BEAUTY // the girls with the curls (part ii)

Recently I've gotten a few emails asking me to do an update on the girls with the curls: how to love your curly hair, a post I did back in February about naturally curly hair.

So here it is. A slightly disorganized but always sincere update on what I've learned in the last six months. Which is kind of a lot. There's a lot of things you just need to learn as you go along.


get a real hairdresser.
I've been scarred too many times by Supercuts hairdressers who haven't a clue how curly hair works. Seriously, people, it's just not the same as straight hair!

When looking for a haircut, you'll need to spend a few extra bucks if you have curly hair. Unfortunate, I know, but in my opinion absolutely necessary.

Look for these three things:

ONE, a salon exclusively for curly hair. These are more common in big cities.

TWO, a salon that's all-around awesome with very well-trained staff. If you're in Maine, Greater Portland area, go to Akari and ask specifically for Dee. She is magical. My grandmother, mother, and I all go to her and she's fantastic. Plus she has cool tattoos. I'm going myself on August 30th, the day before school. See you there, lovelies. ;)

THREE, a hairdresser who has curly hair herself. Even in aforementioned awesome salon (with the exception of aforementioned Dee), ask for a hairdresser who has naturally curly hair. She'll know better what to do with your locks.



if you're using Pantene, stop right now. 

I know, I know. I have upon occasion gushed about Pantene loving my curls. But... it doesn't.

What it actually does is coat each strand with wax, which will initially be great and make your hair look super-shiny. But after a couple months, your hair gets dull and frizzy because the cleaning power can't get through the wax buildup.

As Dee puts it, Pantene is like McDonald's for your hair. Junk food. Bad. Will probably last for a thousand years unchanged.



on the other hand, Moroccan Oil is amazingly fantastic.
If I could afford it I'd get every Moroccan Oil product ever made. Every single one. Even the wrong ones for my hair. It's that amazing.

But I can't. *weeps* So I use their Hydrating Styling Creme. It's the best thing that has ever happened to my hair! Plus it smells amazing. The original oil is also great for a little added shine and frizz control.

I've also heard good things about the Intense Curl Creme but I can't vouch for it.



stop using shampoo.

Seriously. Stop right now.

If your hair is dry (and if your hair is curly than in all likelihood it is also dry, it's a fact of nature) then overshampooing will make it worse. I cut shampoo out of my routine altogether, except after swimming in the ocean or a chlorinated pool (and even then sometimes not). My hair is so much better for it!

I once experimented with my hair. I didn't wash it for a week (I took my regular showers, but I put up my hair and didn't wet it). At the end of the week it wasn't greasy or knotty or anything. It actually looked pretty good.

I'm not saying to stop washing your hair — ew. But instead of washing it every day (even without shampoo) wash it, say, every other day. Find the right schedule that lets your hair's natural oils shine « Heehee. I made a pun and your hair will be way less frizzy. Overshowering strips your hair and leaves it dull and fuzzy.

frizz is not always your enemy.

I know girls with curls (including me, at one point) who are so afraid of frizzing up that they load their hair with product to keep it down. Guess how your hair turns out? Crunchy and stiff. Those two problems arise when you overthink your hair.

Just like good makeup, curly hair should be natural but somehow better.

Need proof that soft is better than totally unfrizzy? Look on the red carpet. Taylor Swift, one of my curly-hair icons (though my hair has smaller ringlets than hers) definitely has some flyaways and bits of hair that escaped the main curl (look at this picture). BUT, that's what makes her hair look so gorgeous.

So it's okay if your hair doesn't look like this all the time (hint: she got those curls with an iron, not genes). It's better to not kill the frizz with product. If you feel über-self-conscious about it, pop a hat on.

Fuzz is cute. Seriously. And plus, invite everyone to touch your hair. It'll be soft and you won't care if it gets frizzier!



"ethnic"/African-American/black hair is totally awesome.

I'm lost as to what is politically correct nowadays so I'm just going to say WHATEVER YOU WANT TO BE CALLED, I LOVE YOUR HAIR. Seriously. Big poofy hairdos are amazing. I wish I could pull it off. But... I'm Irish. Fate did not favor me.

So girls, don't relax or straighten or treat your hair. Everyone thinks it's gorgeous when it's natural. Really. They do.

PS: What IS the correct term? I have a friend who is half Indian and she's chill with "black" but I live in a saddeningly overwhelming white community where there is no diversity and so I am utterly clueless.

QUESTIONS OF YOURS

Go ahead and ask, I won't bite you. There's a lovely little comment section just for you.

I was wondering what you think of long curly hair with straightened bangs?

I think it depends on your hair. If you have Taylor Swift hair then it will probably work. You know, more relaxed. If you have my hair it will just look weird.
As a rule I say no to bangs with curly hair, even side bangs. Too much work, and straightening them every.single.day will make them really dry and wrecked.

Do you have a fav conditioner that I can find easily and is cheap?

I use L'oreal Vive Pro Hydra Gloss, you can get it at the supermarket. I'm going to ask Dee when I get my hair cut whether it's okay or McDonald's-y, but I've been using it a couple months and it seems okay.

What are your feelings about getting perms?

No. Just no.

When I comb my hair it takes forever because it's so knotted. Any tips?

Hmm, I'm afraid not. My hair never gets tangled because it's always in these defined ringlets/chunks that don't mix with each other. If it gets tangled more towards the nape of your neck you would probably be okay brushing there... in the shower I'd just put a couple million gallons of conditioner on it. Have you tried detangler? That might make things easier.

What can I do to give my hair less volume?
Don't brush it, definitely. Also try putting oil (like the Garnier Shine Serum) on your hands and smoothing it down. I'd recommend getting layers so it's an evenly distributed volume, though, because volume is one of the great things about curly hair!

Do you know any good non-drying shampoo for swimmers?
Hey, swim sister! If I do use shampoo, I get Organix Moroccan Argan Oil Hydrating shampoo. It's like knockoff Moroccan Oil and it works great. Also, when you wash your hair after getting out of the pool, rinse with cold. It makes your hair shinier.

If you don't use shampoo in your hair, what DO you use?
Just conditioner in the shower and a little pump of my Moroccan Oil when it's damp. Honestly it is totally clean. Smells good, too.


xoxo.