Curly hair can be very frustrating, I know. Here's some tips. :) by: Anonymous
Trust me, I've been there and I know exactly how you feel. I'm 19 and finally learning to accept and work with my curls, but when I was 13 all I wanted was to have straight hair like my friends.
The best thing I ever did was get my hair layered - I HIGHLY recommend it. Mine is in 3 layers and also angled so that it is shorter in the front and longer in the back. It keeps it from getting puffy and gives it volume without it drying into that horrible triangle shape.
Another thing I do, although it might sound weird, is after I shampoo and condition it (I use Herbal Essences Totally Twisted - it's affordable and it works well. I've been using it for a couple years now) I scrunch out the excess water with my hands, then apply Totally Twisted gel, scrunch it gently with a towel, and then (here's the weird part) I wrap it up in an old T-shirt. Put the T-shirt down with the collar toward you on a chair or something that height, then flip your hair upside down and lower it onto the T-shirt, then fold the shirt around your hair and hold it in place with a hair tie. It might look dumb but it's worth it
Leave it in while you get dressed and brush your teeth and all that stuff, then take it off and your hair should have a little extra bounce, and will be dryer without being frizzy. Mess with it a little to get the look you want, then use hairspray (spray not aerosol) and dry with a diffuser - tilt your head to the side and dry the ends, using the diffuser to scrunch them up to the sides of your head, and make sure to put a little hairspray underneath your hair (closest to your neck) so the bottom layer doesn't dry out and make your style look poofy and uneven. Do this on both sides, then put your head upright and dry the surface and back a bit more, positioning your hair the way you want it to look once it's dry. You don't have to dry it all the way, just enough so the hairspray can set a bit. Let it dry itself the rest of the way, and I know it's hard, but don't touch it until it's dry.
I know that was a lot, but hopefully it will work for you. You may hate your hair now, but I promise you'll learn to love it and everyone will comment about how beautiful your curls are. They'll become a part of your personality and you'll be happy for them. Just keep trying different things until you find what works for you. :)
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Stylist Comment by: nicole
I have talked to numerous girls and the wonderful age of 13 seems to be the magic number for hair changing. Getting more curls!
You are right, curls need extra love and lots of moisture!!
I would recommend the Deva Curl, Ouidad or Mop Top product lines. They are all water soluble. This means they will rinse out with water and not build up on your hair. Products with a lot of synthetic ingredients, such as waxes, can build up on the hair and dry it out even more.
I would get on a good deep treatment program. Any of the above product lines have great deep treatments. Follow the directions and stick to it. Start with every other week for a good 2 months and see what happens.
When you are getting ready in the morning:
In the shower, shampoo and condition your hair. Then, put a light leave-in conditioner in your hair. Start with a nickel size and comb through your hair with a wide toothed comb. Always apply the conditioner to the ends first.
Then, get out of the shower and apply your gel. Use your hands in a raking motion to move the gel through your hair. Your hair should be soaking wet! After you have generously applied your gel take an old t-shirt and scrunch the moisture out of your hair.
Now you can either air-dry or diffuse your curls.
You can also go to my website (http://www.strictlycurls.com) and check out other ways to style your hair up.
Best of luck,
Nicole
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Texas Curls by: Katie
OK so I was and still am in the same boat you're in. I'm 19 now though and I also live in Texas.
My hair is extremely curly and the shorter my hair is the curlier and puffier it is - NOT a good thing in Texas! My suggestion is to keep your hair length about the middle of your back or a little shorter.
First thing I do when I get out of the shower is wrap my hair up in a towel. Then walk to my room and put a pair of shorts and a tee on then let my hair down.
Then I take a handful of mousse (I like Suave for curly hair - it's in a green can) and run it through my hair with my fingers. I never use a brush or comb in my hair unless I straighten it.
After putting mousse in my hair I spray my hair with Suave hairspray. Let it sit for about five minutes to let your hair semi dry.
Also if you want to go for a change every once in a while I would suggest using a wet to straight straightening iron. It's WONDERFUL!!
The last thing I would suggest is to switch your shampoo and conditioner every time you have to buy new bottles. Also if you have tiny white flakes in your hair from the styling products you can add baking soda to a handful of shampoo and scrub your hair. Your hair will feel really nasty and dry but then condition it with a conditioner and your hair will return to normal.
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I have extremely curly hair too by: Anonymous
I'm 33 and I too have had extremely curly hair all my life. The most comfortable I've ever been with my hair has been when it was short, but unfortunately, I do have a striking resemblance to Joey McIntire when it's short. Not good for a professional career.
So, what I've learned about our type of hair over the years:
1. Condition, Condition, Condition. Yes the salon stuff is worth the $ but if you can't afford that then use the cheap stuff, just expect to use much more of it.
2. Only comb your hair when it is wet. It will help from getting split ends, which causes frizziness. You could even comb your hair in the shower when the conditioner is in your hair to help with tangles.
3. Our hair doesn't seem hairspray friendly. My hair has always gotten very dried out by hairspray. Try Molding Creme, or Some type of Creme specifically for curly hair. The trick for us to get non-frizzy curls is to put the product in when our hair is damp.
4. Unless you are going to straighten your hair, avoid blow drying with heat or at a high setting. Diffusers really do work, and seem to work best on a cooler setting. I'm a tomboy, so I just put product in my hair and let my hair air dry after sculpting some of my curls.
5. Hair gel works too, but it dries my hair out and I don't like the 'wet' look it creates, and I don't like the crunchy feel either.
Hang in there!
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Hang in there gurl! by: Angie
My step-daughter is in your shoes but is 11. I am unsure of exactly what to tell you that will actually HELP.
I have hated my curly hair my entire life and now at 30-something I have quit fighting my curls and started working with them instead of against them.
Have you tried layers? This does tend to have more tangles but helps to "fluff" less as the day goes by. Also, a cut that tapers away from the face so that it is shorter around the face and longer at the back of the head can detract from the thickness.
Try different styles so that you don't get bored with you hair; for example, try putting ribbons that match your outfit in your ponies or different braids. A braid going down one side with the rest of your hair down can be very cute, especially if you have a really wild hair tie to put at the end.
The idea is to do something different each day and you won't get as bored with your hair. If your parents don't object, Cosmo Girl magazine can have some very good styling tips too.
Remember, you are a gurl and anything goes! Be funky and have fun.
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