Calling all Curly Girls #2

For those of you who are new to the blog, you can read 2 the different posts that lead up to this one. The first one, Hair at last is an introduction to me as a hairstylist. It is the first post I wrote regarding my background as a hairstylist for the past 18 years. It gives you a little sense of who I am as a hair designer and where I have been. My next post about hair titled Calling all curly girls #1. It is an education on the composition of curly hair and why it is so hard to tame it.
Now I am going to share with you how to work with your curly hair and not against it. I touched on why you should not wash your curly/wavy hair  with over the counter shampoo's and why conditioning it with the right products is so important. Also what it means to give yourself a 'water shampoo'. Now I will share how you treat your hair once you step out of the shower is just as important. But wait. There is ONLY one time that you should comb your hair. In the shower. With conditioner in it. That's it! A wide tooth comb is best. And NEVER brush your hair, ever. Your hair cuticles will hate you for it. Most people with curly hair have flat curls on top and overly poofy curls on the sides and length. If this sounds like you, do not put conditioner on your scalp, it will only make it flatter. Remember in curly girls #1 when I touched on your hair having natural oils, and that when you use regular (full of sulfate, silicone's and waxes) shampoo it removes the 'good' oil that you can't see, but that keeps your hair very healthy. Just stay away from shampoo or if you must, use Deva Low-poo or No-poo.

  You will recall my explanation of why towels are bad for textured hair. The little nubs on them reek havoc to the cuticle and do not help in your quest for lushes locks!! Another great thing to use besides an old T-shirt is paper towels. WHAT? Yep, paper towels. You can hang them over the shower or tub when you are done and come back in a few hours put them away for next time. No rubbing of your hair. NONE. Only squeezing the excess moisture out. Now what to use on your hair to keep it tame and beautiful all day? Here are a few of my favorites.

  Set it Free

48 hour moisture lock spray, eliminates frizz, enhances curl and adds shine

NEW Spray Gel

Crunch free spray gel, alcohol free, curl definition and retention

NEW Frizz Free Volumizing Foam

alcohol free, humidity resistant, conditioning, long lasting, frizz free, soft curls

You can find a Deva Curl salon near you that sells the products by going to the Salon finder here.
I can explain the step by step of how to apply the products in your hair, but Deva has an amazing video that does it so much better than I ever could and you can go here to see it! If you have any questions still after watching the video, please leave a comment and I will answer you as soon as I get it. If you also go to the menu bar you will see Curly Lifestyles. There you can determine what curls you have, Q's & tips, as well as a gallery of before and afters, like this.

Amazing huh?!

I love the gallery because it is broken down into the 4 curl types and you can see people who have hair just like you and what a difference it can make.
  I know alot of people don't like to spend the money on salon products.
'They really aren't any better', 'They cost too much', I could go on and on. But I always tell my clients that if you want beautiful teeth, sometimes you have to pay the Dentist. Well it is true for salon products. In my first Curly hair #1 post I broke down the differences of over the counter shampoo's and conditioners vs salon products. If you have any further questions or disbelief, feel free to leave a comment or personally email me.
   I want to touch base on the importance of a good cut. I was trained at the Deva salon in New York and am a certified curly girl specialist. I do not use a comb when I cut your hair, I cut each individual curl to the desired shape. My curly haired clients can go much longer between hair cuts because the cut was customized to their particular hair type, length and desired shape. So it may cost you more, as they are usually in higher end salons, but you will pay the same or less over time than going to a less expensive salon in hopes of saving money.
   So in short, remember to not 'wash your hair' but cleanse with water or at the very least a Deva No-poo cleanser. Leave a wide tooth comb in the shower and only use to when combing thru a conditioner. Use an old T-shirt to gently squeeze out the moisture in your hair, not rub. Decide on at least one Deva product to try in your hair. Spend the extra money to get a good Curly cut and you and your curls will be bouncier than ever!!

 I was not paid for this post by Deva and all the opinions here are my own

   

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Calling all curly girls #1

I have had a lot of questions about curly hair since writing my Hair at last post, and my good friend Amy from The Salvage Collection inspired me to write this post. Here is her blog banner, which I love, love, love and in it, she has great curly hair!!

(if you have not checked out Amy's blog, you HAVE to go see her red dresser, using ASCP in 

Emperor's silk, it is hands down my favorite piece of upcycled furniture in blog land!!go here to see it)

So lets start with a quick hair anatomy lesson.

This shows the difference that straight, wavy and curly hair have. You can see why the curly or even wavy hair comes out of the scalp the way it does to form the curls or waves. It is just very different from straight hair.

Also, the outside of each strand of all hair looks like fish scales or shingles on a house. If your hair is healthy and shiny and in good conditions, your cuticle will look like the above picture. 

This is hair is damaged, by either chemicals, heat, or a medical condition.

So now you know a little bit about what your hair should look like under a microscope as well as what it looks like coming out of your scalp. 

  Well curly hair lacks moisture because of the way it is formed, it can't hold it in as well as say someone with straight (round hair shaft) hair, because of the oval shape of curly or wavy hair. Therefore it has a less likely chance of the cuticles laying down smooth. So curly hair gets frizzy. It also is further helped along with the frizzy's because  curly hair is like a bunch of arms, trying to grab all the moisture from the air it can get. If you live in a humid climate, you find your hair is non stop trying to grab the moisture out of theair which equals big frizzy hair. 

See, we were not meant to wash our hair all the time, and curly girls should never wash their hair!! WHAT?? Not wash my hair, that is gross!! NOoooo, dirt, sweat, smoke and hair products, are all water soluble. What does that mean for your curly hair?? That by not using a shampoo you  leave your natural oils where they should be. I am not talking about the oils that make your hair greasy, but the oil you can not see. Also think of the hair closest to your scalp as being like a newborn, all healthy and new. As you go further down the hair, it starts to age, and if you have long hair consider it to be like an older relative. Maybe frail and brittle, something you have to be delicate with. 

There is a book I used to sell when I owned my salon called the Curly Girl Handbook.

                                        

I HIGHLY recommend it! It is a must for curly hair!

It breaks down and educates you on just why exactly do you have curly hair, why it gets frizzy and how you can have the most gorgeous hair ever!!It will give you step by step instructions on how to take care of curly hair.

  Below are some examples with curly or wavy hair that does not have enough moisture: 

Now look at healthy moisture filled curly or wavy hair: 



See the difference?
So now what??
First you should stop washing your hair with shampoo.
Give yourself what I call a 'water shampoo'. See, our shampoo's contain surfactants, which are also in laundry soap, hand soap and dish washing liquid, among other things. What are surfactants? It is basically what gives your the bubbles. I know that people judge shampoo by how much and how easy it suds up. But if you have damaged or curly/wavy hair this is the worst thing you can do for your hair.
That's when the 'water shampoo' comes in. Just pretend there are big fat suds in your hands and just scrub your head and rinse well. Yep, that's it. I know you will hate it at first, but give yourself a month and you will LOVE the results on your hair!
Conditioners. These contain a lot of silicone. Yep, it feels awesome on your hair, but it is doing nothing to give you moisture. It is like putting a wax on your car. But not really protecting it like car wax does.
I believe in salon products and I am gonna tell you why.
First off, salon products are concentrated. They may be more expensive, but you get more out of a 12oz bottle of salon shampoo/conditioner than you do out of a store bought bottle that is 16oz. The store bought bottle contains more water, so you have to use more. Also another little known fact about products you buy on the supermarket/ drug store shelf. They have to have a shelf like of 10 years. Meaning, come back in ten years and they will still be the same. In order for this to happen, they have to add a lot of waxy stabilizers.
I tell my clients this: it's like owning a cashmere sweater and washing it in the dishwasher.

So, what should you use on your hair instead?

I have been trained at the Devachansalon in New York City. This salon is owned by Lorainne Massey who wrote the curly girl handbook and is considered the best in the industry for curly hair. Stylist from all over the world come to her salon for training. Including this Midwestern girl. 

Lorainne Massey, her hair is amazing!!

If you were to only invest in one product to purchase, I would highly recommend the One Condition. 

Buy the liter, it is more economical. There is a place on her website to search for salons in your area that sell Deva Curl products. If yo absolutely can not go with out washing your hair, they do have 2 different cleansers.

No-Poo and Low-Poo. They either have no suds or very low suds.

I am a Certified Curly hair Specialist. Meaning I give curly girl hair cuts. How are these different than someone 'cutting curly hair'? I start with dry hair. You need to see the hair in it's natural state so you can see where the weight is. I also do not use a comb, but cut each individual curl. Yes, if you go to a curly girl specialist you probably will pay more. But my clients can go fro 2-6 months between cuts. That is how important a great cut is to curly hair!! You can also search her sight for a stylist near you who is certified.

And lastly a great bit of info you will also find in more detail in the Curly Girl Handbook:

Do not use a towel to dry your hair. See all the little nubbies that help grab moisture? 

Yep, they make your hair frizzy!

                                 

Instead, use an old T-shirt. Your hair will love you for it!! 

I did a follow up post on how to apply products to curly hair that you can see here. If you have any questions about curly hair or any hair for that matter, just message me to my email or leave a comment below!!

 I was not paid for this post by Deva and all the opinions here are my own.

       

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