ikr she should have kept the blowout for a week if that’s possible 😂

[@alexisjackson8039]

Ik I was like 🤨

[@mariahpalomarez9607]

Maybe she wasn't really feeling the straight hair?so wanted it back to normal

[@angelbirdman4032]

I think she did it a different day. Her shirt and makeup were different. Edit: her lipstick is different, but not the shirt. I guess she re-applied it after eating.

[@mars2101]

Ikr!

[@Who-qn5fl]

I never realised that different hairstyles can make u look like a totally different person..and equally beautiful! Fabulous!

[@lolad6083]

The Anti Black in the Latino community is ironic and terribly sad. I’m Puerto Rican and I know every Latino can relate to this stigma. Shows how European Caucasian beauty standards have affected all of us tremendously.

[@Isasinbela]

soy panameña y he sido insultada por llevar mi afro en publico. insultada por latinos que nacieron con el cabello igual que el mio, pero que no lo llevan al natural ._.

[@nicole.m_official]

Puerto Rico 💪💪💪💪

[@birbiri4255]

Isa same

[@andtheneat]

Lola D I wear my curly hair to school (I’m from Puerto Rico as well) and people just stare at it cause everyone has straightened hair

[@user-tf6hu5up7k]

Lola D is her dad lightskin?

[@MinnieMousey06]

I've noticed that Dominicans are very stubborn I guess about embracing their blackness. They consider themselves as just Dominican, even though they're made of African, Native, and European descent. the anti-blackness in their culture makes me really sad because they are such a beautiful people and should celebrate their heritage to the fullest and not just parts of it.

[@luckysharmsy]

I'm pretty sure they're comfortable with being afro-latina. But being Dominican is their culture and heritage no matter what makes up their DNA.

[@OddWeird461]

Charms Many of them are not and many of them deny their African heritage, but it’s the same way all over Central America. I’m Afro Latinx and can attest to how colonialism has done a huge disservice to people of African heritage everywhere.

[@aruytpadyugf]

Well I'm pretty sure it's no different when you tell people you are just American. or Canadian, or whatever country. Even tho you are of black heritage. I don't hear black americans saying they are just African...they always say they are american first. It's the same for Dominicans

[@marinadominicanaperez3655]

Charms yh I’m Dominican ur correct

[@HerPinkElephants]

aruytpadyugf You *know* she's not talking about nationality or culture.

[@Stephanie_rd]

Her mom was basically indirectly saying that she wanted her daughter to look like the stereotypical Latina and didn’t want to associate her daughter with being black because people would discriminate.

[@Mh-xe1zh]

Stéphanie Fabióla period

[@adrianacandanedo372]

My story is the exact same as hers. I grew up thinking I had to straighten my curls to look presentable and that just was how it was, curly hair was NOT an option. At 21 I moved to Madrid and felt no one there knew how to cut and style my hair so I finally embraced my curls and now I love them❤️when I returned to Panama my family didnt like it at first because women dont usually go around with big natural hair, but now they love it too☺️

[@MM-tw7ce]

I'm Panamanian too! 🇵🇦 Thanks for sharing your story

[@refinery29]

+adrianac Thank you for sharing your story!! :)

[@briannacarter8051]

Ooh you’re Panamanian? My grandmother is from there and I feel like I inherited a lot of her genes.

[@alexsandraestrada6518]

Puertorican here 🙋🏽‍♀️ my story with my curls is almost exactly to this one. The denial of being of African dissent is also something the Puerto Rican culture shares. I’m SO SO HAPPY you guys made this video. It give very basic but clear understanding about the struggles of accepting the term of being “Afro Latina” for these cultures, while keeping in mind that it’s a real life perspective that haunts us from out childhood until adulthood and it’s truly a process to embrace.

[@refinery29]

+alexsandraestrada Thanks for watching & sharing your journey!!

[@isaalva]

I'm Puertorican too and to this day my mom still straightens her hair never curly. But she's seeing my hair and I think she might get rid of el dubi lol ... I'm just praying she would because she has such tight beautiful curls.... Love that women are embracing themselves 💛

[@alexsandraestrada6518]

koalabearnation I hope tu mami learns to love and embrace her curls! My mom has straight hair, which I don’t understand lol.

[@lilybee24]

I'm Puerto Rican too and I'm more Spaniard physically but my hair is curly/wavy/frizzy. My dad has brown skin and green eyes. His dad was black from St Thomas island. Most times is shocking when I tell people that I do have African roots. I don't know what to do with my curly hair so I most of the time let my hair air dry and then straightened it.

[@J4rii]

Ayeee am Puerto Rican too 🇵🇷🙋🏾‍♀️

[@paigesofbeauty]

This made my cry and also proud as a woman of color and my daughter Latino/Black and her hair is the craziest curls and I’m only teaching her to love love them! This was a beautiful video!

[@MissLeonable]

She's one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. Drop dead gorgeous!

[@zwivhuyabudeli1958]

Can totally relate with everything she just said being afro-brasilian...her hair is maravilhoso too! x

[@samirahjansui6781]

Zwivhuya Buḓeli you can’t even spell your own ethnicity? Smh Afro-Brazilian**

[@mmhi6842]

Nadirah Smith in brasil we spell the name with an “s” not a “z”

[@sambawomen]

Nadirah Smith I guess you also tell people from Italia “It’s not Italia it’s spelt Italy” 🤦‍♀️😂🤣

[@samirahjansui6781]

sambawomen Italy and Italia are pronounced differently Brazilian is only pronounced one way but nice try dumb fuck.....

[@mariecampos6434]

@@samirahjansui6781 bro she said it right, it's not because it's written wrong in english that it's wrong at all.Brazil and Brasil has the exact same pronunciation in the z and s letters.chill

[@sabrynavaldez4476]

I’m half Dominican and half white. I live with my side of the family that’s white. I remember I only felt beautiful when I had Dominican blow outs because my hair was “frizzy”, “”puffy” and “hard to manage”. However, I’ve learned to embrace my curly hair after seeing KZbin videos similar to these ❤️

[@lunaas1029]

I am 2 years late but I had the exact same experience! I’m half white and half Dominican too

[@BBGL02]

@@lunaas1029 you can‘t be half a race half a nationality 🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️ dominican isn‘t a race

[@BBGL02]

Dominican isn‘t a race, you can‘t be ‚half white half dominican‘ wtf

[@curlymusician]

My mom has loose wavy hair and my dad is bald...lol. It was hard for me to learn how to style my own curly hair. I grew up in a predominantly white neighborhood. It seemed like everyone has loose waves or pin straight hair. I asked my mom several times if we could chemically relax my hair, thank God she refused. It took me a while to appreciate my natural hair, thanks to the development of KZbin it really opened new doors for me and my hair. I started watching people like AndreasChoice, SunKissAlba, Curly Penny...etc.

[@refinery29]

+paolasanchez Wow, what a journey! Thanks for sharing!!

[@danielle97honz]

I’m Mexican, and I have curly/wavy hair. My family would call me Afro woman, and I would straighten my hair bc everyone in my community had naturally straight hair or straighten it. I started understanding how to treat my hair at 18 bc seeing Val wear her natural hair encouraged me that my hair is beautiful. When I wear it natural I get so much compliments than I ever do w straight hair!♡

[@NOTIME4THIS]

I can totally relate! I am African American with a mixed heritage. My natural hair is curly and I used to perm the curl right out of it. For years I spent hours in the salon depending on the length of my hair. FINALLY at 50 years old I decided to EMBRACE THE CURL. It has been a journey of true self discovery in terms of knowing my self and accepting my hair own its own terms. I have learned to LOVE MY HAIR AND MY SELF AS I AM, both BLACK AND BEAUTIFUL!

[@refinery29]

+denisetuggle This is great! Thanks for sharing!!

[@TheMusicANDConverse]

step one: be so beautiful that no one cares about your hair

[@fionaokeefe1906]

Mary K they care more about her being black than her hair😂😂😂😂

[@nin4339]

Definitely

[@yeahyeahyouright4783]

Her mom .. what ? She looks mad young. She looks better without the blow out tho

[@JessW9696]

yeah yeah you right her mom had her when she was 13

[@KaliforniaToni]

Jesss 8764 😱 wtf

[@hellokitty2552]

🤪

[@lailaj3020]

her mom had her when she was 13.

[@anoury9]

I stopped straightening my hair two years ago, I still do it for some events but I try so hard to embrace and love my 3B/3C curls with a mom that calls them ugly. our curls are beautiful no matter what they tell us 💖

[@stormchii]

Nour Al I’d say your lucky and should definitely embrace it

[@marthajohnson3250]

I knowwww! The same here! I stopped straightening my hair 6 years ago and started embracing by 3b curls, but my family and culture in geenral in Colombia doesn't. I totall agree with you, we have to learn to love, accept and embrace the real us!

[@ElaishaJade]

YES VAL! I’ve been following her journey for a while and embracing her curls was part of this cool awakening she had. Loved her curls at the end too 😻😻😻

[@refinery29]

+elaishajade Yay! Thanks for checking this out!!

[@nishababezz]

I'm not Dominican, but I grew up in New York as well. Growing up I didn't know I had curly/kinky hair because I would go to the salon to hot comb my hair every two weeks. When I went to the military I was introduced to my natural hair because no one was able to in do my hair in North Dakota lol ( of course). Fast Forward I enjoy that my hair can be straight, and curly and I'm glad that others are embracing theirs as well.

[@refinery29]

+nishababezz That's lovely!!

[@samanthapierce1878]

Were you in Minot?! We just left there! 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

[@sylvielau2412]

Thank you so much for this video. After straightening my hair for over 10 years I too am starting to embrace my natural waves. Not only is it a journey to healthy hair, but learning and accepting who you truly are and feeling more beautiful, free and authentic than ever before

[@refinery29]

+sylvielau Thank you so much for sharing!! :)

[@xe7535]

A lot of Latinos straighten then hair because they are told the exact thing. My mom would tell me my hair was messy and to brush it out. I started straightening my hair in middle school and it has left my hair dry and ugly. I'm trying to get my curls back but it's so hard.

[@dianana00]

Xochilt Escalante Same story! But keep trying, eventually, with time and care, you’ll get your curls back and I can tell you it is SO SO WORTH IT!!!!

[@laurentaylor8544]

Same but now I just have a few straight pieces

[@ImenBen12]

you look gorgeous on your pic with your really nice hair btw :)

[@xe7535]

Imen B thank you so much! I love your hair too, It's the perfect shade of brown

[@ImenBen12]

Xochilt Escalante :)) thank you lovely! Have a great day xoxo

[@HeavyontheChai]

True I'm from LA and I am not aware of a "Dominican" community. We have other communities as little India, Korea town, Chinatown, little Armenia etc. Sounds like an opportunity to supply the need. Your curls and blowout equally bomb!

[@star16me]

Cali Love little Armenia 💕🌸

[@babymarioh5218]

Cali Love you spelled Dominican wrong

[@laylahenderson8680]

i love her nature hair!!!! 😍 I love refinery29! i’m here for every video! 💕

[@blusaura7409]

Bruh did she just straighten n go back to curls in the same day 🏃🏾‍♀️🏃🏾‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️😂😍

[@exolkai857]

venessa okorie its letterly me idont know when ihave my curls imiss my straight hair and when it’s straightened iwant my curls so bad

[@pinkheart315]

Yeah like why do that🤔🤦‍♀️

[@XxXxXx-ef1rw]

She wanted to show us that she accepts both

[@Patricia-uh1px]

@@exolkai857 me

[@arii-db3mp]

I asked myself the same question 🤣 but she looks so beautiful🥰

[@rawanal-jahdhami183]

She’s sooooo beautiful 😍😍 curly hair and straight hair both suit her so much!

[@carmencampana3329]

Straight hair, curly hair or bald she is beautiful !

[@gabrielle3541]

Ok I kind of feel that this video kind of stretched the “I can’t find a hair salon for my hair type” a little too far. Let me make this clear I’m a Black American woman and I easily could have told her to seek out a black hair care salon. Because a lot of Black people have similar hair to hers and others have way more kinkier textures within the Black community, we are use to the diversity of different curls and textures. I just feel like she kind of skipped over probably someone told her to seek out black salons or a black beautician for her hair. This video conveys that there is absolutely no options in L.A for AFRO Latina hair. Like what do you think Black people have to do!

[@pink_water_melon]

I totally agree with you! However - as a half-North African half-white woman with very curly hair, I have tried to walk into black salons in NYC and been made to feel like I didn't belong there because I wasn't black. Don't get me wrong, I lived in Bed Stuy (a black neighborhood in Brooklyn) for many years and I felt very much accepted by the community and welcomed more than anywhere else I've ever lived. With the only exception being women's salons.. Really bummed me out.

[@nenaj1]

But she isn’t Afro Latina. She looks mixed.

[@DK-dh7ne]

Take a shot everytime you hear dominican

[@mckayinayiah]

she got a blowout and reversed it the same day.... heat damage, yikes

[@NikBrown4]

mckayinayiah Yeah, that was weird to me. Her hair already looked a little damaged (same for the lady who did her blowout) and this probably didn't help lol

[@pinkheart315]

Yeah thats bad for her hair. She atleast could of kept it for a day than back to curls. Like whats the point to get it straight 🤷‍♀️

[@sanaakeval1577]

That’s what I thought too

[@cupcake702]

It’s for content purposes, yes it might be a bit damaging but it’s not like she does it every day

[@d.alexis4056]

its not gonna make a difference fron that one blowout. she probably used a heat protector and the way she blow dries doesnt damage the hair like it would the way regular people blow dry their hair because she always keeps the blow dryer moving and points it down the hair to close the cuticle.

[@ellerios444]

I’ve been following this girl for years on Instagram and not once she has mentioned about her culture and being Dominican. I found out she was Dominican by a website. Now I’ve noticed all of sudden recently she’s talking about being Dominican.

[@sassygirl4728]

It's cause now it's trendy to be "not white".

[@lap.2666]

Wow 😯

[@Ufsykmbdseyjhbds]

Val is literally such an inspiration, what a beautiful human being❤️.

[@ossier2796]

Your hair is beautiful and your mom is right. It’s amazing how things have changed. In the 70’s African Americans were proud of their natural hair. I used to go to New York a lot and there were so many Dominican salons and car services.

[@rebecaalex2102]

HER HAIR IS AMAZING

[@trionabyrne72]

Even beautiful at 4:35

[@babydahl7]

I love how we can be so versatile with our looks. One day curly and the next straight.

[@sabrina.natalie]

Val is absolutely BREATHTAKING. I can’t even comprehend it.

[@영서-b4t]

Her hair is gorgeous

[@Findus1701]

I'm not dominican but my curly hair story is pretty similar. I grew up as the only freak of nature curly girl in a family of straight haired people so naturally my mom had no idea how to treat my hair correctly and it was always a frizzy mess so I hated it growing up!! Started straightening it at 13 because that was the only way I knew how to manage it but when I was around 18 I started researching a ton about how to have nice natural curls and now, 4 years later I am still learning but I am at a point where I have embraced the curls and it was such a huge step in becoming happier with myself overall!

[@refinery29]

+lindakatharina That's awesome! Thanks for sharing with us!!

[@Kelly11Ely]

She looks 30+ without her curly hair. I thought she looked stunning with her curly hair but after the blow-out she s like... Average? Lately i believe curly hair is sooo gorgeous, hope she ll get to love it properly

[@cococaramel720]

jiminahs I have curly hair and when I hear people online or in real life say they hate their curly hair it makes me sad because curly hair is like a gift from God and not everybody can have it.

[@animalworld4901]

Yeah but her natural hair isn't curly she make it curly , her natural hair is wavy close to straight

[@aqsam4032]

I swear It makes me so sad when gorgeous girls like her feel the need to straighten their hair just to fit in cs the curly hair makes her look so unique and exotic I follow her on insta too and she rocks curly hair wish she didn’t feel the need to straighten it

[@ibnmianal-buna3176]

I’d say the curly hair makes her looks more grown up and sophisticated, I still wouldn’t say more than 30. I think it’s because usually people with curly hair only straighten their hair like that during special events or occasions. It’s got a more showy and formal vibe

[@me-pg1hh]

animal world waves are a type of curl, but i do get the impression that val wants it to look more coily or wants us to think it is

[@seviregis7441]

I LOVE her curly hair, it's a beautiful attribute. Distinctive. The stylist was perfect for her.

[@kritzianunez7037]

god this gave me goosebumps and made me feel so nostalgic! im finally embracing my curly hair, but there is truly nothing like waking up early on saturdays and getting that blow out while you gossip with the shampoo girls lol

[@viceb7]

Wow I hadn't even watched the video fully when I commented before on how gorgeous her curls were, she's equally beautiful with the awesome blowout too! Crazy how different hair makes us look and feel. Nothing messy about her! 🖤

[@connargosdin]

Finally see someone with my type of curly hair! More thin and fine! Mostly used to seeing the also beautiful thick, curly hair!

[@mariachiaradidedda]

Curls over straight hair! 🙌🏻

[@kujjitafari8509]

I can so relate to her story! I’m not Dominican, but biracial and my hair has been one of the biggest struggles of my life! Dominicans are the best at doing curly hair!!!

[@marinadominicanaperez3655]

Kujji Tafari we are more good at doing straight her actually

[@nathaliediaz6189]

This was great! They are both beautiful! As a fellow Dominicana I can definitely relate! I grew up almost ashamed of my curly hair, now I’ve embraced my beautiful curls and I couldn’t be happier! I also had the same experience of someone telling me I was black in college lol.

[@evelinamaria91]

She is SO beautiful in both straight and curly hair! I'm from Finland, in northern Europe, and I'm "caucasian" but I'm a Latina at heart

[@sarahrainey546]

Wow she is STUNNING. Both hair styles are BEAUTIFUL

[@frillyflower123]

I really feel what her mom said. It makes a lot of sense. Confidence comes from within, but we have to operate in the outside world as it is today. Especially for children, it just doesn't make sense to me to go through needless adversity over something as inconsequential as hair. Life is already hard enough.

[@viceb7]

Her hair is beautiful! I love the wild curls these girls get

[@lenkellieschannel1370]

OMG!! She is so gorgeous February 2019, anyone?

[@ameliesofiatraconisamaro9300]

her make up, her smile, eyes and lips, she's so beautiful. i love her hair and clothes

[@bldnblklace]

I'm still in shock that she got that all done on the same day. Wtf? There's some dumb hair stuff on this channel and that might be the dumbest cause it was pre-planned. I honestly think she looked her best in the very beginning lol. She's gorgeous. Her confidence shines through!

[@Caymiya]

My daughter is Mexican and black. She doesn’t like her curls. I’m trying my best to teach her how beautiful her natural curls are. Cuz they’re gorgeous!😍

[@thali89]

Love this! Thanks for featuring and representing Hispanic beauty

[@refinery29]

+thaligonzazlez Anytime! Stay tuned for more!!

[@milkyymel]

she’s such a queen with her curly hair oh my god

[@Vivalastyle]

Yes!! Absolutetly love this! Love being able to represent my culture and have the flexibility of having straight and curly hair!!

[@nicole.m_official]

So happy to see afro latinas slaying online. My hair is just like yours!!!

[@qazim9796]

shes so gorgeous in curly hair and in straight hair

[@pontius1212]

I’m Puerto Rican and Dominican. My hair used to be blow dried and straightened all the time. My wela always said “ tu ves como in loca”.In all my years of school until now I also had my hair blow dried. It was very damaged and my curls were limp. Now I’m in college and I wear my natural hair all the time. It feels nice to wear my hair how I want it and to embrace my curls. Sometimes it is difficult to manage but it’s something I’ve come to really love. Can completely relate to this experience!

[@ninapineapple4034]

I grew up in Dominican Republic and even though my hair isn’t curly (it’s more of a wavy puffy texture) i was still forced to go to the salon every Saturday to straighten my hair. These european beauty standards were enforced in us to the bone. I’m so glad us dominican women are waking up now💕 you are amazing Val🙏🏽🇩🇴✨

[@marinadominicanaperez3655]

Nina Pineapple hmmmm yh

[@samianaar5114]

I’m born and raised in New York City and I’m a Jamaican of French and African decent. So I have long, thick, curly hair that can be really difficult to deal with. So ever since I was five years old I would go to the Dominican hair salon and get a wash a set. Now I wear my curly hair a lot more often but still go to my trusty Dominican hair salon. I wouldn’t trust anybody else to be as conscious of what my natural hair’s health like when they are straightening it. It allows so much freedom because I wear my hair straight one week and wear my hair curly the next with little to no damage.

[@evsodopex3]

Val is an absolute gem ❤️❤️❤️

[@Hope-gz2co]

wow, these ladies are so pretty! Thank you for the video, it's amazing to be able to see other types of beauty outside your own region. Can't get enough of how beautiful and vibrant their curly hair is!

[@belsnickel9568]

This is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

[@sneakerhead6625]

“if there’s not rice it’s not a meal, it’s a snack” is a motto i completely relate to

[@اشيخغ]

Alright, so us Latinas must unite in loving each other with our different features and our common ones such as dark hair, curvaceous bodies and every skin color and hair type. OUR DIVERSITY IS WHAT MAKES US BEAUTIFUL AND KNOWN WORLDWIDE!!

[@roxxylala26]

Honey, I don't know what Latino community you're from but I'm from the north east & I've always felt the Latino community embrace diversity.

[@اشيخغ]

roxxylala26 it depends, there are some who only want the “blanquito” looking people and others (like in my case) don’t accept they have Arab roots. There is also people who can’t accept they have African roots and do not embrace it.

[@trayannaw2546]

I’m half black and Puerto Rican and I can relate. I started wearing my curly hair at 18 as well . Definitely learning to embrace my curly hair journey

[@camilajimenez5827]

Yasss go DR!! Proud Dominican🇩🇴

[@alenabisnar2087]

Your curly hair is gorgeous!!!! You look so pretty ❤️❤️❤️

[@yaelkoren1332]

I love this video! thank you for helping a lot of people who have mixed roots feel 'NOT ALONE' in being uncomfortable in our hair and our hair journey, specially w/in Dominican culture --- which btw, its not so much about "European influence" but more about the influence passed down from the Trujillo (dictator in the 40s) who tough our nation (mostly now our grandparents) that looking a certain way was the only way to live... and that was then passed to our parents, and us.... Truth is the Dominican mentality IS changing, but the 'Trujillo Era' only lost power in the 60's and that mentality dictated a lot of the Dominican culture till this very day... of ignoring (NOT denying) African roots... BECAUSE we have always (since Trujillo) saw/see ourselves as neither African nor European... WE SEE OURSELVES AS DOMINICAN: think of Filipinos, who are a mix of Spanish and asian descent for reference (or even Jews, who are of mixed backgrounds & diverse places but see each other as one nation). ANYWAY, in Val's case we don't know what her fathers or mother's dominant descent is or even her grandparents; just because she is of lighter skin doesn't make her less afro-latina..... If you look at me, i'm of a darker caramel tone complexion, where as my brother DNA wise (yes, we did ancestry) is just like me in our ethnic breakdown... BUT he 3-4 SHADES LIGHTER THEN I AM... that doesn't mean he is less afro-latino than I am. People of skin, color doesn't dictate who you identify with or not even you DNA... let's stop that and instead celebrate each other and the journey we are all on.

[@hellabellatho]

As an AfroLatina (Blaxican from LA) with fine curls, its great to get insight on the stylist in the area doing our hair right! I straightened my hair (myself) from 6th-12th grade. During college I moved to DC and learned how to get pin straight hair or bouncy VS waves with self blowouts but when that east coast humidity hit though?! It was over! Around 21, I started going natural, but my curls were shot. After about 7 years of air drying, deva cuts, curl specific products and diffusing (w/ clips) I've found a rhythm and my curls are back - but I do miss those bouncy waves from time to time. Thanks for putting me on to a few AfroLatina ladies in the area who can help me switch up my look from time to time Refinery29!!

[@refinery29]

+hellabellatho Thanks for checking out the video!!

[@delainegneco7352]

Yassss, Dominican Republic! Plátano Power✨

[@nouranhalim180]

You know what you're gorgeous. You're so natural you could easily be a model you know what was even better, watching you made me some how also feel pretty you were that much happy and carefree and it was contagious ♥️

[@sirir4849]

She’s so beautiful

[@emmad8627]

She and her friend are such beautiful girls! They are really the definition of beauty

[@SinainKorea]

This video is so bizarre. From Val calling herself Afro Latina, the word Dominican being said every 2,4 seconds, the casual racism, an actual black Dominican saying she didn't know Africans were brought to the DR , Val getting a blowout then getting her curls back in one day...I'm not ok🥺

[@grayscale1870]

Wow super impressed with Refinery 29 for tapping into the Dominican hair identity. I have seen countless hair videos on KZbin and none of hit so close to home, I even understand the ”afro latina” term better and now I can also have a term as I feel all other races do. Proud Dominican even more so now!!!

[@refinery29]

+grayscale So glad you appreciate the details!

[@mexicanbeautyqueen7988]

She looks 90% Spanish 10% Black.. Very beautiful

[@БаянИбраева-м8ф]

Omggggg, she’s so beautiful. Like really, she looks just gorgeous

[@ayeshasiddiqua1170]

Yayy im first.. Love you refinery for original content.. Very entertaining :D

[@refinery29]

+ayeshasiddiqua Thanks for hanging out with us!!

[@Sara-bi5pm]

She’s absolutely stunning ✨❤️

[@9vidas758]

Love to see a real latina's journey! Loved this video, i'm a big supporter of Valeria

[@gr82bdanyelle]

9VIDAS Val is short for Valeria

[@elisabeth1st]

Beautiful! Great story that a lot of people can relate to.

[@refinery29]

+elisabethharris Thanks for checking it out!

[@luckysharmsy]

I'm not Dominican but I am Indian-American and can realate. I have super curly and thick hair which is quite hard to maintain. When I was younger my mom would braid it to contain it and when I was a little older she let me straighten my hair so it didn't look so messy, big, and frizzy. Now at 22 I am finally embracing it. It's really not that deep, I just want to keep my hair healthy and don't wan't to spend so much time straightening it.

[@athomas7493]

All these women 👏🏻 so beautiful, personalities so stunning!

[@GingerChung2014]

What beautiful curls

[@refinery29]

+gingerchung Right?!

[@superjules21]

wow she looks sooo so beautiful curly and streight unbelievable

[@queenbeyonce1538]

Babyy Val👼🏼😻

[@contrslchs]

I remember following Val back in the day on Tumblr, she has always embraced her curls and now to see this. WOW

[@Demitrival]

Love this new content

[@luhole]

Holy shit this girl is unbelievably beautiful!!!! She looks incredible with both styles but so different! Crazy!

[@hannahkoske7]

Damn! Your curls are poppin'.

[@indyjourd]

*Im Dominican as well, and I can relate so much with this girl!*

[@Linda-be3ki]

She's mad pretty 😍

[@darceyderosa2426]

I can relate because I don't have the loose curls we envy. The grass isn't always greener. Thank you for sharing your video. It helps me to see another point of view.