How to Care for Curly Hair
If you are like four out of every 10 women in the United States, you have curly, wavy, or kinky hair. You may have struggled to tame your hair for years, but don't despair. If you learn to work with your hair instead of against it, you can have fun with new styles or find the perfect 10 minute hairdo for everyday. Let's go over the basics of curly hair care now.
Get a Good Cut
Call several salons before making an appointment and ask if anyone there has specific experience cutting curly hair. Inexperienced stylists will wet your hair to make it straight during the cutting process and then find their hands full when it starts to dry. Be firm about what you want and give plenty of specific instruction to get the best outcome. Rule number one for curly heads: layers! Even with my short wedge style I insist on texture and layers. If your hair is mid length, get your layers cut as close to the ends of your hair as you can to avoid the dreaded pyramid effect. Longer hair may require more layers to keep its volume abundant.
Daily Hair Care
Repeat after me: less shampoo, less heat, less product. Curly hair absorbs and releases moisture much more easily than straight hair due to the structure of the strands. The fewer times you take it through the extremes of being stripped of natural oils (with shampoo), fried to a crisp (with a blow dryer) and immersed in goop (sprays, dyes, etc.) the better your hair's health will be. This is especially important with long hair if you don't plan to cut it all off and start over. There are hundreds of products for curly hair on the market now which means you have lots of opportunities to drop big bucks on products that don't work for you. Read as many customer reviews as you can find before making a purchase.
Keeping the Curl, Wave, or Kink
If you like to wear your hair curly, you need to use a light product that will tame frizz without weighing down your hair or making it appear greasy. Achieving the right look has a lot to do with how much product you use so start with a very small amount. Some stylists insist that the only way to have great curls is to straighten your hair and then add curls back in with a curling iron. This is sheer madness. Go with your natural curl size and you will be amazed at the compliments you get. I use Starlit Waves by John Frieda when I want to keep my cap of short curls soft and glossy. It is easy to re-wet during the day if frizz pops up.
Straighten it Out
Lye based straighteners should only be applied by a professional since they are highly toxic and can cause sever burns. They are intended to be permanent straightening agents and require ongoing visits to treat new growth. Most curly heads can achieve the effect they want by using a blow dryer and/or straightening iron but this can be time consuming to do every day. I just let my hair air dry overnight and then use a high heat ceramic straightening iron in the morning. V05 Reworkable Putty adds texture and doesn't give me hives like hair sprays and gels do. The next time I wash my hair my beloved curls come springing back.