MEET Dr. Gaby Longsworth

Absolutely Everything Curly founder Gaby Longsworth, Ph.D, truly believes there is no such thing as bad hair. The scientist, patent attorney, wife, mother and founder of the natural hair blog, Absolutely Everything Curly, created her website to share her passion and knowledge with other “curly girls,” who desire to step away from the chemicals and embrace their natural beauty. 

The resident of Grant is also a biracial woman who often felt pressure to tone down her natural curls to fit in. These days, Longsworth says she feels more confident in her own skin and has decided to not just embrace her curls, but her gray hair, as well.

Growing up in Suriname, Longsworth was too busy playing a variety of sports to worry much about her hair. After arriving in the U.S. to attend college at Florida Institute of Technology, and later Johns Hopkins University, she began relaxing her curls to fit in with her more conventional classmates. She continued to use chemical straighteners while she worked as a pharmaceutical patent attorney at a Washington, DC law firm. It was during the height of COVID that she began to rethink how to help her curly hair look its best.

“I couldn’t travel and I found myself with extra time on my hands, which I never had before,” Longsworth said. “I started doing research for my own hair, and to my surprise, I found all these Facebook groups for curly hair. As I was going through these groups, I saw that there were so many other women who had similar issues and questions. As a scientist, when I would see answers, I would always wonder, ‘Well are they right? What is actually true?’

So I started doing my own research and realized how much inaccurate information is out there.”

Dr. Longsworth approached her research like the scientist she is, reading scientific articles and ingredient lists, questioning the marketing claims made by many brands. She took a course offered by the International Association of Trichologists (someone who specializes in the scalp and hair) to continue to learn why certain products worked for her hair and others did not. 

Longsworth is also passionate about sharing all she learns with others. She created her educational website, absolutelyeverythingcurly.com, as a way to help others discover their natural beauty. Much of the information on the site, including information for little curlies and silver vixens, is free to anyone who visits. 

Absolutely Everything Curly also offers a yearly subscription that gives subscribers access to all 20 of her “ultimate guides” to the best curly hair products. Her unique guides include products pulled from her database of over 7,000 hair products, all searchable by ingredients, so readers can easily find the products that will work best for them. The subscription also includes access to a database of over 1,200 salons nationwide that specialize in curly hair and a 20-minute consultation with Dr. Longsworth. 

“Her site is unique for two reasons,” said subscriber Angela Rakis. “First, it is science-based. Just like we want to know what goes into our bodies when we eat, we can begin doing the same for what goes on our hair. Second, it’s not sponsored by an advertiser. She will use her site and social media to talk about what SHE uses — she names brands. But she’s unbiased, so it has helped me find something that works for MY hair type.”

“This is a passion project that came out of a desire to help other women, especially professional women, who feel compelled to straighten or chemically treat their curly hair to fit in. Embracing your natural hair is a wonderful thing to do,” Longsworth said. “Your hair is going to be healthier, it is actually going to grow thicker. When you take care of your curls and you know what products to use, it looks gorgeous.” 

Learn More:

Absolutelyeverythingcurly.com
curlplanet.com
Instagram: @absolutelyeverythingcurly
Private Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/curlycoilyhair