Curly Girl: The Handbook, by Lorraine Massey is a practical instruction manual that teaches us how to love the curls with which we were born. Compared to the work it takes to straighten natural curls, Ms. Massey’s method is surprisingly simple. First, what not to do…
Don’t use sulfates to clean your hair. Chances are, your shampoo shares its first active ingredient, sodium lauryl sulfate, with both the dish soap and the laundry detergent in the broom cupboard. It will strip your hair and scalp of natural and healthy oils, leaving them dry and damaged.
Now that your sulfates are gone, you’ll need to cut silicones out of your routine. Why? Because they are not water soluble and can only be removed with sulfates. They will coat your hair, making it smooth and shiny... at first. By the end of the day, however, it will combine with extra oil to make your hair look dirty and greasy.
Your next step is to throw out the terry cloth towels. Rubbing delicate hair with the loops of terry cloth roughens cuticles. Moisture is lost, frizz is created, even more damage is done.
And speaking of damage; don’t feel the burn! Heat styling = unhappy hair. Not only will it create more dryness and damage (are you seeing a trend yet?), but it will eventually prevent your curls from curling all together. Ever wonder why your hair doesn’t really curl or lay flat, it just sticks out all willy-nilly? This is it. Not a good look.
Finally, give your brush the brush-off. If your hair had feelings, it would be terrified of your hairbrush! It grabs and pulls and tears. It will also disrupt your curl pattern and turn your head into a humongous puff ball. Just say, “no.”
That’s it! You’re all set. Go out and...hmm?...Oh, I just shattered your whole routine and now you don’t know what to do? No worries. In my next post, I’ll let you know how to replace the unhealthy habits. Stay tuned, curl-friends!
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