Let Out Your Curls

For most of my life I have struggled against the tousled curls on my head. I have tugged, pulled, ironed, pressed, dried, all but ripped them out, in order to get the sleek look I desired so badly. The early nineties were the worst! Stars like Jennifer Aniston had the sleekest of locks and there was no way that I could match that. As a child no one taught me how to take care of curly hair, so when I combed my hair, like every other girl did, but what resulted was a big old mess. Think Diana Ross, really really big hair. That is enough to scare off any child away from curly hair. Naturally I became very proficient with a blow dryer.

There are many style proponents of curly hair who are doing their best to convince the world of the beauty of natural hair. Salons like Devachan and Ouidad in NYC and Batia & Aleeza in Beverly Hills, are making waves in the industry (I couldn't help the pun.. It's just too easy). There are websites like naturallycurly.com that encourage girls to hide the blow dryer. It wasn't until a couple years ago that I finally got the hang of my curly hair. I always received compliments on my thick curly hair, but I had spent so much of my life trying to tame it, it was hard to finally let them loose.

Taking care of curly hair requires a different mindset than our straight hair friends. First of all curly hair is much drier than any other type of hair. For this reason it is very important that your hair is well moisturized because basically sucks up all the moisture it can get.

A Few Tips For Curly Hair

- Moisture! This is hard for some people to realize but you shouldn't be shampooing your hair everyday. You can wash your hair everyday if you'd like but only use conditioner. The friction of scrubbing the conditioner against your scalp will clean your hair. Excess shampooing only strips your hair of its natural oils and creates frizz. Some stylist even suggest never using shampoo (only conditioner) but I find for my hair shampoo isn't harmful, just don't use it everyday.

-A great haircut can make all the difference. You need to go to a stylist who has experience cutting curly hair. Do not go to someone who wants to give you the latest cut and trend because most likely it won't suit you. Layers to break up the curls and avoid triangle head. You do not need to go to one of the fancy and expensive curly salons in order to get a great cut. Stick with a stylist you trust and you will never be disappointed.

-Clip your hair at the crown of your head in order to get some lift. Curly hair us usually heavy and can weigh down the hair on the top of your head. Lift and pin your hair at the roots.

-Use a diffuser when drying your hair. Also a little trick that I like to do is dry my hair upside down. Bend over and blow dry from underneath. This will create big hair which I love. It also prevents your hair from getting flat.

-When you are finished washing your hair seal in the moisture by pouring colder water on your hair. This will help prevent frizz.


Corkscrew Curls
These curls are the tightest. They tend to be in the shape or a corkscrew. Because they are tight they are also the driest and need the most moisture.






















Botticelli Curls
These curls vary in shape and are not as tight as the corkscrew curls.













Wavy

Some hair isn't completely curly but it has a slight wave to it. It is the least dry of curly hair however still needs moisture.