Curly-Hair Problems

Ah, the laugh/cry: toddler expressions at their finest

As you can probably see from this picture of me as a little ragamuffin, I've been dealing with unruly curls for as long as I can remember.  I currently have a ton of hair that is super-fine, meaning tangles and frizz can become a huge problem for me if I don't take care of my hair.  At the moment (when straight) my hair is just about to my waist so I do end up spending a good deal of time on it.

I thought I'd share a couple of my tips and tricks for dealing with curls and fighting frizz that I've picked up over the years.

Here's what the ol' mop is looking like these days (or last summer I suppose)

It starts with the scalp.

Though often overlooked, if your scalp isn't healthy, your hair is simply not going to look its best. The key isn't necessarily the type of shampoo you use but how you use it. Shampooing your hair should essentially entail giving your whole scalp a massage, using your fingertips to apply a generous amount of pressure for a lot longer than you think.  About 30 seconds to a minute for each applying shampoo and rinsing it out should ensure you get rid of product buildup as well as stimulate the hair follicles, causing faster growth, better volume and healthier hair overall.

I recommend a shampoo designed with scalp health in mind such as Clear or something without sulphates like L'Oreal  EverStrong (or any other one from their sulphate-free range) but it's all about trial and error; different things work for different people.

Conditioning

Second to the scalp health, conditioning is so important for cutting down on frizz and reducing damage.  Us curly-heads have the unique challenge of needing more moisture than most, but too much moisture will weigh down our curls, resulting in a limp, uneven curl pattern.

For deep conditioning, without question my favourite mask is the Macadamia Oil Deep Repair Masque (which I buy from Rexall but their website is HERE).  I use it probably every second time I shower; the other times I use whatever conditioner I'm trying at the moment but I'm still looking for that holy grail.  

Right after showering, I always use Moroccan Oil Light and Organix Ever Straight Brazilian Keratin Therapy on my damp hair, then I wrap it up in a towel (or a cotton t-shirt if I'm being good as it cuts down of frizz even more) and continue onto the styling step

Styling
Now, I often straighten or curl my hair with heat styling tools but I'm just going to be talking about how I style my hair on those days when I'm just too lazy for all the blowdrying and whatnot in this post.

Here are some of my very favourite styling products for curly-hair days.  I do like the definition and hold that mousse and styling gels offer, but crunchy, stiff curls are so unappealing.  I recently purchased Pantene Silky Moisture Whip, which is a super creamy mousse that provides light hold while still keeping your hair super soft and touchable. I also love Moroccan Oil Curl Defining Cream, another product that provides light hold while maintaining a silky soft texture.  In my mind, both of these products are pretty great innovations.  It used to be, if you wanted great curl definition, you had to sacrifice a bit of silkiness but no more! To style, I flip my head over, then gently 'scrunch' my curls up to my head, evenly distributing the product. 

For second-day hair, I have a little spray bottle with water and a tiny bit of whatever spray-on leave-in conditioner I'm using at the moment which I use to bring life back to my curls.  I also love Bumble and Bumble Curl Conscious Reactivating Mist, but I find if I apply too much, my hair gets a little crunchy (can you tell what one of my pet peeves is?)

Hopefully this was helpful to my curly-haired friends! If you enjoyed this post or have any products to recommend (or even want me to be your guinea pig) I'd love to hear about it!
Kendall
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