For Miguelina German, her earliest memories of going to the hair salon began at 10 years old.
She opened up to "Good Morning America" about those memories, recalling all the creams put in her hair, and said straightening your hair is a staple in Dominican culture.
"It's such a huge part of Dominican culture to straighten our hair, and I think it was just all my mother knew how to do, and her mother knew how to do," German said.
However, she said what she remembers most from getting her hair straightened at that age was the pain and not wanting to complain about how it made her feel uncomfortable.
Growing up in a Hispanic household, German said she was taught to refer to her hair using one of the two expressions: "pelo bueno," which means good hair, and "pelo malo," which means bad hair. Natural hair, which has not been straightened and is curly or textured, was considered "pelo malo," German said, while "pelo bueno" referred to straightened hair.
German, 53, said she straightened her hair for decades before her husband encouraged her to start her natural hair journey.
"I was terrified," German recalled. "I can't lie, I was very scared."
But after reading about a curly hair salon opening up in Washington Heights in New York City, German said she was thrilled to get her hair treated. She said she met the owner of Elore Beauty Space, Samanda Hyppolite, and planned the next steps in her hair journey.
Celebrity hairstylist tips on keeping natural hair healthy while wearing box braids, twists, and other protective styles"I had 20 million questions about, you know, kind of, what do I do," German said. "And I was transitioning my hair so I had straight hair, and I had no idea what to do with that, like how to transition."
The salon helped German transition to natural hair by recommending different hairstyles and products and being transparent about the timeline, she said.
Hyppolite, 29, told "GMA" she grew up seeing her mother in the beauty world wearing her natural hair, and she wanted to follow in her footsteps.
"She used to say she was beautiful and say she felt beautiful," Hyppolite said. "And that motivated me to wear my natural hair as well.
Once Hyppolite started wearing her natural hair, she wanted to see more women embrace their hair as well, which she said led her to what she's doing today.
German said she often brings her daughter Ariela with her to the hair salon and they both get their hair done. If her daughter decides she wants to straighten her hair someday, German said she would support her, because she understands wanting to try a different hairstyle.
She said she wants children to feel secure when it comes to their hair.
"I think it's about giving our children choice and making sure that they know they're beautiful no matter what hairstyle they choose to wear on any given day," German said.
Woman uses TikTok to highlight influential Latinas"I wanted to pass on a love of my hair in its natural state to my daughter," she added. "I want her to feel proud of the hair she has, and I don't ever want her to think of her as good or bad."
For her part, Ariela, 10, said she wouldn't want to go to the hair salon with anyone other than her mother.
"When I get my hair done, it makes me feel powerful and that I'm fine just the way I am," she said.
