C-Curve: Nurturing Your Curls Beyond the Salon

Welcome to the premier column of C-Curve!

In each volume, I will provide tips and hints for maintaining your curls outside of the salon, a few website and/or book recommendations, and maybe little extra feature in from time to time!

As this is our first issue, we will address the basics needed to keep your hair frizz-free, soft, and manageable.

Beyond the Cut…

So you’ve just gotten your curly cut. Your hair feels nice and quenched, your curls defined and frizz-free. What now?

Your stylist tosses a LOT of tips to you on your hair during the visit, and no one can remember them all ;). The biggest thing to remember with learning how to care for and style your hair at home is PATIENCE. Remember, we as stylists had to practice a LOT to get hair care down—it takes time and repetition to get used to a new routine. Be easy on yourself!

Probably the most important tips to remember are the ones that deal with general washing and conditioning. Among them…

1. Try to not wash your hair over two times a week. Depending on the cleanser, you can do it more or less. If you are using a cleanser without sulfates (Deva products) you can definitely use it more frequently. If you just have to wash your hair with a sulfate shampoo, be very gentle and do not use it more than twice a month. But remember: sulfate cleansers are going to take out quite a bit of moisture, so your curls will take a bit longer to bounce back to an ideal moisture state.
2. Condition! Every time you get your hair wet in the shower, you must condition at least the ends of your hair. The reason is that warm water and steam opens up the hair cuticle, allowing for moisture loss. Rinse your conditioner with as cool of water as is comfortable. This seals the cuticle back up and locks that moisture into your hair.
3. No more towel rubbing! Ideally, the best way to encourage those nice, frizz-free curls is to shake your hair out upside down, gently separating the curls with your fingers from the underside. Shake the curls out again, hold a towel open in your hands under your hair, then lift the towel up to gather your curls in an upward scrunching motion, and squeeze. Repeat this on all sections of your hair until you feel most of the water is absorbed. You NEVER want to rub a towel through your hair or use any fast motions, as this encourages frizz and breaks up the curl pattern.

Washing and conditioning are just as important to gorgeous curls as is styling, cut, and color. Remember, great curls start in the shower!


What’s on the Web

Many curly girls are quite adept at using the web to learn more about their hair, but it never hurts to mention a few sites of interest…
1. http://www.naturallycurly.com: This website was started around five years ago by a few curly girls looking for a way to network with other curls around the world and share their knowledge and wisdom of hair care. On this site you will find a very active users forum, full of tips and advice from fellow curlies. There are also monthly articles and features, as well as a curly mart stocked in books, hair accessories, and even curl pride t-shirts and bumper stickers! Definitely worth a bookmark!
2. http://www.devachansalon.com, http://www.devaconcepts.com: Both of these sites give great info and tips on the Deva product line. They also feature articles and advice for curlies. Check their sites out and learn more about what goes into making your fantastic Deva products!
3. http://www.geocities.com/hotsprings/4266/gloss.html- All About Hair: If you are like me and want to know what the ingredients in your products do, this website gives a good breakdown of common hair care ingredients and their indications.

And remember, we as stylists are here for you! If you ever have any questions about your products or techniques, do not hesitate to give us a call. Stay tuned for more tips on styling and a few book recommendations in the next issue!

Hair Peace! :)
~Carolyn