11 Tips for Curly Hair

1.  What Shampoo and Conditioner you are using IS important! 
Shampoo is  usually an akaline substance that will open up the "petals" on your hair and release and dirt and build up.  If the Shampoo you are using is too harsh, it will over strip your hair and if it is not powerful enough, it won't get your hair clean.  With the follow up of conditioner, we then replace the moisture that we just stripped, minus the dirt.  Conditioner should also bring our hair back to it's natural acidic ph balance, which causes the cuticles ("petals") on our hair to lye flat and reflect light and frizz less.  However, depending on your curl size, wavy to tight ringlets, (the curlier the hair, the heavier of a conditioner necessary) the molecular weight of the conditioner you use will matter.  If it is too heavy it will result in your curls being weighed down, and if it is too light, it won't be conditioning enough and inaffective in fighting frizz and the natural elements.  If you think your two dollar bottle of shampoo or conditoner can afford to spend that kind of money on research ...wrong.  Remember, any "retail" store, purchased your bottle of product for half the price you are buying it for!! So that two dollar bottle is really a one dollar bottle, and minus the packaging, and advertising and cost of production, there can't be much invested into R and D.

In curly hair these principles are even more important due to the fact that in curly hair, the cuticle (outer layer) is lifted and curved, and this causes it to reflect less light and start off even more dry in appearance than straight hair.  It it is important to find the right amount of hydration, vs, cleansing properties, so that hair can combat frizz and have the right amount of bounce and life.

2. Deep Condition Weekly, and Strip Monthly
Curly hair needs extra conditioning and moisture. I suggest a deep conditioner (something more intense than what you use regularly) weekly for dry and medium to coarse curly hair to help maintain a healthy level of moisture. Most products can build up to some degree and so I also suggest that we push a "reset button" monthly, (please don't do this more than monthly) and use a shampoo that says that it is "deep cleansing", usually suggesting a higher akalinity, meaning that it further opens up those "petals" and removes more deeply any dirt and oil. This should be followed by deep conditioner.

3.  Curly hair needs product
Well, all hair needs product really if you want it to have any life or interest.  But, It's necessary for curly hair, unless you want your curls undefined and frizzy.  I suggest three important styling products.  A leave in conditioner (for medium to coarse hair), a serum for frizz, and a curl cream.  Curls these days are more often than not attempting to be romantic and soft, not the crunchy wet looking curls of the eighties and nineties.  Avoid any high alcohol based product such as mousse, (unless you are using it at the scalp only for volume) and stick with a creme based, conditioner infused product.

4. Pick don't brush
Not your nose, your hair, and only if you can't run your fingers through it. If you can run your fingers through in the shower and there are no tangles, I would say towel dry and don't even pick. For some, this is really difficult. The more we pull down on our hair, the more we relax and pull out the curl, the more we dictate what we'de like it to do, the more it resists and complains. If hair is very curly, or tends to snarl then of course this is an exception and I would say pick through starting from the ends and working your way to the scalp as the curls release until it is untangled.

5. Twist your curls and scrunch
Sounds silly and simple I know, but it really, really helps define curl. I'm not talking about twisting every curl, but a few around the face, and on the top of the head. This should be done after shampooing, conditioning, and after you have applied product, but before you blowdry. It can also be done in the morning after drying at night, and after misting to reactivate product.

6.  Air dry as much as possible, and when you must dry, use a diffuser
If you have dry hair, then you know it has a life and personality all it's own.  It wants to do what it wants, and it will behave better if we stand back and let it. This means, we treat it like royalty with great shampoos and conditioners, specifically for our level of curl, deep condtion, "reset it" occasionally, apply some great product after thouroughly towel drying, and then let it do it's thing.  If your hair is fine, or less curly then you would like, a diffuser can help encourage your hair to be curly.  A diffuser is an attatchment that fits on to the end of your blowdryer.  I prefer the ones with "fingers".  The beauty of a diffuser is that product usually doesn't stick to it.  So it doesn't pull apart your curl as the product dries and goes through that "tacky" phase.  Diffusers act to break up the stream of air emitted from your blowdryer and cause hair to dry more like how it would dry naturally, faster.  Depending on your curls craziness, one good suggestion I give my clients, is to wash at night, apply product, let it dry over night, and then use a spray bottle (filled with water, or water and a light conditioner or detangler) and mist in the morning to reactivate the product and curl, and give it a fraction of the drying time.


7.  Invest in a great cut and consider color
Unless a triangle is your favorite shape, and you want to wear it on your head, if your hair is curly,  then your hair will need layers. Currently we are seeing vertical shapes in curl.  This means an elongated shape rather than width.  Without a great cut, curls become heavy, less springy, and hair shape will be bottom heavy. It's what curl does. 

8.  If you are going to get highlights, and want them to show up, go a little chunkier
If highlights are woven too fine into curly hair, they dissapear.  I really like soft carmels, and coppers woven into curls to bring out the texture and accentuate curls.

9.   Be versatile with styling
Although curly hair can be worn the same every day.  It gets boring!!  Tie your hair back loosely, one day, braid it another, braid only your fringe area off your face, twist sections back off your face, make cute spongy curly pigtails, flatten the crown and make the bottom wider, you can touch up your curls with a curling iron (1" is my favorite barrel size), your can slick the front of your ponytail tight and then make a huge ponytail...the possiblilities are endless.  Be creative and show your love for your babies (your curls).

10.  Find a professional stylist you can trust and who can work with your curl
Part of getting a haircut is having someone who undersands you, who you are, where you are in life, and your hair needs.  I reccomend having an ongoing relationship with a stylist who will know what you love about your hair, and what you don't.  If you see the same stylist for long enough, they will know what is appropriate for where you work, the things that you would never wear, listen to what you want and cut accordingly, and understand your need for change.  They will also know all of the drama between you and your other half, have met your mama, seen pictures of your children or animals, know what your life aspirations are, and attend your wedding :)  If they are professional, and have integrity, they they will understand that you are their signature.  They will take pride in making you feel like a million, and for single handedly helping you to fall in love with your curly hair.

11. Decide to love your curlsIt's human nature yes I know, and hard to fight. Every human is in love with what each others posess. Tall people admire the benefits of being short and vice versa, carmel complexions covet light, and vice versa, children want to be older, and vice versa...I could go on and on. Hair is no different. People with straight hair want curly and people with curly want straight. Diversity is what keeps the world so beautiful. If you have curly hair, (I'm not saying never straighten it) rock your curls! This is an asset you have been given. Figure out how to best manage your natural texture, this knowledge will be a tool you will have your whole life. Figure out what your beast wants and give it that...what kind of products work best, when your hair responds best to washing, what it likes and what causes it to behave the most beautifully.  Loving anything is a decision, and loving ourselves can be a tough one.  Decide to love your curls, if someone gives you unwarranted feedback, let it be their own insecurity.  Decide to stop apologizing about being different, decide to be positive, decide to be confident about who you are.Hair is the accessory we wear every day.  It says something about us.