Or, unstyled hair. It’s a bit of a story.
I don’t know if I’ve ever explained why I always curl my hair. My natural hair is wavy and curly. I wish I could say I have a head full of glossy ringlets like Nellie on Little House on the Prairie, but I don’t. It’s a dark halo of frizzy waves. One time, in 2001, my hairstylist at the time gave me the prettiest curly hair to sit atop my head since I was a toddler. She used a diffuser, product, and the dark arts. The last ingredient is the only way to explain why in ten years I haven’t been able to recreate the look. Ten years!
That’s why I curl my hair. I can’t play up my natural hair to its best advantage and I look terrible with straight hair.
I was reminded of this when my curling iron broke last week. I haven’t had the time to replace it and today decided to give my natural waves one more shot*. The front looks okay; I like the waves on either side of my face. The back is a frizzy disaster. I know part of the problem is that I don’t have product in my hair. I also let it air dry because I was running three thousand hours behind schedule today.
Do you have any tips for how to style wavy hair? I’m hoping someone will have a recipe that doesn’t involve an hour of diffusing. My (old) hairstylist said my waves would be pretty if I used gobs of product and diffused it bone dry. I’m not convinced. I still say I need all that and a cauldron of frog legs. Maybe unicorn blood.
p.s. I’ve lost 15 pounds and for the life of me could not see the difference. Then I remembered this picture from March. Yay, progress!
I’m a hair stylist. Your curls are pretty. Product helps everything. The #1 product for curly hair in the industry is ADEVA be curly curl enhancer. Its soft and doesn’t make you have chola crunchy hair . That and some Moroccan oil I think you would have a whole new outlook on going ” natural” email me if you have any questions
Hahaha! YES. Chola crunchy–exactly why I don’t like to use product. I’m going to email you. :)
I love that other bloggers know SoCal vernacular of cholo/chola. You don’t know how many people I come across that don’t know what a chola is. And yes, Moroccan Oil works really well for my ‘wavy’ hair (wavy in front, pretty curly in the back)
Moroccan Oil is amazing. I have straight flyaway hair, and hate when stylists push products because their only solution is to grease me up. I succombed this once and bought Moroccan Oil and am now constantly recommending it.
I recommended to my sis and best friend, whose waves I am quite envious of you lucky lady, and they are now both daily users.
Just to give you an idea of it’s awesomeness…if I could only have one beauty product, I would choose Moroccan Oil over mascara…and I have blonde lashes.
Oh, and it smells lovely and makes your hand soft…mmmm.
Not a hair stylist, but I have ridiculously curly hair (think Shirley Temple meets Leela James) and I swear by Moroccan oil. Not mentioned by Brook, but I also super-love Kerastase Oleo-Curl.
no advice, but I think it looks pretty just the way it is. :-)
Have you tried twirling? Twirling helps. I apply a little product while it’s wet (I think it’s called “cream gel”, which is confusing but actually a really good descriptor for its consistency), then take sections and twirl them tightly. I just let them kind of fall as they will and air-dry. Once it’s pretty dry, I sort of scrunch the curls and fluff the roots with my fingers.
I recently started doing this too and am loving the results!
I did something like this in high school but with bobby pins left overnight. Let’s just say I did it wrong, and that my hair poofed out to the size of an Egyptian pyramid. Maybe, just maybe, my boyfriend at the time took one look at my hair and said, “Whatever you did to your hair, don’t do it again.”
O_O
The Nellie curl is not all that it’s cracked up to be, let me tell ya. There are times when one side will decide to curl like that. One side, in one big ringlet–and try as I might, to separate and curl in various directions, it always ends up back together. Sigh.
I usually put on some curl mousse and let it think about it for awhile; then I diffuse just for a bit. That at least gets the curl to show up (while decreasing the frizz effect) . And thanks to Brook for the product suggestions–I’m always on the lookout!
Ah, we always want what we don’t have! I always wanted tight curls, and the girls with tight curls prefer straight hair or waves. :)
p.s. I think “letting your hair think about it for awhile” is beyond cute. :)
I have pretty wavy hair myself… it took me a long time to figure out what works! I put in mousse when it’s wet, scrunch with a towel a little and then let it air dry. Doesn’t take long and definitely no frizzies.
I have hair like yours, it needs coaxing to be it’s curliest, otherwise it’s wavy and frizzy, and I LOVE Be Curly by Aveda. A tiny drop is all you need, so your hair doesn’t feel all product-y, and it smells so good. I don’t usually blow dry mine, either. Try it, you’ll like it!
I bought some today and tried it. I love the curls around my front, but I definitely still have frizz in the back. My hair in the back is LAME. :(
I honestly have no help for you (except maybe this Garnier Fructise curl defining cream… I’ve used that before and liked it), but I thought I’d go ahead and say that I actually really like your hair in this picture. Now, I know I can’t see the back, lol, but really, if it’s pretty around your face? Well, I say it’s good enough. And I like the casual waves, especially for summertime. (P.S. – If there was one blogger I could count on for a Nellie Olsen reference, it was you! And I mean that in the best possible way. :))
I think the casual waves are great for summer, which is why I’m so motivated to figure this out! Also on my list, the perfect orangey-red lip gloss. The only thing I don’t like about natural waves is that my hair looks dry and not as shiny. And those ends! They look so….dreadlocky. I guess product will help with that. (I hope?)
My hair always looks dry, and not shinny, and it drives me nuts. Because my hair is so soft, but it looks dull when I don’t straighten it or curl it. I
I’m in the same predicament as you. I’ve been trying for years to figure out how to curl my wavy/curly hair without a crunch product or curling it with an iron (I don’t have the time … plus I’m lazy)
I’ve tried growing it long, cutting it short. But nope, nothing looks as good as when I leave my hair dresser.
I think you look great๏ฟฝwt loss hair and everything! :)
I always brush it out (while completely wet, barely towel dried) put in a bit of gel (if you can believe that-not the expensive kind either) but not too much because who like crunchy hair?! And then it air dries. After it’s about 80% dry, I give it a shake or two and the curls are in place.
The problem with this method is that, since I’m flying out the door very often, I am flying out with very wet hair. :0
I do get a lot of compliments on my curls, so I guess I’m dong something right.
I have a similar situation with my hair. I use Aveda Smooth Infusion Style Prep smoother on wet hair- a little goes a long way, so that expensive bottle lasts forever! Then I take a curl enhancer cream (I use Fredrick Fekkai, but the Aveda curl enhancer is also good) and distribute it through my hair. Then I twist sections around my finger to help the curl have some definition. Then I just go about my business while it dries, but my hair stylist that taught me that trick used a diffuser to dry it. I just dont have the patience to blow dry my hair, so I let it air dry. I love it.
I love all Aveda products. The smell alone is fantastic!
For me, I have recently found a way to get that summer beachy wave look. I use regular conditioner but do not rinse it out (I tend to get greasy hair ad this is totally fine). Then I literally spray with salt water (I mix sea salt and warm water in a spray bottle). Spray, scrunch, and voila. Read this on the mad men blog admit works! Add a little humidity in the air while air drying and it makes or some sexy messy waves. Definitely a more casual look though..,
I’ve heard about this! I really want to try it.
Gawd you are gorgeous! My hair does what yours does – waves on the sides, straight ends, but the back is curlier than the sides. I wash mine at night, twist it all up in a bun and let it dry overnight (usually have to take the diffuser to it in the am for a bit because it literally will take 24-36 hours to dry completely in a bun). The less I have to dry it, the better it looks. Combo of natural waves/curls + twisted in a bun makes pretty curls. :-)
That is how I did my hair all through college. (Shower at night, bun, etc.) I stopped doing it because my hair was no longer almost waist length, but I don’t think yours is, and you still do it. ;) I guess it works for shoulder length hair, huh?
Jules, I also have semi-wavy hair (although not as lovely and thick as yours…). I am terribly lazy about styling, but I love Aveda Brilliant Humectant Pomade. It’s especially great during our humid Toronto summers. I rub a tiny bit between my palms and smooth it over nearly-dry hair, Then I twirl sections loosely with my finger (think ‘daydreaming school kids’), and leave it alone for until totally dry.
I’m not much of a product or perfume kind of girl, but I like this. It disappears into your hair (not sticky or clumpy), and has a nice scent. Note that Aveda makes a look-alike anti-humectant pomade, but that’s for straightening. You want the humectan
My hair is naturally curly too, but the pretty ringlet look takes a LOT of work and products (various conditioners, spray gels, and an electric space heater are involved…) Sometimes I’m willing to put in the effort, and sometimes I just don’t want to fuss over the mess.
Shiny hair is one of my greatest dreams! Earlier in the year I did once a week clarifying shampoo treatments for about a month (I had a lot of product build-up.) Afterwards, I used Pantene Deep Treatment conditioner; I’d wrap my hair in a warm towel for ten minutes before rinsing out. Plus, every time I wash my hair (which is once a week, my hair doesn’t need more) I use Infusium 23 leave in conditioner. I’ve also bought and learned how to use a flat iron (my husband had to do the back of my hair the first time because I was like ‘How in the heck?!…) I spray Chi Thermal Polishing Shine Infusion on before I begin. Once my hair is straight, I use a curling iron daily (with more Chi spray!) to create big and loose layered curls. (Curl and “scrunch” to loosen and tossle.) I must be doing something right, because my hair has received a lot of compliments in the past few months (which I gladly accept considering all its put me through in my lifetime!)
Good luck with your search and quest. I know completely how you feel. I’m always looking for the magic potion and trying to not get my hopes up too much. (Darn those was and go girls!)
Can’t help with the curls, but, am good on lipstick.. Not sure if this will be red enough for you, perhaps it’s a little more towards coral, but you should try MAC’s Sheen Supreme lipstick in Ultra Darling. It’s a sheeny shiny lipstick, super pretty, and every time I wear it someone says something nice about it. Lovely.
I have to go to the Mac counter soon anyway, so I will check it out. Thank you! :)
I like curly hair, but seriously, with your hair like that you look as if you’re only 22 years old!
Will you marry me? We’d be legal in some states.
Please tell me Nicholas took this photo! I love it!
You look fabulous, btw.
No, I took it with a remote and a tripod. I know it looks like I’m trying to hide a double chin, but I’m not! Really, I’m trying to hide the clutter on the dresser that is right behind the sofa.
Congrats on the loss of 15 lbs. That is spectacular. Yes, I could see a difference right away. But what I can never get over when seeing your lovely face are your eyebrows. My half Ecuadorian self barely has any to shape into the classic look of yours.
The Conditioner by Paul Mitchell.
I usually add a drop or two of oil to it. I have used this on my thick hair since it went curly, about ten years ago. I cannot stand crunchy or sticky. You can use The Conditioner as a body lotion or shave gel too. It’s a staple in my beach bag. Give it a try. If you don’t like it on your hair, you’ll have one more bottle of lotion in your collection (hoarding situation). I’m an air dry kinda gal. Scrunch if you want curls. Pull back (loosely), until dry, if you want waves.
You’re so beautiful! I think that every time I see a picture of you. I’m hopeless with make-up but after 32 years of dealing with my curly hair, I’m finally making some headway. Old method that worked well: Shampoo, conditioner, Garnier Fructise Sleek and Shine, Aveda Phomollient, Aveda Be Curly, comb through hair once, air dry, and don’t touch again until it’s dry. I prefer make-up and hair products that I can buy at the grocery store or Target because if it takes effort, I don’t get to it. :o) I have a new stylist now and she highly recommends the book “Curly Girls” by Lorraine Massey. My new and improved routine: NO SHAMPOO, just massage scalp in the shower with my fingers and water, conditioner, Garnier Fructise Sleek and Shine, comb through if I feel like it, and don’t touch again until it’s dry. It’s been a month and my hair has never been so consistently frizz-free. Less is more!
Yay you!
I have no hair advice. My stylist is perpetually bewildered by my lack of ability to do anything other than point a blow dryer at my head. Mine is straight-straight-straight, so I have to rely on other people if I want anything with the slightest bit of wave to it.
I wear my hair up most of the time because it’s that wavy-ish curl. I tend to use as many eco-beauty products as possible, but I can’t give up my one paraben-filled magic potion – Nick Chavez Pluck and Thick Leave-In Conditioner. I use it for styling not in lieu of conditioner. I apply it to damp hair (you can also use it on dry hair), scrunch lightly and air dry. No frizz, nice piecey waves, no crunch.
As for the lips, check out the Korres cherry oil lip glosses and pots. They have a few great reds.
First of all you look great! And second, I, too have naturally curly frizzy hair. I’m also originally from Houston so you can just imagine how puffy my hair was growing up. I have found a new product I like called Bumble and Bumble Defrizz. It is very natural and gets a high rating on whatever that site is that you can see how eco-friendly or natural your products are. It says use a few drops on the bottle. I use about a penny size in my hand… rub them together and pull through my damp hair. I straighten my hair most days and it looks great but it feels sooo soft. I have used it curly a couple of times and it seemed to work wonders as well. It comes in a small bottle but I used to go through 1 bottle of mousse every few weeks and I have had this since January. Good luck in your search!
Okay, here we go. I’ve been problem-solving this exact issue for my entire adult life. I only shampoo twice a week (more if I’m in the pool, obviously). Other days, conditioner only (and tons of it). I pat and gently squeeze out excess moisture with a towel, then bend over and, touching only the roots, gently shake out the curl. I don’t have a better way to describe this step, but it keeps me from having my hair plastered down on top.
I mix together a bit of gel and a bit of a creamy styling lotion (no brand loyalties…haven’t found the perfect product yet) and scrunch that through (still with my head upside-down). I come back up (yay for dual-purpose yoga) and use whatever product is still on my hands to smooth frizz and flyways.
I don’t blow-dry at all because A) I am lazy and B) I’ve tried every diffuser out there and never found one that didn’t leave me frizzed out. Sorry, World, you’ll have to deal with me having wet hair every other morning. I dry my bangs and that’s it. Other than that, the number one rule is DO NOT TOUCH before it’s dry.
Dear God, that was a long description. Hope that was in some way marginally informative.And I think you look great, by the way!
Thank you for all the comments! Each one had some tip I wanted to run out and try. Did you read the one about the conditioner and salt water? Tempting!
There seems to be a common thread. Don’t touch, use Aveda at some point, and blow dry as little as possible–if at all. I bought the Aveda Be Curly today and it’s fabulous. My back was still frizzy and not all that curl, but my front I really liked. I think I need to add a bit of oil or something to it. I’ll keep trying and report my findings. :)
I feel your hair pain. During the late Fall and Winter, I have straight hair. Spring through early Fall I have wavy hair. Add the least bit of humidity and it takes off. Nothing I do seems to tame it and by the end of the day it does whatever it wants to. Add in the problem that my hair is super, super fine and it’s a hair disaster each and every day.
No matter what you say, I think you are always beautiful. I have no advice. My sisters have curly hair, mine is strait. They ironed, I curled.
I just get a very good cut and use rinse-out conditioner (fructis because I love the creaminess and scent)
I comb it out when I get out of the shower and let it air dry. I don’t own a hairdryer.
For special dress up occasions I put a tiny bit of shine oil on top.
Congrats on the book too!!!
What book? Do you know something I don’t? If you’re psychic, I’m all ears…
I love the pic! Fabulous…I’ve tried the salt water spray…awesome!
I have very frizzy curly hair as you know–for the past few months i have been using the Moroccan Oil and the pre-style conditioner product by Moroccan. So far i like-it smells good too!
:-)
I have a similar hair dilemma and thus have hot rolled my hair (on the big clairol curlers, with pins) the majority of the days of my life since about 9th grade. I occasionally wear my hair naturally wavy/curly, but while it takes less hands-on time than blow drying + curling, it can end up going south quickly and then I waste time trying to salvage it in some sort of updo. Recently I have found that my hair does better using a combination of Ouidad climate control gel plus a few sprays of Bumble and Bumble styling lotion. I’ve also learned that my hair does best when it can completely air dry without me touching it, which means that good hair days most often happen when I’m likely to go no where and see no one. Great post — I am going to have to check out some of these products!
Hi Jules,
I’ve a temperamental mop of curly/wavy hair. I find not brushing it at all after I get out of the shower and using a micro fiber towel rather than a regular one to scrunch it dry make a difference.
You’re looking fab by the way : )
Gorgeous! I love the hair and TOTALLY understand the whole frizzy yucky wavy hair. This is why my hair is almost always up. I found Hair Romance and the whole “Twist and Pin” do which makes a difference. http://www.hairromance.com/ I do them all while my hair is wet, because I’m far too lazy to use a hair dryer.
And those 15 pounds you lost look AMAZING!
I end up with hair just like yours if I don’t use product. It’s take me YEARS to figure out the perfect formula for my hair, and I swear by it now.
1. A lot depends on your shampoo & conditioner. I find that a moisturizing shampoo & a volumizing conditioner are the best combo for me.
2. moroccan oil!!!!!
3. DevaCurl AnGel. Seriously. This stuff is awesome. it’s a gel, yes, but it doesn’t leave my hair crunchy at all. I just put some on my hands after I put the moroccan oil in my hair, and scrunch. My hair ends up with really pretty, perfect ringlets (to the point that my patients think I get a perm…).
Somebody up there mentioned Aveda Be Curly. I have this, but really dislike it. It makes my hair look really greasy and feel really greasy and doesn’t really make my hair curly at all. DevaCurl is amazing, though!! So is the Moroccan Oil!! I tried a sample of the Moroccan Oil shampoo & conditioner, and that stuff is pretty dreamy, as well.
good luck! it’s very hard to dial in the perfect combo for your hair, but you’ll get there!
Jules, Susie here. I know you know we were secretly separated at birth and all – seeing as how people think we’re sisters all the time – so is it a surprise to hear I have the exact same problem? Alright no. Also not a surprise that I’ve also hit the wall at the same time you have and recently decided to stop fighting the wavy, curly, uneven blah that is my natural hair. After many weeks of trying – I’ve come up with a solution that I love (although I’m totally going to check out the Moroccan oil that everyone keeps talking about).
Ok so shampoo/condition – I like a really light conditioner, I use Aveeno volume or something like that – towel dry and let it air dry until it starts getting a wee bit dry/frizzy but still damp. Spray John Freida Dream Curls evenly throughout and comb through.
At that point I part my hair into horizontal sections starting from the neck up (about 2 inches worth) and then in smaller chunks, apply a pea-size amount of Garnier Curl Sculpting cream-gel and a touch of John Frieda Frizz-Ease Hair Serum, mix in palm and apply to the section, break into smaller chunks and begin twirling.
Twirl, twirl, twirl and just move up your head in sections. Keep twirling all of the pieces so they are nice and tight and then let it air dry – I have helped it along with a diffuser on low too. Just keep twirling as it dries. Once it’s dry I run my fingers through it to loosen the curls and they become beautiful ringlets. Trick is not to touch it tooo much. It takes almost as long as blowing out my hair in the morning but it lasts a good 2-3 days. The next day if it’s a little frizzy then I just spritz some of the Dream Curls on it again and it revives the hair.
Sorry for the long post but after 2 months this is what I’ve found works to even out the curls and make them uniform around my head and beautiful down to the tips (which tend to be straight). Also no frizz!!! Check out my facebook pics – there is one of The Boy and I over Mother’s Day at the Natural History Museum and there’s the curly hair in the flesh…
LYMI and say hi to the fam :)
I’ve got nothing. You know what a mess my hair is. I think your hair (and you) look great in the picture. Looking very svelte my friend;)
I rarely (ok, never) comment, but here’s another one where I chime in with “omg me too!”
I have naturally wavy, super frizzy hair. I can get pretty pretty curls, but only with gel + mousse + curling spray + two cycles of blow drying with a diffuser, then strategic schrunching to remove crispiness. Everything changed when I switched to sulfate free shampoo & conditioner, specifically L’anza brand, bought by the liter from amazon.com. It has totally changed the texture of my hair and now I preach its magic to anyone who will listen. I let my hair air dry daily, with very minmal product, and I’m left with casual effortless waves. When I want to blow dry it straight, its far less hassle/time than before. Its like I now have a totally different head of hair than before. love!
I love this post! My hair is similar to yours (thick and wavy) and I plan on reading through these comments to see if I can a solution to my own hair. The only products that I like using are anti-frizz serums and either pomades or cream lotions. I don’t do gel! The pomade I used was discontinued and have yet to find a suitable replacement. Do you like your diffuser? I keep meaning to buy one but I rarely blow dry my hair–I much prefer to air dry (less frizz for me that way). OH, and tell me you have cowlicks. They’re the reason the back of my hair is always such a mess (I have three of them at my crown, oy!) and I have no idea what to do with them other than to put my hair in a pony.
“Blessed” with the same type of frizzy, curly and wavy hair, I did something that most pro-curl people will hate. I did the Japanese straightening. I have not one frizzy hair in sight. I got married on the beach, with humid 85 degree weather and my hair was perfectly smooth and glossy that day. I don’t like pin straight hair, however, so I curl it often. It takes me 10 minutes to blowdry (used to take 30) and then I curl it a little. It’s pricey and it requires a touch up every 6 months, but it’s like having one continuous good hair day for the past 6 years (except during my pregnancies, when I could not do it). May be worth a try?
PS: you DO look like you lost 15 pounds, and also like you are 20 years old. Wow.
hi! I literally just stumbled across your blog just now! I want to second the recommendation above of going “sulfate free” in your shampoo. This is also known as the “curly girl” method, and here’s a good description of how it works: http://dormroomcurly.blogspot.com/2008/12/style-definitions-table.html
I have medium-curly hair and it changed my life! So I never miss an opportunity to let people know about it. There’s also an amazing before-and-after thread here: http://www.naturallycurly.com/curltalk/general-discussion-about-curly-hair/47609-post-your-before-after-cg-pics.html
good luck! I’ll take a look at the rest of your blog now :)
I have almost the same hair but mine is fine. I always use product then when I’m in a hurry blow dry lightly then finish with a little paste by redken=soft waves and no frizz.
I really like this pic of you.
I’m a little late to this party, and I don’t pretend to know more than the professionals, but here’s what works for my (cheap) self.
I almost never wash my hair. I wet it every day, I agitate it in the shower under the water to rinse out the minimal product I use, but I don’t use shampoo. I run conditioner through my hair (my stylist has recommended a bunch of ‘leave-in’ conditioners, but I use the Tresseme designed for curly hair) and I leave it in there. I use either super soft towels or a t-shirt to wrap it until the worst of the moisture is gone. Then I use the tresseme mousse designed for curly hair, and run that through it. I let it dry naturally for as long as I can (sometimes using those long ‘hairdresser clips’ to lift it at the crown and give me a head start on volume). I finish it off with five minutes of drying with a diffuser if I don’t want to go out with a wet head.
When a friend suggested this to me about a year ago, I didn’t think I could do it, the idea of no washing skeeved me. But, my hair looks better now than it ever did before. Even my stylist comments on how nice my curls have been looking (and, with no discernible crunch!)
Good luck!
I have thin curly, curly & frizzy hair. I also use Aveda Be Curly and morrocan oil- love both. Last year I sprung for a visit to Ouidad salon in Santa Monica. I almost cried- a whole salon and method dedicated to curly hair!!! They teach you a “rake & shake” method that lets you define the size of your curls. I think they have videos on their website. Might be worth a trip- for research.
http://www.ouidad.com/
Cheers!
You look great!!!!
Late to the party, as usual, but I thought I’d throw in my two cents. Your hair seems a lot like mine – gentle waves on top and in the front, and tighter curls in the back. The thing that works best for me (and this is going to sound strange) is bending at the waist in the shower and rinsing out my hair with my head upside-down. Then use the “plop-and-wrap” method to towel dry (http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/to-plop-or-not-to-plop). It’s the only way I’ve found to tame the back curls and preserve the front/top. For me, the products aren’t as important as the technique.
I think you and I have similiar hair. I also have wavy hair, and I have been curling my hair. But the past few months have been blissful for me. I don’t even use a diffuser!
This is what I do:
1. My hair is wet, I put it in a towel
2. I then put about a quater size on my palm of LA Looks for Curls (Its a blue Gel sold at CVS, Walgreens) and scrunch my hair with it.
3. I then use morrocan oil cream, just a small pump, it smells delicious, and excellent at warding off frizz
4. On extra frizzy days, I use a small amount of light mousse.
Even though it might not seem like it, our hair might be dry, so we are basically giving it a drink with :)
5. I blow dry my hair upside down with the blow drier on low as a I slowly and lightly scrunch my hair. I only blow dry about 60% of it dry.
And my hair has been perfect and naturally curly/wavy!
My key is the perfect amount of products, too little doesnt work, too much my hair is a messy greasy mess. I have luckily found the right amount!
I hope this helps even a little bit!!
Kim
I have insanely curly hair but ever since I began styling my hair using the Curly Girl method someone mentioned above, I have mastered the art of curly hair. Curly Girl is actually a book too by Lorraine Massey and she has a few salons here in NY. I scrimp and save to get my hair cut and colored there twice a year. Us super curlies can get away with not cutting as often and I use root touch up between visits.
Their technique has changed my life. This is not hyperbole. Until I came across that book, the condition of my hairstyle was a total crap shoot. But these days, my hair always looks great except in EXTREME NYC humidity. Good luck!!
So this is funny— I ended up here earlier today via Making It Lovely and somehow landed on this post about your hair. My hair is straight and flat so we don’t have the same issues but I appreciated that you are trying to embrace your natural self. Then somehow I ended up on this YouTube video (via pinterest I believe) about heatless curls where you just tuck your hair around an elastic headband and wake up with curls in the morning. The girl has sort of wavy frizzy hair to begin and I thought of you. Whew. So–You should totally try this!
I started using John Frieda’s Daily Nourishment Leave-In Conditioning Spray a couple years ago, mostly because I used to have split ends. I’ve never had those again, and after recommending it to a co-worker with curly hair, she said she loves it, too, because now she really has curls instead of a head full of crazy frizz.
First… gotta say love your blog and I’m loving you like a long lost BFF found decades later. Shhh… don’t tell any1, I’m almost 37. (Yes, and very late to this post, but I just found ur blog earlier this evening.) I say “shhh”, cuz it took me till I was nearly 30 to realize that I really had curly hair and not just wavy hair that loved to frizz out in the winter unless I conditioned the heck out of it and blow-dried it smooth & sleek (that’s years of good hair training). Summers I tended to pull my hair into a pony and would always have tiny ringlets in those baby hairs around my face and a huge Shirley Temple/Nellie curl thru my tail.
Hopefully you’ve figured much of this out with experimentation & research, but I’ll err on the side of acting like a safety net (as if… LOL). I’ll second the recs for non-sulfate shampoos, if any shampoo needs to be used. I’m currently on the hunt for the cheapest combo of products I can manage that still leave my hair in it’s near best curly state. I bet your hair is far curlier and less wavy than u think/originally thought.
My hands down fav curly hair care brand is http://www.jessicurl.com ! They have great information on their site to aid product selection. I’m a dark brunette w medium hair (not fine, not coarse) and definite curly (not tight curls, but only resembles wavy in the coldest of winter weather here in NE OH). All their products are absolutely fabulous. (Yes, I’ve tried them all and no, I’m not paid or compensated in anyway by JessiCurl.)
My personal must haves are: Too Shea! Extra Moisturizing Conditioner, Rockin’ Ringlets Styling Potion and AWE Inspiraling Spray. My extras that cost more but add that lil xtra oomph are: Hair Cleansing Cream, Deep Conditioning Treatment (for winters or when swimming lots in the summer) and Aloeba Daily Conditioner (for warm weather lighter conditioning). My cheap stand-ins to these 2 are: VO5 conditioners (the revitalizing or moisturizing formulas) as my shampoo and lighter conditioner and L’Oreal EverStrong Deep Replenishing Masque (as my deep conditioner). A decent cheap (but not as good) replacement to Aloeba is Tresemme Naturals Nourishing Moisture Conditioner. When I use mostly Jessicurl (JC) products, I don’t need shine enhancement. When I’m going cheaper I do, either JC’s Oil Blend for Softer Hair or Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Nutrient Srpay (for dry, damaged hair) works in a pinch. (Stay far, far away from the oh so popular, silicone laden shine enhancers at all costs… please!!!)
I’m still working on a replacement to Rockin’ Ringlets. The closest I’ve come so far is a handmade concoction (mixed in a Target up up brand kids detangler spray bottle) of VO5 conditioner (an ample squirt that covers the bottom of the bottle), a few globs of Tresseme curly spray gel, hot water to fill about 3/4… swirl and shake well, then add sea salt (still figuring out proportions here) and more hot water to fill… swirl and shake well again. This one is pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. I’ve tried many products to straight replace and several home brewed concoctions over the years and none of those have come even close like this one.
My routine everyday or every other day: co-wash or JC cleanser; condition allow to sit for a few, while I body-wash; rinse “almost” completely; (rake thru JC Rockin’ Ringlets;) squeeze water out of hair in shower; (this is -or- to JC RR spray liberally with homemade spray;) scrunch lightly and plop/plunk hair in an old long sleeve t-shirt (as the sleeves work to tie & hold it in place for 15-20 mins); take t-shirt off & turn head upside down lightly shaking hair at the roots to encourage natural curl pattern from the roots, stand up and lightly finger place & scrunch lightly with a little JC RR or gel on hands; then don’t touch till DRY!; lastly scrunch out any “crunchies” after hair is dry. (I rarely have crunch, but a lil scrunch remedies that quickly.) Sometimes, if I’m fighting a lil frizz factor, I’ll use Pantene Curl Lock Hair Spray to “set” it and if my curls need a lil lift late in the day a few quick spritzes of JC AWE Inspiraling Spray or homemade brew does the job with a slight scrunch & finger placing. 2nd Day good hair is just like a late in the day boost. 2nd Day “bad” hair is just a rinse, condition, rinse, squeeze, scrunch, plop/plunk, finger place/scrunch & go. My hair is at it’s personal best when I wash/condition at night & go to bed with still damp/wet hair.
Embracing my natural curls was the best thing I ever did for myself!!! Hope you have a similar experience if you haven’t already!!!