Tag Archives: curly

Cast-Away Curls: A Gel Story

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Don’t fall prey to the crunchy curls!

It occurred to me yesterday that perhaps a lot of curly girls don’t know how gel is meant to work in our hair. This realization came about when someone asked me why my hair had looked “wet and crunchy” in the morning, and soft and bouncy that same afternoon. Yes, she was a straight-haired woman, but her question reminded me of how many curly girls I see running around with that same crunchy-wet look throughout the entire day.

I’m going to start by saying that it’s fine if you just like the way it looks. If you want your hair to be super tame, tamped down, and orderly, so be it! But to people who like my hair and want to find a way to achieve soft and bouncy curls, I explain that the gel should only be used as a cast while your hair is drying. Let me explain:

When gel is applied to wet hair, a chemical reaction causes the gel to harden as the hair dries; this is called a cast. It is setting your hair and allowing the curls to come together and stay together despite wind, humidity, and other such elemental strains. The longer you leave your hair in its hardened shell, the longer it will remain frizz-free and ready to be released from its chemical bondage. This works to our advantage if, say, we want to wash our hair the night before a big day but don’t want it to get ruined overnight. If you let it dry with the gel still hardened and intact, when you wake up you can scrunch, ruffle, and go with super-shiny beautiful locks. If you want to leave the gel cast in during the day at work so that it will look its best for a first date that evening, that’s yet another advantage.

Ahhh, that’s better.

When you’re ready to break the cast, you just turn your head upside down and scrunch your hair upward in an accordion-like motion. Then you put your fingers at the base of your hair follicles against the scalp and ruffle the roots–as usual, do not touch the hair shafts. This causes curls to separate, but not to frizz. As they’ve dried in their protective shell, they are cool, calm, collected, and ready to face the elements.

Blow it!

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Me in Florida rockin’ the pigtail braids. I’m all about braids this summer.

Last week I did the unthinkable for any self-respecting curly girl. I was visiting a close friend in Florida, who has dabbled in curly girl extremism, when she suggested visiting her favorite (and the only) blowdry bar in Palm Beach County. Fly Dry was established earlier this year on the main drag in Delray when New Yorker-turned-Floridian Kate Fogarty moved to her new neighborhood only to notice that there was no fancy pants city-style blowdry bar anywhere within a 50-mile radius. This just would not do.

Since I hadn’t straightened my hair in a good 10 months, I figured, what the heck. I’ve mentioned before that it’s ok to do this from time to time, it helps relax your natural curl a bit, and lets you survey the health of your hair by checking out any breakage or split ends in their least-camouflaged state. But this was Florida. My number 1 rule has always been not to bother blow drying in humid, hot, or sticky conditions since it usually just ends in frustration and being even sweatier than I  already was. So, yeah, I was in Florida. Just before hurricane Isaac was due to hit. But hey, even if it only lasted one night it would be worth it!

At the hair-washing station I didn’t mention my shampoo-free lifestyle since I was on vacation and living like a totally relaxed fun-girl who cared not to mention such words as “sulfate-free” and philosophies like “lemon juice mixed with conditioner really clarifies hair better than anything!!!” But my friend, knowing me as well as she did, assured me that Fly Dry only uses sulfate-free ‘poos. Phew.

My friend Karol on the left, me on the right.

The results were fabulous! I loved that they offered the option to have a wavy or beachy look instead of just pin straight (which looks awful on me) and my amazing stylist Travis did all he could to combat the inevitable frizz that would result from stepping outside.

That night it did rain. And it rained a lot. In fact, we got all gussied up just to walk a half block, then promptly returned to the car after getting completely soaked. We figured that see-through dresses that weren’t supposed to be see-through wasn’t a cute look on anyone. We changed into shorts and tee shirts and had an awesome dinner near her apartment when the rain had slowed a bit.

The point of my rambling story is that I made lemonade out of lemons. I ended up braiding my frizzified hair, which has been this summer’s raison d’etre as far as my hair is concerned. I’ve been doing one long braid down my back, side braids, two braids hanging down, two braids pinned up and encircling my head with my bangs out, and braid ponytails. It was such a fun change to create these same braids with straight hair, because it just looked so much longer. Even if you’re braiding, the curl in your hair still shortens it a bit. Plus, without any gel or residual conditioner whatsoever in my hair, it lasted about 5 days without my having to wash it. (Friends at work cringed when I told them that part, but whatever, it smelled fine and looked great).

So why not throw caution to the wind now and then and treat yourself to a custom blow-out in your home town or city. It’s really fun to have someone else do your hair, especially when it lasts a week, and it’s a growing trend. So even if you don’t live in New York, Miami, or LA, there is an increasing chance that you may find a blowdry expert in your own backyard.

Added perk? Most of them offer some bubbly or vino while they’re transforming your gorgeous, swinging locks.

Some blowdry bars I’ve tried and loved:

FlyDry | Delray Beach, Florida

Blow | New York, New York

Drybar | New York, New York

CQA Interview: Shawn

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Courtesy: Shawn

Over the weekend at a friend’s pool party I ran into a guy with some seriously awesome hair (and style). I have to say, on a side note, that I am a huge supporter of men with curly hair who grow it out. It looks so fun, free, and different. It evokes a certain je ne sais quoi, love for life I guess, which is hugely enticing to be around.

A guy with grown-out curly hair was actually part of my inspiration for starting this blog, since he was a wedding photographer at my friend’s wedding and had literally 5 minutes to get the full rundown of my haircare process. That just would not do, so I created a quick and easy blog to share with my fellow curly heads.

That being said, I sort of “accosted” my new friend for information as to his haircare regimen. He was more than happy to oblige, so I am sharing it below.

Shampoo: Argan Oil shampoo
Conditioner: Argan Oil conditioner
Product: Post-shower, he applies Neutrogena Triple Moisture (but he switches it up all the time, as he should)
Cut: Roughly once a year, and he gets it cut wet
Salon: DnA Salon in Philly

If any guys are reading this, please “like” or comment below. I really want to help out all my brothas and sistas as much as I can!

DIY Spray Gel

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In addition to my most recent post on proper conditioning at the beach and the pool, I wanted to share an easy DIY way to benefit from the wonders of hair-taming gel on the go. We all know that moment where we wonder to ourselves: Is it really worth letting loose and diving head-first into the pool, or frolicking with my summer love during high tide, at the risk of my beautiful curls turning into a poodle-y mess? Well, fret no more.

After applying your leave-in conditioner (again, be sure that you have experimented with the right amount of moisturizers so that your hair won’t look super greasy after application), spritz on some homemade spray-gel to keep strands in line.

Take 1/2 cup of your favorite gel and 1 cup of boiling water, stir them together, let it cool, then add it to a spray bottle. Easy-peasy! Experiment with amounts of gel vs. water over time to see what works best for you. Then just lie back on the beach towel and let your beachy-cool locks unveil themselves!

Spray gel recipe by Curly Girl

Disney and Pixar’s Brave

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I think I’ve found my new hero! I love that real curls are finally getting their due in Brave, an animated film by Disney and Pixar featuring a plucky Scottish lass with long, flowing red curly locks.

They’re such a paramount part of her image, and I love the association that curls have with strong, independent, and unique women! Take that, Cinderella.

The premise reminds me a bit of one of my Disney favorites, Mulan, which was also about a young woman defying her family to go off and fight more valiantly than any other dude in her village. She had to dress as a man to pass muster, but it doesn’t look like this firecracker betrays her true identity at all.

Check it out in theaters this Friday, June 22. Can’t wait!

UPDATE: Saw this on opening day at 11:30am (when 3-D tix in Manhattan were only $10–it felt like 1995 all over again!) and I loved it. The blend of character development and interactions, animation, and story line were as close to perfect as I’ve seen in an animated film, and I was fighting back tears at the end. The overarching theme, to me, was to always respect and value the lessons that your good-willed parents (specifically, the main character Merida’s mother, Elena) aim to instill in you. Don’t try to change who they are, because they’re only human and are doing their best to raise you right. Also, you should listen to your loved ones instead of projecting your own ideas of their intent onto them.

Those fabulous red curls adorning Merida and her three terror-inducing brothers’ heads definitely played a starring role and are the center of movie reviews web-wide. Hers were not restrained for one moment; even while Merida scaled sheer rock faces, galloped wily nily on her trusty steed, or flew through the air to grab a bear’s paw. In the movies, hair always seems to blow in the opportune direction. Woe is me.

I also give an A+ to the animators for including lots of curl clusters that did that wonky “not-quite-curling-in-the-middle-but-then-getting-back-in-line-at-the-bottom-of-the-curl” thing. You know what I mean. Definitely recommend seeing this one, but maybe not with Mom–unless you’re the super sentimental type.

Get Wet!

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While lounging poolside over Memorial Day Weekend (important side note: thank you so much to our troops, I truly appreciate everything you’re doing for our country!) I read in In Style that the wet hair look is in right now. This is great news for us curl-meisters, we just have to be sure to do it the right way. When I worked for a large publishing house years ago, I’d attract looks of scorn when I’d run into the elevator amongst the most judgmental of beauty editors and fashionistas with my hair still wet from that morning’s shower.

As we all know, diffusers are often more trouble than they’re worth. Curly hair looks best when it’s left to air dry, and in the summer no one wants to go near a hair dryer if they don’t have central air. I’d eschew their silly rules and go wet anyway, and my hair would be dry and glorious by lunch time. It’s just the price you have to pay for bounteous curls. While I was working there, one of the big-name glossies actually had a blog post about how bad wet hair looks at work.

Well, preposterously fickle beauty world, now it’s ok to rock wet hair. This is thanks to new red-carpet looks that favor severely slicked-back ponys and buns. It’s especially beneficial since you can gloss your ends with your favorite oil treatment or conditioning glaze and no one will be the wiser!

How to do it:

1) Wash and condition as usual in the shower. Leave in a touch more conditioner than you normally would, because no one will know and it’s good for your hair. It will also increase drying time, leaving you wetter longer. Skip the gel at this point.

2) Before stepping out, quickly run your head under the water flow one last time, then squeeze mostly dry (don’t scrunch, you want to elongate strands).

3) With your head upside down over the tub, coat the hair nearest your hair line with gel, on top of and under your head. Just one dollop will do. Don’t worry about your ends since they will not be seen. Instead, coat ends with a few drops of an oil serum.

4) Still upside-down, twist all hair into a bun on top of your head (I prefer this step without elastic, keep reading). Straights can do a low ponytail, but we know we’ll end up with a frizzy mess. Buns are best, even if you choose to do a low bun at the nape of your neck to up the class factor.

5) Don’t fasten your bun with an elastic — instead, anchor the bun to your head in the desired position with as many bobby pins as it takes.

6) There should not be any stray hairs hanging out, if you have bangs or really short layers that are not contained in the bun, be sure to bobby-pin them so that they appear to be part of the bun.

I paired my wet bun with a small scarf (think handkerchief-sized, but more chic) from American Apparel for my commute to work in order to soak up the drippings. By the time I got to work, my hair was dry enough to whisk off my scarf, and voila!

Extensions: Do or Don’t?

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As a curly girl, I’ve often considered the merits of extensions to add volume and length to my hair. I’ve never understood how curly extensions would work, though, especially in a weave (which stays in for roughly three months full-time, sans clips) when you get sweaty, knotty, or wash it. I know that curly weaves have been around for quite some time, but the logistics were lost on me. Plus, is it worth getting them? Does it damage your hair?

Courtesy: Lugo's Hair Center

I pondered these musings with my hairdresser recently and was told that she opted for weave extensions when she had her hair tragically shorn by an un-knowledgable stylist. She was sick of waiting for her hair to grow out, so she went full-steam-ahead and had real human hair incorporated into her own. I asked whether this was damaging, and she grimaced and suggested getting the clip-in kind if I was worried about damage.

Also, it’s important to consider that there are different hair types. While ethnic hair is actually more brittle than caucasian hair, there is also a lot more of it to begin with. If I were to get a weave and have to thin out some of the frayed or damaged pieces once I removed them, I’d look half bald. Not a good look for anyone.

The stylist direct me to Lugo’s Hair Center, which is a weave and extension online shop that specializes in curly human hair. It’s permed so the curl will stay intact when you wash. You purchase the hair and have it attached to clips, or bring it to your salon to have it weaved in with your natural locks. There is a broad color palette and they pride themselves on their deft color-matching service.

I personally opted out of the weave, but I may still try the clip-in extensions at some point. They’d probably look amazing with fancier do’s (think weddings, prom, cocktail parties, special events, etc…).

 

Allergies and your hair

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Spring brings more than pretty flowers! Read on for another easy way to combat seasonal allergies.

Hello, friends! Those readers who are currently experiencing springtime may notice that the allergens are in abundance, and have been for a few weeks already. Warmer weather earlier in the season (and in some cases, an almost non-existent winter) has created the perfect storm for a heavy-hitting allergy season. Aside from the usual <obvious> ways to avoid constantly red eyes, runny noses, and itchy skin, may I also remind you that your hair is a huge attractant for almost everything airborne?

We know that dirt is attracted to and sticks to our hair, partly because we add products and partly because that’s what hair is actually supposed to do, so the same is obviously true of pollens. Because of this, I’m trying to at least wet down my hair every night before my head hits the pillow, and it seems to be helping so far. While it’s not ideal for most curly girls to wash right before bed (air-drying becomes a bit of a problem) it’s not a bad idea to at least rinse your hair off, and then you can do the full routine in the morning. It’s also a perfect excuse to use oil and protein treatments more often, since you usually want those to sit on your hair overnight anyway!

If you are going to bed with wet hair I suggest wrapping it in a microfiber hair towel, and by the time it falls off in the middle of the night your hair should be mostly dry. Added bonus: Something about going to sleep with a soft towel snug around my head makes me feel like I’m at a spa or something. Try tying your hair on top of your head first if you don’t want it to come loose and get matted around your neck while you toss and turn. Then enjoy a nice, clean, sneeze-free night!

Start Curly

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One minor thing I’d like to address is that every hair styling tip I read about in magazines instructs you to blow-dry curly hair straight first. The tousled look, for example, involves blow-drying your hair in all different directions, then curling the ends, and texturizing it with pomade. Straighten my curly hair only to curl it again? Wha…? What these articles do is convince us to buy a ton of pricey products that aren’t all that great for our hair, make our ‘do’s high-maintenance, and promise shiny frizz-free results that we all know just aren’t going to happen. Especially as the warm and humid spring and summer months approach.

Back-combing can be done with a small black comb to create height near the roots of hair. Do not comb your hair to the ends with this!

My theory is work with what you’ve got: You have curly hair and you want it tousled? Fine, tousle it. Tousle ’til your heart’s content! I picked up a new trick over the weekend that I love. I’ve already recommended using a wide-tooth comb if you absolutely need to comb your hair while it’s wet in the shower, but I was recently given an olive-oil infused wide-tooth comb that I LOVE. I haven’t combed or brushed my hair (except when straight) in almost a decade, so this is kind of a big deal. I already knew you could use a small comb (like the flimsy black ones they gave you before school pictures) to add body at the roots of your hair. It works like back-combing, you brush against the direction of the hair at the very roots and get some upward movement.

Olive oil comb--great for combing through shorter layers to loosen curls and create a more "tousled" look.

The olive-oil comb, however, is so silky-smooth and non-invasive that I find I can use it with my shorter layers, like bangs, and also use it to back-comb for body on the crown of my head. It loosens up my curls, making them look a bit more fun and frisky instead of orderly and controlled. If you want to add texture try spritzing with some spray gel or the Coldstone Apothecary salt-water spray I mention on the products page once you’ve achieved your desired look.

If you do choose to gently comb through your hair to the ends with the wide-tooth comb, wrap unruly curls around your finger to eliminate frizz.

Also, once you’re done combing and before you use product, try finger-curling the rowdier pieces to make the hair come together in harmony again instead of being too frizzy. The amount of combing you do depends completely on how much of a statement you want to make, and over time you may find yourself doing it more and more. It’s also a great way to add height to hair that has dried somewhat flat on top.

The Curly Shag

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courtesy: seagullhair.com (No, this isn't me. I wish!)
This will work for curly hair of any type, as long as you don't cut layers too short. Be sure that you have it cut while your hair is dry!

I love my hair cut. Best part is, it works with any curly hair type. I have what I like to call a “curly shag,” a la the image to the left.

I needed to have more body on top, so one day I just started snipping layers around my face, since my long hair was dragging way too much. Right away I noticed that the curls came back to life, and my hair started drying much more quickly. It’s a great way to thin out thick hair, while adding volume and bounce for thin hair, since shorter top layers aren’t as weighed down. Great for a spring look if you don’t want to lop all of your hair off.

This cut is also very easy to manage! I recommend pairing it with wispy bangs that gradually get longer going from the middle of your forehead toward your temples, then blending that with your longer layers.