by Colleen Dillard

Created on: June 18, 2009   Last Updated: January 29, 2011

Curly hair is one of the most gorgeous hair textures, in my opinion. Curly hair has always had its time periods where it reigns the stage. From the early Greek and Roman goddesses, to the Renaissance era, and all the way to the present, where the latest trend is from the 1950's era of glamorous big curls and soft waves. Curly hair gets a bad reputation for looking frizzy, dry, tangled and messy. Everyone with curly hair knows the frustration they get when they do not know how to style or manage their hair.

After living with curly hair for 22 years, I have learned quite a few things that are essential to taking care of curly hair. Also as a licensed cosmetologist, I understand how different the curly hair texture is from the straight hair texture. The hair follicles are an oval shape and contain hair shafts with hooked ends. The greater the hooked end in the hair follicle, the curlier the hair will be. This goes along with knowing the different types of curly hair there are: kinky, curly, and wavy. Determining your specific curly hair type should be fairly easy if you can identify 3 major things: the amount of curl in the hair shaft (wavy-less curls, kinky-the most curls), the thickness of each hair strand (fine- very thin, coarse-very thick), and how thick or thin your hair is (how many hairs you have per square inch).

Curly hair needs a completely different approach than straight hair. To start with, you need to find a hairstylist that specializes in cutting curly hair. He/she will be able to help you find the right haircut for your specific curl type, face shape, facial features, body type, and your particular lifestyle. For example, a more athletic person will probably not prefer having a long curly hairstyle because it demands more time for styling and it can be easily damaged if it is always worn in a ponytail. Once you have found the right hairstylist, go back to him/her at least 4 times a year to get regular trims for the split ends.

The next step is to not over wash curly hair as this contributes to the dried, frizzy look. Because of the shape of the hair shaft, natural oils from the scalp do not travel down the hair strands as easily. Try to only wash curly hair every other day at the most, and 1 to 2 times a week at the least. One of the most important things is the shampoo and conditioner that you choose. You will want shampoo and conditioner that is moisturizing, or specifically made for curly hair. When you visit the salon for your haircut,

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