Styling: I know it seems that a post like this should've come first. But I felt it important to explain the history and characteristics of my hair--and certainly the relationship that I have with my hair!--before I try to expound upon the ways I treat it. So hair (ha!) it goes.
I'll break this down into categories: Foundational, Product, Styling, Tips.
Foundational: The Must-Dos for your 'Do. (laaame line, but...it'll do.)
1. Trim, Cut, Treat! Each cut or trim is like a spa treatment for your hair and scalp. We're talking exfoliation, moisturization (is that a word?), rejuvenation. The cut is the most foundational aspect to healthy, happy hair. (Curls, or not!) The best advice I can give--whether you're willing to shell out the dough or not--is to keep a regular appointment. Damaged hair: you're looking at a trim every 6 weeks. Healthier hair: between 8 and 10. I cannot say enough how important it is to maintain regular maintenance. Since I have for my own, from June 2010 to now, the back of my hair near the crown, has transformed. From hay to silk. (Wait...did I just make a "Rapunzel" ref???). But seriously, it has. And my ends, they do not split! My hair feels strong and smooth before, during, and each shampoo and condition. (Okay ... unless I got a bit heavy with the hairspray. But still.) Even by the 2nd or 3rd appointment, my hair improved in weight, volume, and texture. GET REGULAR CUTS. Also ... it doesn't hurt to splurge. You really need someone who understands how to shape and cut curls. ...Yes, you do. Finally - be not afraid to approach the reliable or ritzy (or both) salon in your area. First, guaranteed they give free consultations. Second, you might be surprised by how affordable wash, cut, and style is. (I was! Pleasantly, so.) But since you're the number one person hanging-out with your hair ... here's what you can do.
2. Shampoo: As previously noted, do NOT shampoo every day. Every 2-3 days, depending on product-use and sweatiness..., is best.
3. Condition: It pays to invest. Buy the more expensive (I mean as in the $20 and plus) conditioner. I'd say shampoo too...but I haven't made that investment, yet, either. Again, I use Bb Super Rich. Not necessarily for every condition: prob. 90%. Seriously, it is fabulous. Luxurious.
3. On-and-Off: On off-days (that is, non-shampoo days) rotate between rinsing with conditioner and rinsing not at all. (Shower-cap-it!) For example: on extremely humid days after a shampoo or a condition, when my hair has reliable texture, I would not rinse whatsoever. The added water-moisture on the cuticle of the hair, as opposed to the product-moisture that locks moisture into hair, will cause crazy-frizz.
4. Loose the Towel. Dry using a T-shirt. That's right. A plain, cotton T. (I use a white one.) T-shirt absorbs excess moisture from your locks to make for more efficient diffusing and other such styling, while the smooth surface abstains form creating excess frizz and fluff. My fellow-curly-haired-friend, Cassie, let me in on this secret. (She's a BK girl [Brooklyn], and apparently the City has these sweeeeet salons just for [gasp!] curly-haired people.) Uh-mazing.
6. Leave-it-In: Always. Always coat your strands in something. Leave-in. Regular condition (which I frequently use). Olive oil. Mayonnaise. Egg. I don't care. Something. Something that will cuddle and protect your hair. Which leads us to...
Product & Styling: What's good.
1. Good Things Come in 3's: Basically, all curly hair needs 3 styling products: a leave-in, a mousse or gel, and an anti-humidity spray.
2. First Things First: Leave-in is the first product to hit your tresses directly following a shower. I mean even before I T-shirt dry, I run a leave-in through my hair. Mostly, this is a brand of conditioner you might find at the drugstore, such as Pantene. Once or twice in the past, I've asked my stylist if using straight-conditioner as a leave-in causes build-up. Nope. Guess it doesn't. (Believe me: she knows her stuff.) My point: if you had to scrimp on anything, scrimp hair. Buy a decent drug store conditioner, and a dollop will do ya! (Depending on length, hair texture, and volume). I typically use a quarter-sized amount.
3. Scrunchy, Lovey Hair: If there's one thing I've learned about styling, it is NOT that mousse is better than gel, or vice-versa. Honestly, it's what your hair takes-to, depending on the day. For the looooooongest time (like decades), I used mousse. First it was Pantene for Curls. Then, Herbal Essences for curls. Both were fab. But now, for whatever reason, I'm into gel. ...Okay, this is another area where I scrimp. I know! Aren't you shocked!? If I were anyone else reading this blog, I'd assume that leave-in and styling is where I'd spend the most. But really ... it's foundational (cut, condition) and finish (anti-humidity ... which we'll get to!). So--okay, I'll admit it--I use L.A. Looks. (The green colored one.) And I love it! First, it works. Second, it smells delic. Third, it has a C rating in "The Better World Shopping Guide" (Jones, p. 98). (Okay, now I need to cite this sucker at the end! ...If I forget, let me know...).
Quick side-note, "C" is a waaaaay average rating, and there are better (or more expensive) brands I could invest in. ...But keep in mind how much money I'm currently making with this master's degree that, technically, the bank owns. (I mean, right.)
So yeah, I use L.A. Looks. For now, it works. But here's what makes it work ... SCRUNCHING! Maybe someday I'll really learn how to use (gasp!) technology, and I'll create a tutorial. For now ... old fashion wording will do. Briefly - I coat my hair with gel, so that if I were to touch it with my palm, I wouldn't necessarily feel hair-strand. I'd feel gel-coated-hair-strand. This takes maybe 2 or 3 quarter sized dollops, finger combed throughout, to coat my short tresses. From there, I use about 3 more dollops, spread throughout palm and fingertips, to scrunch. Straight-up scrunch. This is an example of what I mean by "cuddling and loving" curls. Instead of continually smoothing-down hair, from crown-to-base, in an effort to smooth the follicle, use your fingertips, like gentle scrubbers, to lift root from crown and to add bounce and shape to curls. Whereas the former leads to frayed and frizzy, hay-like strands, the latter engages and cultivates the natural curl. Trust me. Also! Don't be afraid to throw-in a hair-flip or two, or three. Often, I rock my hair over the front of my face, so I can scrunch the curly-cues at the nape of my neck, or even from ear-to-ear so that the sides get some lovin', too.
4. Enemy #1... You guessed it! Humidity. Humidity is a curly-haired-human's Kryptonite. (Honestly, I don't know "Superman" that well ... so hopefully I got the allusion right!) Especially during the balmy summer or rainowy (remember: rain + snow) winter months, humidity can wreak havoc on otherwise perfectly treated tresses. This is where I really, truly, totally recommend investing. Curly hair needs a quality anti-humidity spry. In fact, when mine ran out this fall, I tried cheating by using a hairspray brand available at drug stores. ... Can's still 3/4 full, and lonely in my closet. (Sorry- just wasn't good enough.)
At this point, I won't pretend to know enough about the indredients that make a spray such. But I can tell you that "Impermeable" by Oribe is gold. (Actually they make gold pomade for hair, which I've seen featured in fashion mags and have even dappled-in myself. But I digress...) You know what: nevermind. This stuff isn't gold. It's the golden-colored genie that comes out of his golden-lantern who grants you all of your golden-worthy-curly-haired-wishes. Seriously! That picture, on my first post--the one with short curls where I have it completely down! ... as it remained such the entire night!-- that occurred on a hot, hazy, humid August evening because of Impermeable-genie. Invest. You won't regret it.
Tips: The Essentials.
1. Quality cut and stylist: invest. Now.
2. Maintain regular trim/cut appointments. Between every 6-10 weeks. If you can trust your stylist, he or she will let you know.
3. Invest in a quality conditioner. This is the product that will touch your curls most often and probably, first. I recommend Bumble & Bumble (Bb) Super Rich. Delic.
4. Use a T shirt to dry your hair after rinsing! Really: it can't get more simple than that.
5. Always coat hair in something before putting-it-up or (duh) styling it. Product helps to protect hair not only from heat, such as the kind encountered by blow-dryers, but also from other elements, such as ... humidity, or lack-thereof
6. SCRUNCH your curls, after they are well coated with the styling product of your choice.
7. After you have styled, but before you have diffused, try using pin-curls. (Those long, silver metal things I mentioned in an earlier post.) Typically, I clip back the sides and "bangs" of my hair. This allows for faster drying ... and it keeps slimy, gel-hair out of my face.
8. If you are on your 3rd of 4th day without shampooing, focus on up-dos. First, your natural curl probably doesn't have as much shine as it did previously. Second, your hair will have the perfect texture to maintain a sweet, sassy, or simple sweep-up.
9. Invest in a quality anti-humidity spry. Oribe Impermeable. Love.
10. LOVE YOUR CURLS. Embrace them. For real.
The End.
Works Cited.
Jones, Ellis. (2010). The better world shopping guide. Canada: New Society Publishers.
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