Julissa Bermudez is a Dominican American host, media personality, red-carpet correspondent, and influencer who first became known for hosting shows like BET’s “106 & Park” and “The Center” and MTV’s “Jersey Shore Reunion” and “The Hills” finale. Bermudez spent years navigating the industry’s rigid beauty standards — often at the expense of her natural curls. As part of our Pelo Bueno package, she opens up about her evolving relationship with her hair, the pressure to conform, and what embracing her natural texture after 40 has meant for her confidence and identity.
Growing up, my relationship with my hair always felt like a task. Every Saturday morning, I’d be up early, heading to the salon before the doors even opened just to make sure I’d be seen within the first few hours. That was how I spent my Saturdays as a kid. It felt like a rite of passage for a young Dominican girl, something ingrained in our routine and so natural that I never questioned it.
Even though I grew up hearing terms like “pelo bueno” and “pelo malo,” my experience was more about making sure my hair was always arreglado, which translates to “fixed” or “done.” I’d get my wash and set and spend time under the secadora, and then it was up to me to maintain it all week — because after spending a whole Saturday at the salon, there was no way I was going to let that effort go to waste.
It took me a while to realize how deeply ingrained it was in me to believe that my hair wasn’t presentable unless I went through the whole Dominican salon process. I had no business getting a relaxer at just 9 years old — such a young age to start chemically processing hair. To this day, the smell of relaxer haunts me.
This mindset followed me into my career as a TV host and public personality. The entertainment industry, much like the Dominican community, was all about sleek, straight hair. In the early 2000s and 2010s, no one really knew how to handle a curly-haired Afro-Latina on camera.
When I was about 19, I landed my first hosting gig on a show called “The Roof” on Mun2, which catered to Latinos raised in the US but who were still connected to their culture. Moving to Miami meant finding a new salon, but it also meant learning to do my own hair because I always needed to be camera-ready.
When I returned to New York, I continued hosting on networks like BET and MTV, where I worked on shows like “106 & Park” and “The Center.” Back then, no one knew how to style naturally curly hair other than to straighten it. The constant heat eventually took its toll, and I experimented with various extensions — tape-ins, clip-ons, and even glue-ins, which proved to be a nightmare. It was a journey of trying to fit into an industry that didn’t quite know what to do with someone like me.
This continued even after I moved to LA, as I was nearing 30. I had already been traveling back and forth for work, doing a lot of red-carpet correspondence and essentially living a bicoastal life. Once my parents retired and returned to the Dominican Republic, I finally made the official move to LA.
I’ve now been in LA for over a decade. During that time, I continued working with MTV and traveling abroad to places like South Africa and Argentina. All that traveling meant I had no choice but to learn how to do my own hair and makeup. Often, companies either didn’t have a budget for hair and makeup, or the stylists weren’t familiar with how to handle my hair. Still, wearing my natural curls was never really an option. After a while, I got really good at showing up to red carpets on my own, with no hair and makeup budget, but completely ready to go.
After I turned 40, I had a moment of realization. I was tired of putting my hair through it, and I was tired of feeling like my natural hair wasn’t beautiful enough to rock for gigs or red-carpet opportunities. Since becoming a full-time beauty influencer, I have finally wanted to embrace my curls. After a certain age, you reach a point where you start to surrender to things. You start realizing what’s more important and what you actually want to spend more energy on. And for me, I could not continue to have my hair be such a thing.
I found so much inspiration in seeing other beautiful, curly-haired women on social media, and delving into the knowledge and research about caring for natural curls was exciting for me. Even now, I’m still learning every day, and it’s incredible how much information is out there about embracing and caring for your natural hair.
Cutting off so much of my length was a big adjustment for me. I was accustomed to visiting Dominican salons, where the goal was always to keep the hair as long as possible, even if the ends were damaged. I held onto that length for so long, needing that “hang time.” But when I went to the Miss Rizos Salon — back when they had a location in Washington Heights — they were honest with me: those dead ends were doing nothing for my hair’s health, so I decided to go for it.
I was amazed at the integrity of my curls and the fact that they were even forming at all after everything I’d put my hair through — relaxers, weaves, constant heat styling. My hair is so resilient, and honestly, it’s inspiring. I sometimes wish I were as resilient as my hair because it has been through so much. With age, you truly begin to embrace the journey of self-love and realize its importance. If I could apologize to my hair, I would, because now I want to care for it more than ever.
The first time I got my curly cut, I still had some damage, and I wasn’t fully ready to let go of the straightening tools. However, it was during a spring visit to the Dominican Republic this year that I decided I wanted to truly commit to caring for my curls. I visited the original Miss Rizos salon in Santo Domingo, and everything about that experience was inspiring, from the salon itself and everything it represents to the way they embraced my hair and how they spoke about it. My hair wasn’t a problem for them — it was beautiful. This was also the first time that my curls looked so healthy; there was no heat damage in sight.
I’m still very much on this journey, and I admit I get impatient with my curls, especially by day two. But I’m committed, and it feels like such a full-circle moment for me. I no longer subscribe to the idea that my hair has to be straight to be considered arreglado. I’ve realized that my hair can look elegant and beautiful in its natural, curly state. It doesn’t have to be super straight to be considered done, classy, or elegant.
Now, in my early 40s, I’m embracing it all. I’m speaking on panels with my curls on full display, sharing my journey as an Afro-Latina who took years to fully embrace her natural texture, both on stage and on social media.
If there’s one thing I hope people take away from my hair story, it’s to be kinder to their own hair. If I could go back in time, I would be so much more loving to my hair and would have embraced my natural curls much sooner.
— As told to Johanna Ferreira
Johanna Ferreira is the content director for PS Juntos. With more than 10 years of experience, Johanna focuses on how intersectional identities are a central part of Latine culture. Previously, she spent close to three years as the deputy editor at HipLatina, and she has freelanced for numerous outlets including Refinery29, Oprah magazine, Allure, InStyle, and Well+Good. She has also moderated and spoken on numerous panels on Latine identity.
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