About Curls Naturally | Curated Curly Hair Products NZ

Hi curl friend,

I’m Donna — The Curl Next Door™.

Curls Naturally began with a personal turning point, but what began as a personal journey quickly became a wider commitment to reshaping how curls are supported in Aotearoa New Zealand.

A Personal Turning Point

In 2018, at 48 years old, I decided I was done fighting my natural texture.

For years I had straightened it, cut it short when it frustrated me, grown it out again hoping it would behave differently, and repeated the cycle. I wasn’t a trained hairdresser at the time. I was simply a curly woman trying to understand her own hair.

As I began researching, I discovered something important. Internationally, the conversation around natural texture was shifting. Specialist curl educators were refining cutting methods. Formulators were building products designed around fibre behaviour rather than trends. Consumers were becoming informed.

But here in Aotearoa New Zealand, that niche had not yet fully taken root.

That gap mattered.

Building a Curl Infrastructure in Aotearoa

As I connected with educators and curl specialists across the USA, Canada, the UK, South America and Australia, one thing became clear: New Zealand was behind in access to structured curl education and trusted curl-aligned products.

Meaningful change required more than enthusiasm. It required structure.

It required awareness of specialist training pathways.
It required access to curl-compatible formulations.
It required clear information for consumers and professionals alike.

It was all early days and the process was very organic (cue: early handwritten plans and curl infrastructure sketches on large sheets of paper in 2018), but it quickly gathered momentum as demand grew and the way forward became clearer.

What began as personal curiosity evolved into deliberate action. I trained internationally — beginning with Lorraine Massey, author of Curly Girl: The Handbook — and continued advancing my education in specialist curl cutting systems and tight-texture techniques.

At the same time, I began mapping education pathways, building directories, strengthening distribution channels, and increasing visibility around curl-specific standards.

This work was never just about my hair.

It was about building something that would last - something for a new generation of curls.

Why Curls Naturally Exists

As my education journey began, one practical question kept coming up:

Where do we buy the products that actually align with this training?

In 2019, I opened Curls Naturally — New Zealand’s first dedicated online store bringing together multiple internationally trusted curly hair brands in one place.

Not everything on the market.
Only what met the standard.

Every product stocked here has earned its place through real-world performance on textured hair. I assess formulations based on ingredient transparency, fibre compatibility, and how they behave across different strand widths, densities, damage levels and life stages.

For a season, I also worked in wholesale distribution, supporting salons investing in curl education to access professional curl-aligned brands. Strengthening those pathways became another layer of the work.

Today, Curls Naturally remains a curated retail space grounded in education and lived experience.

I don’t stock everything.

I stock what I trust.

Because curly people in New Zealand shouldn’t have to navigate unnecessary overwhelm to find products that respect their hair and actually work.

What’s in the Name?

If you have curls, you may recognise this moment.

Someone says, “I love your curls… are they natural?”

For years, that question made me hesitate.

Then one day I chose to answer differently.

“Yes. My hair curls, naturally.”

That sentence became a shift — from apology to ownership.

Curls are part of nature. They are not something to disguise or correct. They are something to understand and care for well.

Curls Naturally reflects that belief.

We hope that caring for your curls becomes more natural over time. That understanding ingredients becomes easier. That wearing your texture feels confident and uncomplicated.

Naturally.

xx
Donna

Curl Specialist • Educator • Founder
The Curl Next Door & Curls Naturally

Working at the intersection of curl education, considered product curation, and real-world practice behind the chair since 2018.