As we gear up for the Love Island USA reunion this evening, naturally we’re reflecting on the entire happenings from sixth season of the dating and reality TV show. Throughout the 36-episode season, over 30 Islanders attempted to search out love in a villa in Fiji––Kordell and Serena being the couple to be this season––or else, be dumped off the island.

But with any dating show, your appearance on screen is half the job. As a fan favorite for her beauty moments, “I believe physical appearance plays a task on a dating show since it does influence your first impression or initial attraction,” former Islander Sierra Mills tells ESSENCE.

Nevertheless, a damp villa within the South Pacific coupled with unlimited camera time, yet limited mirror time, applied the pressure before she went out to search for love. “The truth of it’s that we only had around 30-40 minutes to get fully ready and dressed, which for me was a giant challenge,” Mills says. “I had to search out latest quick hairstyles that I could do in quarter-hour or less and that might survive within the Fiji humidity.” Naturally, with Island girl Bora Bora braids on the rise, a protective style was first on the list.

“I used to be initially excited about coming in with braids since that will be the simplest option to manage my hair, but I used to be like ‘there’s no way it’ll last the total two months,’” she figured. Which is why inside her 10-episode stay on the Island, we saw her pull off updos to slick back ponytails, braids to space buns, turning her into one among beauty’s fan favorites. “I didn’t start the season with a selected protective style, but I did come prepared with braiding hair, extensions, and various bundles to create a protective look when needed,” she says. “Let’s just say I used so much of gel and hairspray to maintain my hair slicked down.”

But while her slicked back hair looks had a 5-star rating on screen, she’s still a ways away from writing a love letter to her natural texture. “Growing up biracial with a white mom, I often felt a disconnect when it got here to understanding and caring for my natural hair,” she says. Between breakage from a relaxer she begged for 11 years ago to hiding her texture with extensions, she grew up with hair anxiety which still existed on the set of Love Island. “I used to be anxious about appearing on TV because I knew I’d be filmed from every angle, including moments when my hair was out while preparing or within the morning.”

Nevertheless, she used the dating show to challenge not only her heart, but her hair. “I actually desired to make it a degree to modify up my hair daily, each day and night,” she says. “Looking back on my moments, I’ve come to understand my natural beauty on a deeper level.” While dating shows and apps may feel like a superficial option to start a relationship––and like Sierra, it’s possible you’ll still walk away single––she finds probably the most beauty in learning self-love. “The experience reinforced my belief that true beauty comes from being authentic moderately than attempting to fit a selected image or conceal who you’re.”