As our 10 year anniversary approached in 2012, what feels like ages ago now, Jess reflected openly and lovingly on our blog with the people that supported her near the very beginning of Jessicurl.
It was not uncommon for Jess to form relationships with her customers that transcended traditional reach and were rooted in an authentic bond over their curly-ness. This is a pillar of her philosophy that we still carry out in her honor.
In this spirit, let’s look back on her friendship with Jordana Estner!
(Originally posted Sept 4th 2012)
I’ve met Jordana several times over the years and would absolutely call her a friend at this point. :) Once a few years ago when she was going from Southern California to Oregon, she stayed with me for a few days mid-way. :) It was great! I also got to see her a few years ago when I was up in Seattle and she came to our curly gathering. She’s always been a huge supporter of Jessicurl and I appreciate that so much. It’s such an amazing thing, customers become friends! :) Thank you Jordana, for being so great all these years and for becoming a true, real-life friend! :)
Your name: Jordana Estner
Number of years using Jessicurl products: 9
Tell me about your curly hair journey. Did you always have curly hair, or like many of us, did it go curly at a certain point in your life?
My hair was somewhat wavy as a kid, but turned curly at puberty.
When you were a kid, let’s say, under the age of 12, how did you feel about your hair? Did you get along with it?
I always wanted it to be longer… I envied the girls with hair so long that they could sit on it! But I didn’t have any major issues with it. Just brushed it off and didn’t think about it much after that.
Did that relationship change at all during your adolescent years?
Oh yes, definitely! My waves turned into ringlets, and I loved it! I’d always thought of my hair as kind of boring before that.
If you fought with your curly hair for a portion of your life, at what age/point in your life did you decide to embrace your naturally curly hair?
I never fought with it. At one point in my early 20s I straightened regularly for a short while. The day my little brother said to me, “It’s weird. It’s like you’re trying to not look like the rest of the family,” was the day I realized how silly I was being. I’m a curly girl through and through. Always have been, always will be!
How did the people in your life react to that decision?
The first day I went to work curly after having straightened for a while, one coworker reached out and boinged a curl, and expressed surprise at how curly my hair was. That was really it; everyone else complimented my curls and ooh’d and aah’d over them!
If you always loved and accepted your curls, is there someone in your life that you feel was helpful in helping you with that? If you had to accept them later in life, is there someone who you feel was helpful in accepting/loving your curls then?
I think I’m lucky in that I never witnessed anyone straightening their hair while I was growing up. It honestly never occurred to me to heat style, simply because I’d never been exposed to it. I was oblivious to it as an option. My parents are both curly. My little sister is curly. I was raised to appreciate the way I look and enhance it, but not to fight it. I suppose I credit my mother for that. It’s her attitude towards her own appearance, and I guess I just got it from her.
When, and in what context did you first hear of Jessicurl?
Naturallycurly.com’s message boards. Jessicurl was first becoming really popular right around the same time that I started participating!
What made you decide to try Jessicurl the first time?
All the rave reviews from other curlies!
Clearly, since you’re being featured on my blog, you liked the products and have continued to use them. :) What was different about them and what made you keep coming back to them?
I’m kind of a commitment-phobe. I’ll use Jessicurl products for a while, then I’ll be lured away and will want to try something new. Time after time, though, I keep realizing that Jessicurl is simply what works best for me. Particularly the Deep Conditioning Treatment. My hair is naturally quite dry, and nothing gives it moisture like Jessicurl’s Deep Conditioning Treatment does. I’ve tried so many others, but I always come back!
How has your relationship with your hair changed or evolved during your time using Jessicurl products?
I used to want to control my curls pretty badly. I’ve gotten away from that in recent years. I very rarely even bother with product at all. Just conditioner, then I’m done. I like to let my curls be wild and free. That didn’t used to be the case. I think the fact that my hair is in much better health now than it used to be makes it easier to just let it do whatever it wants to on any given day.
Please tell me whatever else you’d like me to know about you and your hair and your experience with it.
Jessicurl makes my curls soft, shiny, well defined, and fabulous. I love it dearly and am proud to be one of the longest-term customers!
Awe, we just can’t help getting misty. Jess had so many memories over the years with the people that meant so much to her.
Her grassroots approach still fuels us today and we cherish our Curlies that support us, share their stories, and carry the legacy that is Jessicurl!
