Curly Girl Part 4

In my last post I told you what NOT to do with your curly hair.  If you missed it, you can see it here.  This post’s purpose is to give you healthy habits to replace your old, curl-destroying ways.

You have two fabulous options for cleansing.  The first is shampoo!  I know, I know, I told you to avoid sulfates.  Lucky for us, there are some gentle, sulfate-free shampoos on the market that won’t turn our lovely curls to straw.  Try one of these if you love the bubbles, because, unlike co-washes, they lather a little.  However, if your hair tends toward the drier side, or if you live in an arid climate, a co-wash might work better for you. (If you still think co-washing is sharing a shower with a friend, get your mind out of the gutter and see my Glossary and Resources post here.)  No suds with this option, but it will leave your scalp clean and your hair moisturized.

• Troubleshooting: If you’re solely co-washing and you begin to notice build-up, you may want to incorporate a sulfate-free shampoo from time to time for clarifying.  

Now your hair is clean; it’s time to condition.  Halt! You’re not reaching for those silicones...right?  Make sure your conditioner is clearly labelled, “silicone-free.”  If one of the ingredients ends in -cone, you’re probably going to end up with coated, limp hair.  

• Troubleshooting: If you’re absolutely positive your conditioner is safe, but your hair is still looking limp and heavy, try a lighter product.  Choose based on your curl type, porosity, density, and thickness. Again, check the Resources post for helpful links.

No matter what conditioner you choose, you'll end up with frizz if you rub your mane dry with a terrycloth towel.  So what’s a girl to do?  Buy an overpriced, salon quality, microfiber towel instead!  Haha.  Hey, if you have that in your budget, go for it!  Nothing wrong with a little luxury every now and then.  But breaking the bank isn't obligatory.  I bought my microfiber towel at the Army/Navy Surplus!  Don't want to make a trip? Just squish your hair with an old cotton t-shirt. Your husband's holey concert tees are perfect!  No joke, it works just as well.

• Troubleshooting: Remember, even with a gentle towel, you don’t want to rub your hair.  This will rough up the cuticle, destroy curl pattern, and cause frizz.  Carefully squish and squeeze until no more moisture drips out, then air dry.

Ok, ladies.  Here’s the hard part.  No more heat styling or brushing.  Ugh!  This is such a challenge.  I know.  But if you can just give it up for a little while, you’ll probably find that you no longer feel the need for those hot tools.  You hair will revitalize, regain its bounce, and return to its naturally beautiful state.  Plus, think of all the time and effort you’ll save!  If you don’t have time to air dry every time you wash, it’s ok to diffuse.  Make sure if you do, though, use a heat protectant.  Brushing also has to go.  It will turn your head into a giant ball of fluff, and that’s not a chic look.  Detangle with your fingers or a wide-toothed comb while you’re in the shower and your hair is soaked in conditioner.  Ta-da!  No more brush breaks.

Whew!  Feel any better?  I hope so, but if you still need more specific instruction, stay tuned!  My next post will include my full wash and style routine.  See you then!

 

Curly Girl: Part 3

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!

Curly Girl: Part 2- Glossary and Resources

It occurs to me that I’m about to pull you into a world that may be totally unfamiliar.  This short post will serve as your glossary and reference as you navigate the rest of this series.

Glossary of terms:

• Pre-poo:  an oil or conditioning treatment used to moisturize the hair in preparation for cleansing (shampooing).
• Instructions- Soak your hair with water and coat it with your choice of oil or conditioner.  Cover with a towel or cap, and let sit for at least half an hour before shampooing.
• Sulfate-free shampoo: A gentle cleanser that contains a non-sulfate lathering agent.
• This is nice for low-porosity curlies who deal with occasional product build-up.
• Porosity:  This term refers to the way your hair cuticles lie.  If you have high porosity strands, your cuticles are open.  If you have low porosity strands, they are smooth and closed.  You’ll need to moisturize according to your porosity.
• Protein treatment: A kind of spackle for damaged hair.  This treatment is designed to repair and protect your tresses from everyday environmental damage.
• Deep conditioning treatment: A rich moisturizer designed to give your hair an extra hydration boost.
• Co-wash: Using conditioner to wash your hair.  It is much less drying than even sulfate-free shampooing.
• Instructions- distribute a thin conditioner or product labelled “co-wash” throughout your hair and onto your scalp.  Use the pads of your fingers to massage thoroughly.  It is this friction that will break up dirt and oil to leave you clean, so really get in there.  Rinse the product out.
• Leave-in/Squish to condish:  The act of leaving some or all of your conditioner in your hair.  
• Instructions- After letting your conditioner work in your hair for a few minutes, add some water (we’re not really rinsing here, just re-wetting), flip your head over and squish your hair with your hands until no more moisture squeezes out.
• Note- You could also use a product specifically labelled as “leave-in,” but that depends on how many different products you want to buy.
• Scrunching: using your hands to scrunch your hair up and encourage curl pattern.
• Holy Grail: A product that you can’t live without and will repurchase over and over.

Now that you’re familiar with some of the terminology, let me direct you to some resources to give you more information!

• Curly Girl: The Handbook, by Lorraine Massey- Get the 411 right from the source!
• The Polished Curl- The preceding link will take you to her Squish to Condish demonstration, but her whole channel is fabulous!
• Bianca Renee Today- If you have curlier or African American hair, this channel is for you.  Bianca has wonderful demonstrations and product reviews.
• Naturallycurly.com- An encyclopedia of curly/wavy information.

This should be enough to get you started.  Stay tuned for my next installment!

Curly Girl

Scene:

A young woman steps out of her steaming shower feeling clean, relaxed, and, though it’s incredibly early, ready for the day.  She moves in front of the mirror as she rubs her hair with a towel.  Tying it into a turban, she makes quick work of her beauty routine.  Finally, teeth brushed and lips sticked, she releases her hair and begins her tedious styling routine.  She sweats through a 20-minute blow-out.  Shoulders aren’t really meant for heavy coiffing.  

She checks her watch to find she still has time.  Sigh.  Flat-ironing would be so much easier if she hadn’t so very much hair.  

Half an hour later, she smiles at her reflection.  Happy with her smooth, shiny hair, she sets off into the world.

That evening, after a delicious supper and a little Netflix bingeing, she returns to the mirror.  Taking in the image of her limp, frizzy, dirty-looking hair, she groans.  Sighing, she sets the alarm for tomorrow.  It’ll chime at a ludicrous hour...again...but she’ll need the extra time to re-tame her mane.  She’ll do the same Every.  Single.  Day.

The young woman, if you haven’t guessed, was me.  Stuck in a never-ending cycle of cleaning, drying, flattening, and finding the effort finally useless, I was totally fed up.

But don’t fret.  If this story is familiar, know that it gets happier.  The catalyst?  Curly Girl: The Handbook, by Lorraine Massey.  In the upcoming series, I’ll describe my understanding of Ms. Massey’s Curly Girl Method and share how I’m making it work for me.  Stay tuned...