I don’t know about you but I couldn’t help but notice that glitter flooded the beauty market this summer: glitter for face, body, and especially, hair. I feel like this is one of those domains where the curly haired are at a distinct advantage. The natural depth, curve, and bounce of our hair makes it an especially exciting home for things sparkly.

Here’s a round up of some of the hair glitter sprays available now. Stay tuned for reviews!

Shea Moisture Silicone Free Miracle Strobe Shine Spray

True to Shea Moisture form, this product is free from ingredients that are best to avoid, especially for the curly haired: silicones, sulfates, and mineral oils. Packed with healthy hair products like shea butter, this is a spray bottle product.

$14.99 for 4 oz

Eva-NYC Kweeen Glitter Spray

Also silicone and sulfate free, EVA-NYC’s hair spray is in an aerosol bottle, allowing for more even application that doesn’t wet or dampen your hair (although aerosol sprays aren’t environment friendly!”>. This product has argan oil and vegetable proteins so if you’re looking for a little extra oomph for your hairstyle this may be the way to go.

$12 for 4.9 oz

Briogeo Sea Goddess Hair + Body Shimmer Mist

Another spray bottle hair (and body”> mist, Briogeo’s product features calming fruit and flower waters and is silicone, sulfate, and mineral oil free. Best of all, it’s also alcohol free so it won’t do long term drying damage to your hair.

$24 for 4 oz

IGK Preparty Hair Strobing Glitter Spray

Another aerosol bottle glitter spray for those of you planning to bedazzle your perfect (and dry”> coifs, IGK avoids silicones, sulfates, and mineral oils, and also features coconut fruit extract and a pea protein. Watch out for glycerin and alcohol embedded in the ingredients. Otherwise, grab this limited edition release while you can!

$16 at or 1.6 oz

Have you tried glitter sprays this summer? What were your favorites? Where do you fit them into your daily or weekly routine?

If you’re looking to switch up your hair care regimen, there are no shortage of methods available to us, from Lorraine Massey’s Curly Girl Method to the simpler and less restrictive No Poo Method. But what exactly are these two methods and how are they different? Follow me as I walk through each method and where they differ.

The No Poo Method

The No Poo Method is as simple as its title: avoid shampoo. Specifically, avoid the sulfates in shampoos. Sulfates, the most common of which is sodium laureth sulfate (SLS”>, are surfactants. Surfactants or detergents are attracted to dirt and grease. They bond to them, thus making it easier for water to wash them away.

Surfactants, of course, also bond to the natural healthy oils in your hair, thus throwing out the baby with the bathwater, so to speak. The No Poo Method avoids sulfates entirely, opting for sulfate-free cleansing alternatives that remove excess oils and grease without removing everything. It’s important to remember that though going sulfate-free means your hair will retain more moisture, you also have to be careful about what you add to your hair. Without those handy surfactants, ingredients that aren’t naturally water soluble will be hard to wash away. Most imporantly, this includes silicones, most of which are not water soluble.

Sulfate-free shampoos have flooded the market as the No Poo Method has picked up popularity, the best known of which is DevaCurl’s No Poo cleanser. Co-washing, or washing your hair with conditioner, has also cropped up as a popular and effective alternative to sulfate-based shampoos.

The Curly Girl Method

The Curly Girl Method is a more comprehensive approach to gentle and safe curly hair care, where avoiding shampoo is just the beginning. The Curly Girl Method advises that we avoid a series of hair care strategies that lead to hair breakage, excessive drying and trauma to the hair follicle, coating the hair without moisturizing it, or even removing excess moisture from the hair. This includes sulfate-based shampoos, any heat treatments, combs and brushes, non-water soluble silicones, and drying alcohols.

No Poo versus Curly Girl

Which method is right for you? It really depends! If you’re considering making the switch, you may want to start with the simpler No Poo Method, and then ramp up to the much more comprehensive Curly Girl Method.

Start by slowing phasing out your sulfate-based shampoos, washing your hair with a sulfate-free shampoo every second hair wash and gradually decreasing how often you use sulfate-based shampoos until you’ve made the switch. Expect that your scalp will briefly over-produce oils as it adjusts. This won’t last forever so just wait it out!

Give your hair some time to settle into its new No Poo Method. If after a month you feel that your hair could still use some extra love, start by gradually phasing out other haircare strategies to avoid from the Curly Girl Method list. Examine the ingredients list on your products, hunting for non-water soluble silicones, alcohol, and fragrance. Swap out your products and give your hair some time to adjust to the extra moisture it’s receiving.

If you want to go even further, cut out combs and brushes from your routine, finger combing only and perhaps wearing a satin cap to bed to help keep your hair from tangling on your pillowcase at night. And finally, if and when you’re ready, eliminate any heat treatments from your routine, swapping them for vigorous scrunching and maybe a microfiber towel instead.

As you read about the differences in these medods, keep in mind that the definitions and decriptions of these methods have evolved and changed over the years, and there may be conflicting information out there, including on this website. Part of the goal of this article is to set some standards for how we delineate these methods, going forward.

Remember that we each have an entirely unique head of hair with a unique lifestyle and personal style to match! The No Poo and Curly Girl methods should fit into your life and make you feel wonderful and glowing. NaturallyCurly is here to help guide you through these transitions! Tell us about your experiences with the No Poo and Curly Girl methods in the comments section.

For those of you just embarking on your curly hair journey, be patient! It took me years to learn which hair products, brands, and ingredients really worked for me and which didn’t. I’ve finally whittled my curly hair products down to a little set of ride-or-dies that work really well for me. Over the years, I’ve learned that my hair really thrives when I use products that are silicone-free and have nice, short, natural ingredients lists.

Moisturizing

Whenever I have the time, I deep condition my hair before I wash it for a few hours or even overnight. I sometimes use coconut oil because of its proven ability to actually penetrate the hair shaft. But now, hair experts now advise those with low porosity hair to avoid coconut oil. I’ve been turning towards all natural shea butter instead, which I buy from none other than SheaMoisture.
A few years ago, I discovered Qhemet Biologics and I’ve been in love ever since. This is my go-to post-shampoo leave-in conditioner brand. First thing out of the shower, I smoothe a healthy dollop of their Burdock Root Butter Cream through my hair and give it a few minutes to sink in. I’m on my fourth pot of this product and I’ve never before been so satisfied with a leave-in condition that I’ve repurchased. Recently, I grabbed their heavier Amla & Olive Heavy Cream to add a bit of extra moisture in persistent genetic problem spots in my hair.
I up my leave-in conditioning with some oils afterwards. I mix Qhemet Biologics’ Castor & Moringa Softening Serum with Shea Moisture’s 100% Pure Shea Oil.

Styling

I’m a fan of minimal styling. My hair doesn’t feel my own if it isn’t a bit wild, a bit frizzy, and really big. I love it when my curls feel full and poofy and voluptuous, and hate it when they feel crispy and stringly. I use Uncle Funky’s Daughter’s Curly Magic in my hair. It has a really slick, slippery texture and leaves just the right amount of hold.
For me, blow drying with a diffuser is a must. I even have a small travel blow dryer with diffuser, and a silicone foldable diffuser attachment, so that no matter my travel situation, I have a diffuser of some sort with me. I’m not very picky about the blow dryer itself. I use the Jinri 1875W Ionic Infrared Blow Dryer. I start off at a high heat setting with low speed and scrunch my hair using the diffuser prongs. I then turn up the speed and blow at my hair, manually scrunching my hair as I move the blow dryer around my head.
Using an afro pick has become an important part of my styling routine. But I never pick just after I’ve washer and dried my hair. My mixed race, thick hair will still take a few hours to dry completely at the roots even after I’ve blow dried, and I never want to over blow dry my hair. Later that day or the next day, I’ll turn my head over and pick my hair just at the roots to up my root volume.

Maintaining

I’ve been pruning my own hair for years using a pair of shaping scissors I bought from Ulta. Anyone who sews knows that you have to make sure your scissors are single purpose or they’ll dull way faster, so I’ve only ever used these on my hair (I’m definitely due for a replacement!”>. I prune my hair very gingerly whenever I feel it’s necessary, cutting lock by lock and only under a half inch at a time. I try to take into account that after I wash and dry my hair again, any strand that I cut will end up shorter than I could have anticipated since it will curl more without the added weight.
I go a week, sometimes two, between washing my hair. Towards the end of that week, my afro pick becomes very important for re-shaping the silhouette of my hair and lightly teasing out some knots. I’ll also use the Amla & Olive Oil Heavy Cream to smooth over any curls that have come undone, and then finger twist them and let them dry so that they re-curl.

What’s on your curly hair top shelf? Do you gravitate to tried, tested, and true products or are you hooked on a new find? Share with us in the comments!

When I was in grade school I decided I would be so much more beautiful if I had auburn hair. My normally dark brown hair didn’t, I felt, complement my freckled face as well as it could. I diligently saved up my allowance, and went to an inexpensive hair stylist with my mother to have my hair dyed a carefully selected auburn. It was a disaster. My stylist applied the dye to my roots and promptly forgot about me, and said nothing as she hastily spread the dye through the rest of my hair. I was left with flaming red Ronald McDonald hair rather than my desired subtle romantic auburn. Crying, my mother and I washed out what we could in the shower immediately afterwards.

Fast forward to now: needless to say, I have never once considered dying my hair again! That is, until my 2018 birthday when I stopped by our local Ceremony Salon to raid their lipstick sale. I was jumped by some of their stylists who recruited me to hair model for them and a few weeks later, the amazing Amber carefully hand-painted an ombré bright caramel blonde hair which I eventually had glazed back down to a rusty brown (it only took me a week to realize that I am simply not a blonde…”>.

For all of you curlies thinking about having your hair dyed, I’m going to point out the pros and cons of my experience.

Pros

Complimentary Colors

Well it turns out that auburn isn’t the color for me – it’s rusty brown! Finding a hair stylist and color expert whose intuitions I trusted helped me to find a color that really complements my style and skintone—a color that would never have occurred to me on my own! I’m so excited to keep playing with the range of browns that complement me!

In the meanwhile, this color has given me such a confidence boost over the past year. I really couldn’t have anticipated how much this could change how I look and feel.

Increased Curl Visibility

My dark brown hair was almost on the verge of black, and as a result, really hid my curl pattern from the world. A lighter hair color really puts my curl pattern on display. I think some feel that having streaks dyed into your hair is the only way to accomplish this, but I’ve found that for me, a lighter hair color is just as good and looks more natural.

Growing out Ombré

I’m so glad that we went with a painted ombré hair color. This is excruciatingly easy to grow out! I’m not planning on dying my hair again until it has grown out entirely so that I can avoid damaging my hair. But it doesn’t look strange at all.

Cons

Maintaining Color

The most exhausting part of having hair dye is needing to go in occasionally to touch up the hair color as it lifts and lightens. Coordinating all of this and scheduling it around when I would normally wash and style my hair has been a bit of a pain. I’ve gone back to the salon just once or twice in the last six months to have my hair glazed again.

Hydration and Sulfates

Lifting the color from your hair is pretty devastating! I’ve had to be extra diligent this past year about deep conditioning my hair before and during hair washing. I’ve also had to be diligent about avoiding sulfate-free shampoo to avoid lightening my hair color too rapidly, although of course the benefits of this for hair health are well known!

Overall, I’d say that I went from hair dye hating to hair dye happy. My takeaways? Go to a top rated hair salon in your area. Try to find their color specialist’s Instagram accounts and see if you like what they’ve done with other clients. Go in with reference photos for the type of color look and treatment you’d like. And make sure you come away with your consultation feeling good about your experience – your gut knows if you can trust your stylist’s instincts!

If you’re visiting NaturallyCurly.com you have probably heard of the Grace Eleyae Slap. This e-commerce brand’s viral marketing via Facebook and Instagram has spread the good news: curly hair textures no longer have to suffer having their tresses roughed up by hats. Grace Eleyae markets a series of headwear that is all discreetly satin-lined. Their products, for both adults and children, range from beanies to fashionable turbans, to winter-weather headbands and hats to satin pillowcases.

I took advantage of a two-for-one sale to grab their satin lined slaps in gray and olive green. Here are my thoughts!

Price and Shipping

Maybe it’s because I pounced on an amazing sale, or maybe it’s because Grace Eleyae is family owned, but I was disappointed with the slow shipping time for my Slaps. An order placed at the beginning of October didn’t ship until the end of October, and I received no warning to expect slow shipping times. To be honest, this will affect how I make future purchases at Grace Eleyae. If you’re looking to grab one of their warm Slaps in time for your holiday vacation, maybe think twice unless customer service can guarantee a quick time to shipment!

The quality of the Slaps I purchased is really stellar, and I think they completely justify the price. But you need to buy more than one product to qualify for free shipping on the website. With Slaps priced at around $24-$40 apiece but with free shipping kicking in at $50, pricing out an order can feel a bit frustrating.

The Standard Slap

The standard Grace Eleyae Slap — their signature product— is a rayon beanie that can easily fit all of my thick, type 3, chin length hair. And they have options for you if your hair is longer and thicker! It is discreetly lined with charmeuse satin such that the satin will never poke out from under your cap. The brim of the cap has a half-inch elastic band woven into it that keeps the Slap securely attached to your head, whether you wear it at your hairline or halfway down your head.

What I’ve Used the Slap For

The Slap is really versatile! I’ve swapped out my satin night cap for the Slap and slept in it overnight, and found that it stays securely on my head much more easily than my night cap! I don’t even need to pineapple my hair since the shape of the Slap does that for me!

I’ve tucked all of my hair into it and worn it to the gym to keep my hair off of my face and neck and to keep my curls from becomes sweat-soaked from a workout. Although I suspected I would overheat with a hat on, I actually found it much cooler to have my bangs off my forehead and my hair off the nape of my neck! And I’ve worn my Slaps with my bangs poking out on a lazy day running errands.

I’ve struggled to find a way to wear the Slap that fits well with my personal style. So far, I prefer to wear my Slap as a lazy, comfy garment in my lazy, comfy places — in bed, runnings errands, and at the gym. But I’m interested in trying out the foldover warm Slap in royal blue to see if I’m not compelled to wear it with an outfit!

Final Verdict

I think the Grace Eleyae Slaps are an amazing product — one of those kinds of products that you’re surprised didn’t catch on way earlier. The curly, coily, and wavy hair care community has always had to think about whether or not our hats, our pillows, etc., will contribute to breakage and frizz. It’s such a relief to have products out there like the Slaps that acknowledge our needs!

Have you tried the Grace Eleyae Slap or other products from their website? How do you use your Slap and what do you think of it? Let us know in the comments!

There is a great debate about skin types. The traditional normal, oily, dry, and combination breakdown has been critiqued so effectively, most recently by Renée Rouleau, who has produced a much more exhaustive skin types list that includes everything from wrinkles to blemishes.

Skin-type choice exhaustion is now a reality. But let’s forge through it together. Here is a list of 12 moisturizers for every skin type, with a skin-type-mash-up that straddles the traditional (though criticized!”> system and more elaborate taxonomies.

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Sensitive Skin

If you struggle with sensitive skin, you know that what you’re hunting for is a list of simple, noncomedogenic (non-pore-clogging”> ingredients. You’ll want to avoid drying alcohols, and perhaps even silicones. Here are some of my favorites for different skin types.

Dry

LXMI Creme du Nil Pore-Refining Moisture Veil

Lauded by beauty experts like The Skincare Edit, this moisturizer boasts an excruciatingly simple and natural ingredients list free of silicones and alcohols, topped by shea butter, glycerin, and squalane.

Oily

Biossance Squalane + Probiotic Gel Moisturizer

Again, another hyper-simple and natural ingredients list is partnered with a frothy, whipped, gel-like texture that absorbs immediately into the skin thanks to squalane. Squalane mimics a natural part of your skin’s oil — squalene!

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Clogged Pores and Buildup

If you struggle with pores that feel large and gaping, or maybe even clogged with whiteheads and blackheads that aren’t inflamed, you might be lacking in exfoliation. It’s possible to squeeze some chemical exfoliation into your daily moisturizing routine, and you might see more striking results in the long run by doing this instead of scrubbing your face with a harsh exfoliator! Keep an eye out for Vitamin C, AHAs (alpha-hydroxy acids”>, and BHA (beta-hydroxy acids”>.

Dry

Dry clogged skin is an exhausting challenge, since many exfoliating products tend to be packaged as toners or serums. But traditional moisturizers with glycolic and lactic acids (AHAs”> are out there! Here a few great options.

Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Glow Moisturizer

With an ingredients list topped by squalane, lactic acid, glycolic acid, hyaluronic acid, and pumpkin fruit and radish root ferment, this moisturizer is an extreme multi-tasker.

Peter Thomas Roth 10% Glycolic Solutions Moisturizer

If you, like me, are picky about your acids, you might prefer this one. Glycolic acid is the only acid used in this product and it can be found in high concentrations. The moisturizer is otherwise geared towards calming and moisturizing, with aloe leaf, safflower seed oil, hyaluronic acid, and squalane.

Oily

Herbivore Prism Exfoliating Glow Potion

Another natural ingredients list partners with a serum-like texture to help keep your skin from becoming an oil slick as soon as you leave the bathroom. Herbivore’s serum has a series of fruit acids in it that naturally produce the top exfoliating acids skincare junkies crave, namely lactic and glycolic acid.

Acneic Skin

Common anti-acne skincare ingredients are benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, and retinoids. I avoid benzoyl peroxide during the daytime since it can easily stain clothes, but salicylic acid is a great and simple bet. This beta-hydroxy acid resurfaces your skin and helps minimize the conditions that lead to the proliferation of acne bacteria on the face.

Dry

Sunday Riley U.F.O. Ultra-Clarifying Face Oil

Apply this to your face when it’s still moist from washing to ensure it sucks up into your skin rather than sits on top!

Oily

Caudalie Vinopure Natural Salicylic Acid Pore Minimizing Serum

This serum-textured product balances moisturizing hyaluronic acid (sodium hyaluronate”> with salicylic acid to keep you just as hydrated as you need to be while still treating acne.

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Aging Skin

Many key ingredients can help stave off the signs of aging skin by exfoliating the surface of the skin and promoting collagen production. Favorites are retinols, which sensitizes the skin to UV rays, and alpha and beta hydroxy acids, which have the same effect. If you’re in the market for moisturizers for aging skin, be particularly careful to wear sunscreen during the day! The sun is aging, so you might reverse all the hard work you’re doing if you don’t protect yourself from it! If you’re concerned about the sensitizing effects, hunt for night moisturizers with retinols and acids and opt for anti-oxidant formulas during the daytime.

Dry

Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil

Celebrated for her discovery of a retinol derivative that isn’t as irritating as the original, Sunday Riley designed this night oil to be extra calming in comparison to most retinol-based products.

Sunday Riley Juno Antioxidant + Superfood Face Oil

For a dry skin and retinol alternative that you can feel confident wearing during the day, opt for this antioxidant-packed face oil with blackberry, blueberry, and cranberry oils.

IT Cosmetics Secret Sauce Anti-Aging Moisturizer

You can promote the production of collagen, or simply apply collagen to your face! Cosmetic scientists don’t agree on whether topically applied collagen has long-lasting anti-aging benefits, but in the absence of useful studies on this question, we can listen to the reviews in the meanwhile. Users of collagen-based products champion their anti-aging benefits.

Oily

Retinol is hard to find in a serum-based, lighter product. But antioxidant serums are a popular cosmetic strain that you might favor anyway, as an oily-skinned person. Slapping on that sunscreen after your moisturizer is a sure-fire way to encourage the production of oils!

Caudalie Vinosource S.O.S. Thirst Quenching Serum

The Caudalie brand is based on their use of grapes and their natural antioxidant properties. This lightweight yet moisturizing serum with squalane and hyaluronic acid is topped by ingredients that pack the antioxidant properties of grapes. Keep an eye out for the keyword “polyphenols!”

OleHenriksen Truth Serum

The famous Truth Serum is a light and simple serum loaded with collagen and vitamin C. Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant and an essential component of any anti-aging regimen! With hyaluronic acid in the ingredients list, it’ll ensure that your skin won’t dry out but won’t be overloaded with moisture either!

We have scoured the world of moisturizers, high and low, to group together lighter and heavier moisturizing options for you based on your concern. Do you have any beloved, tried-tested-and-true moisturizers that you use to address these concerns? Have you tried one of these? What did you think of it? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Image by: @curly.paty

The Curly Girl Method is a gentle and moisturizing strategy for revamping your hair washing and styling regimen to give your curls the best opportunity to glow and thrive. Invented by curly hair guru Lorraine Massey, the Curly Girl Method asks you to exclude the harsh and drying steps common to most of our hair care regimens: drying sulfates present in most shampoos, fragrances and alcohols; non-water soluble silicones that coat the hair shaft; heat treatments; and combs and brushes. Minimizing breakage and increasing moisture levels does wonders for most curls, but it can also make your hair less curly. Here are some suggestions for how you can get your curl back while also achieving curl peace.

Scrunch Scrunch Scrunch!

The extra moisture in your curls might leave your hair a little heavier and flatter than you’re accustomed to. While a diffuser can increase hair and root volume, the heat treatment is also damaging to your hair and a definite no-no in the Curly Girl Method. 

Instead, take advantage of your hands and fingers! Scrunching your curls as they dry is a great way of encouraging your curls to spring up and coil. Give yourself a long scrunching session after you’ve put in all of your hair products. And then repeat with shorter scrunching sessions as your hair moves from soaking to wet; wet to damp, and damp to nearly dry. Flip your head over and scrunch with those added anti-gravity effects for some extra oomph. If you’re feeling especially impatient, you can invest in microfiber towels or even microfiber gloves which will help gentle absorb extra moisture from your hair while also encouraging your hair to curl.

Reconsider Your Product Regimen

Your hair may be trying to signal to you that though it loves the extra moisture that you’re retaining by excludes drying and damaging steps in your routine, that you’re actually really over moisturizing it! You may want to take a closer look at your product regimen and ask yourself if some of the products you’re using are too heavy. That hair oil that you absolutely needed when you were still using sulfates and heat might just be coating and weighing down your hair now that you’ve excluded drying treatments. You might want to consider swapping your thick leave-in conditioner for a serum-textured leave-in. But always remember to keep an eye out for drying alcohols, silicones, and fragrances as you play with your products.

Try the Occasional Shampoo

If you’re really desperate and nothing has worked, it’s possible that you’re suffering from some product buildup that not even your No Poo or Low Poo shampoo can get rid of. Consider giving your hair the occasional deep cleanse by using a regular shampoo once a month or every two months. You can even use a special anti-residue shampoo. Keep in mind that while this will give your hair a fresh start and strip all of the product build-up, it will also strip all of your hair’s natural oils and moisture! Consider deep conditioning your hair overnight before you wash with regular shampoo, or leaving the conditioner in your hair longer for an intensive moisturizing treatment after you shampoo.

Do you have any other techniques that work wonders to lift your curls? Have you tried out any of these strategies? How did they work? Let us know! Get yourself started on revamping your regimen with this list of Curly Girl Method friendly products.

Though the changing leaves are beautiful, it’s distressing when our curly hair starts to dry and break in the colder, drier autumn weather.

The end of summer means that I can’t count on the humidity to give me extra zhush. It means my hair becomes a bit more limp, a bit more lackluster, and more prone to dryness. I *can* count on my hair lasting longer between washes without the heat and humidity, but that’s about my only silver lining! Here’s how I shift my standard routine to add extra moisture and pump up the volume.

Less Gel, More Leave-In

In the hot and humid summer weather, I increase the amount of gel I put in my hair. The heat and humidity encourage me to weather-proof my hair a little more deliberately, since all the extra moisture from both me (and my perspiration”> and the elements mounts a persistent attack against my curl structure.

As the weather cools down and dries off a little, I step back my gel quantity, and am more generous with the amount of leave-in conditioner I put in.

Afro Pick, Afro Pick, Afro Pick

My biggest fall struggle is the sudden loss of hair volume! That heat and humidity may attack my curl structure, but I love what it does for my hair silhouette. To make up for this, I use an afro pick more often and more vigorously in my hair to increase my root volume. Remember that you don’t want to use an afro pick if your hair is wet or damp, so let your hair dry entirely before you take one to your roots.

To increase my root volume without combing out all my curls, I tip my head forward and bring my afro pick to the crown of my head. I comb in the direction of my hair (I don’t tease, e.g. go against the direction of my hair!”> in short, speedy, one to two inch strokes all around the crown. As soon as you flip your head back again, you’ll immediately see the huge spike in your root volume.

Up My Deep Condish Game

I try to deep condition my hair before most hair washes, but if I’m going longer between washes and the weather is colder, then deep conditioning becomes non-negotiable. Instead of deep conditioning for an hour or two before I wash my hair, I might leave some shea butter or coconut oil in my hair overnight. I’ll wrap a plastic bag or an unlined plastic cap over my head, drape a towel over my pillow, and sleep on my deep conditioner overnight for extra conditioning.

What techniques do you use to transition your hair between seasons? Have you tried out any of these tricks and how do you like them? Sound off in the comments below, and get a head start on your fall curly hair regimen by checking out these fall curly hair sales!

IMAGE BY Karston Tannis for The Curl Revolution

If you have thick or dense curly hair, then chances are high you’ve been asked by a hair stylist whether you would like to thin out your hair. For stylists not particularly familiar with textured or curly hair, pulling out the thinning shears may seem like the fastest and easiest solution. But curly and wavy hair doesn’t really respond to thinning the same way that straight hair does. I chatted with Aylah Mayim, lead stylist and curly hair specialist at Ceremony Salon in Carrboro, North Carolina about different thinning techniques for curly hair. If you’re considering thinning out your curly hair, here is what you should consider first.

Why do you want to thin your hair?

Mayim recommends talking to your stylist about what has driven you to consider thinning out your hair, and be specific. Does your hair just feel unmanageable? Does it feel heavy? Do you feel like your curls are buried or being weighed down? You might not need to thin out your hair at all. A curly hair stylist might talk to you about introducing carefully placed layers to shape your curls or she might suggest an undercut. Another possibility is that she’ll recommend a moisturizing and styling product shake-up.

Find a stylist who has mastered several thinning techniques

If you and your stylist decide that thinning is indeed the best way forward, I recommend shopping for a stylist who has mastered more techniques than just the thinning shears! Mayim doesn’t often reach for the thinning shears when working with curly hair because this technique has a tendency to “fuzz out” curly hair, she says. But she does use slicing, carving, and notching techniques to systematically remove weight from the hair, depending on need.

Talk to your stylist about which thinning techniques suit your specific needs

Aylah is specific about which thinning techniques she’ll use to respond to different needs, hair textures, and curl patterns. For instance, she’s more likely to use carving for stronger textures with bigger waves; and she’ll use slicing on curly hair that’s weighing itself down.

Embrace your volume and curl pattern, and find a styist who does, too!

I’ve been to my share of stylists who have defaulted to a thinning technique because they’re intimated by the volume of my hair. But I’m not! I embrace the density of my curls and the volume of my hair. I even love the frizz!

Make sure you find a stylist who shares your vision and love for your curly hair, and who wants to use thinning techniques to enhance your curl pattern and flatter your style. Thinning techniques are a powerful tool for emphasizing your curl pattern and hair texture. Try to think of them as curl-boosting instead of curl-minimizing.

If you need more tips for talking to stylists, check out this article about getting what you want from your stylist.

We all have our curly haircut nightmare stories. Sometimes, no matter how prepared we are, we just end up with an unflattering haircut that takes us months or years to grow out entirely. I grew up curly-haired and mixed race in the ‘90s, which made it especially difficult for me to find a hair stylist who understood my texture and who encouraged my curls.

Long story short, I quickly gave up on professional haircuts, bought a pair of shaping scissors, and started cutting my hair myself. Here are some of the rules I follow when I’m trimming my own hair. But remember, cutting your own hair is very complicated and risky. We aren’t professional but hair stylists are. Proceed with caution, and if you feel at all nervous, then please don’t try this at home.

I Cut My Hair Dry

Many of us have had the dreaded “shelves” effect when we’ve had our hair cut professionally, where different hair textures simply won’t layer as nicely dry as they did wet. To avoid this, I cut my hair when it’s dry, and it’s when it’s at that point in the week that I feel my curl pattern is at its most natural. Personally, my curl pattern is different across my head. The curls at the nape of my neck are the least tight, whereas the curls at my crown tend to spring up very very easily.

Knowing this about my curl pattern allows me to shape my hair as I trim much more effectively. I can be more liberal with the curls nearer my neck, whereas I’m much more cautious with the curls as I approach the top of my head, knowing that after I’ve washed and dried my hair again next week, they’ll spring up shorter than I might have anticipated.

I “Prune” Instead of “Chop”

Since I’m cutting my hair on my own, unprofessionally and often with the assistance of a mirror, I only ever trim mere centimeters off my hair at a time, only pruning certain areas instead of giving myself an overall cut. Moreover, I’m as patient as possible, knowing that after I’ve washed and dried my hair at the end of the week, the curls I’ve just trimmed will spring up shorter without the added weight I’ve trimmed off. In other words, the shape of my curls just after I’ve cut them will be different from the shape after I’ve washed later that week.

I really think of cutting my own hair as pruning a bonsai tree. I prune very modestly, instead of excessively. And I’m very patient, trimming and waiting to see how that little change affects the whole.

I Cut Individual Curls instead of Sections

The DevaCurl DevaCut technique, which I have of course never been trained in, nonetheless helped me learn how to cut my own hair. The DevaCut technique sculpts curly hair by cutting curl by curl. This technique helps to avoid the dreaded hair-triangle that can easily happen when curly hair is cut straight and blunt. Instead, by cutting curl by curl, I let my individual curls nest together and then examine the shape they’re creating.

Cutting your own hair is really tricky, and takes a lot of guts. I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone. But eventually, I started to feel as though I knew the intricacies of my particular hair pattern better than anyone. I felt as though the shape I wanted to achieve was something I couldn’t find a reference picture for and that I needed to accomplish myself. And I felt also that most hair stylists wanted to discourse the density, volume, and frizz that I actually really wanted to encourage in my hair. If this sounds like your mirror image, I hope these three principles I follow will be of use to you. And remember: (trimming”> less is more!

Read more

Here’s a step-by-step tutorial of a stylist giving her hair a “dusting” trim. Before & After: I Got a Deva Cut

It’s challenging finding flattering hairstyles for my type 3 curly hair. I’ve mostly worn my hair down and unadorned for the last decade. But recently, I’ve been curious to see if the curly community has come up with any solutions to the simple challenges of wearing your hair in a ponytail for type 3 hair in particular. And I was delighted to discover that a solution seemed to exist in the PuffCuff.

I’ve often casually gathered my hair into a ponytail with my hand and loved how it looked but hated it once I actually wrapped a scrunchy around it. All of the volume in my hair gets pinched away by the scrunchy and I end the day with a headache and a kink in my curly hair that I can’t really get rid of until I washed my hair again. The PuffCuff seemed like it could avoid some of these problems by creating a looser and funkier ponytail.

If you didn’t know, the PuffCuff is a lot like the banana clip, except it’s shaped like a circle instead of a banana. Instead of cinching your hair with an elastic band, your curly hair actually holds the PuffCuff in place. They come in a variety of sizes that you can experiment with for different curly hair patterns, hair lengths, and hairstyles. The 5 inch “Original” PuffCuff is their largest size. Then comes the 3 inch “Junior” PuffCuff, their “Mini” 2.5-inch sizes, and finally the 1.5 inch “Micro” sizes.

How I Use It

To use the PuffCuff on my type 3 chin/shoulder-length hair, I gather my hair in a ponytail first with my hand. I then unclasp my PuffCuff, place it around my ponytail, and re-clamp it. If you don’t think you can do this one-handed, then use a scrunchy or elastic band to secure your ponytail. After the PuffCuff is clasped, I like to grab half of my ponytail with one hand and the other half with the other, and then pull these apart. When I do this, I’m essentially pulling more hair into the ponytail, and wrapping it out and over the PuffCuff teeth. This ensures I’m both getting the most volume in my ponytail and securing the PuffCuff carefully.

Since my hair is on the shorter side, I need to be a bit inventive with hair pins to keep shorter strands of hair from falling down. I fluff up my pony or even pick it out to get optimal volume. The PuffCuff should be totally invisible!

Playing With PuffCuff Sizes

The “Original”

I think that the PuffCuff “Original,” which is their largest size, is ideally suited to type 4 curly hair, or shorter type 3 hair. My chin length type 3 hair simply flops around in this much larger size and doesn’t look like a ponytail, nor does it retain any kind of shape that I like. Unfortunately, I don’t anticipate getting much use out of the “Original” unless I have a dramatic hair chop and want to experiment with shorter hairstyles.

The “Junior”

This is my favorite PuffCuff size and I usually wear it a few times a week. This looks like a nice, loose, voluminous ponytail on me. The base of this is perfect for counteracting everything I hate about a traditional ponytail with a scrunchy. Scrunchies make my hair too tight and kill all of the volume I love in my hair. My ponytail ends up droopy and floppy and not fun. With the “Junior,” I ended up with a nice little bunny tail ponytail, which is exactly what I want out of a ponytail but simply can’t achieve with a scrunchy.

The “Mini”

I don’t gravitate to the “Mini” PuffCuff size for a ponytail, but it still works well for my type 3 hair. I suspect this size will be ideally suited to Type 2 and Type 3 hair, especially if you’re worried about whether you have enough hair volume to fill out a “Junior” size.

The “Micro”

I would only recommend this size if you’re hoping to create two or more ponytails, or if you suspect you lack the hair volume to fill out the “Junior” or even the “Mini.” This size is ideally suited for children’s hair as well.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoy my “Junior” sized PuffCuff. It solves all of the problems I’ve encountered when trying to create ponytails with scrunchies or elastic bands. Scrunchies and elastic bands create really tight ponytails without much volume in the pony itself. I really love how the “Junior”‘s wider base makes my pony really voluminous and funky. Because it isn’t as tight a fit as a scrunchy or elastic band, the hair not gathered into the ponytail is looser and has more volume as well. I can keep my bangs down, and keep tendrils down around my ears, and end up with a looser and more romantic ponytail that still stays in place all day.

I found it really challenging determining what size was best suited for me before purchasing, so I hope this guide is helpful to some of you out there with the same questions!

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It takes me a long time, and many steps, to wash and dry my mixed race type 3 hair. And since washing your hair is actually quite traumatic, I’ve developed strategies, over the years, to avoid washing my hair more than once a week. My ultimate goal is to achieve wake up and go curly hair – a daily regimen that is under 10 minutes (preferably under 5!”>. From one Type 3 to another, here are my seven day strategies to having wake up and go hair between shampoos.

Day 1: Wash Day

I’m ashamed to admit that this is always my least favorite hair day. My hair is at its most moisturized, but also at its heaviest and least lively. I make sure my hair isn’t saturated with product – which could suffocate my curl pattern – but I also strive to leave enough product in to last a week of sleeping and environmental stress. If I do this, I end up with my best hair day at the mid-point of the week. To make sure my hair lasts the week, I make sure to pineapple and pin up loose strands, and wear a satin night cap!

Prep Time: 1 minute

Prep Tools

• Pineappling and night cap
• Shower cap

Day 2: Great Hair Day

A day of air drying and humidity restores some the volume and wildness that I love so much about type 3 hair. To expedite the process, I use an Afro pick in the morning at my roots, concentrated around my hair part and bangs, and lightly throughout the rest of my hair to give it a little zhuzh!

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Prep Tools

• Afro pick
• Pineappling and night cap
• Shower cap

Day 3 and 4: Greatest Hair Days

These are my two easiest days of the hair week where I can truly wake up and go with almost no intervention. I wake up, take off my night cap, untousle my pineappling, shake my hair up with my hands, and I’m ready to go. No frizz, better volume, and not much more to do. The extra product has soaked in or rubbed off at this point, and atmospheric humidity has restored my hair to my preferred volume.

Prep Time: 1 minute

Prep Tools:

• Pineappling and night cap
• Shower cap

Day 5: Minor Curl Management

By day 5, some wear and tear is starting to show. The curls in the hair at the nape of my neck are starting to elongate a bit – but not noticeably, I know that at this phase, only my perceptive eye can spot these little details. A few curls in well-known tricky spots – for me, at the crown of my head and along my hair line – have exploded into little balls of frizz. After tousling up my hair, only minor curl management is necessary. I grab my Curl Reviving Tonic, spritz those curls, reform them and twist them with my fingers, and let them dry back into fully formed curls.

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Prep Tools:

• Pineappling and night cap
• Shower cap
• Individual curl resuscitation with Alaffia Beautiful Curls Curl Reviving Tonic

Day 6 and 7

By days 6 and 7, my hair has gained a more volume but is also becoming a bit drier and frizzier. My curl pattern is less consistent and orderly, and is a bit wilder. Personally, I really enjoy my hair at this stage – I feel it matches my personality the best – and tend to get the most compliments from strangers at the end of the week. Though my hair is the least moisturized and tame at this stage, my hair cut still has its shape and my curl pattern is still in tact because I’ve been so careful with sleeping and showering be-capped over the course of the week.

But I also still want to feel comfortable and coiffed. At this stage, I have to pull out a few more stops in the morning to become happy with my hair. I can’t just tousle my hair and go. I need to start with very light and non-invasive finger combing to separate some of my curls back out. I might resuscitate a few curls around my hair line or crown individually, if needed. If I want to keep my hair down, I might whip out my Q-Redew at this stage post-finger combing to restore my curl pattern and cut shape. Or I can skip the Q-Redew and pull my hair back into a ponytail using a PuffCuff and then pick out the pony.

Prep Time: 5-8 minutes

Prep Tools:

• Pineappling and night cap
• Shower cap
• Finger combing
• Individual curl resuscitation with Alaffia Beautiful Curls Curl Reviving Tonic
• PuffCuff and Picking
• Q-Redew

And that’s it! My style lasts throughout the week thanks to various techniques and methods of preserving my curls.

How do you keep your hair intact?

Share your thoughts with us in the comments!

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I can still remember the first time I fangirled over someone else’s curly hair and asked what products they used. She said she used a cocktail. I knew I had work to do to develop my own cocktail or products and strategies for washing and drying my multicultural type 3 hair. Over time and lots of product testing, I think I found a solid regimen. Curious as to how I manage my Type 3 multicultural hair? Check out my curly cocktail faves below!

Deep Conditioning Hair and Scalp

I wash my hair about once a week. Every couple of weeks, when I have time, I give my hair a real treat by deep conditioning it either overnight or for a few hours with coconut oil. I’ll often dribble some oil into my scalp and massage it in so that everyone is happy. In a more luxurious time of my life, I was deep conditioning overnight weekly. But eventually, I found that my hair became a bit limp and oversaturated with product. Once every couple of weeks has worked perfectly for me since!

Washing and Accessories

I’ve traveled the spectrum of different no-poo and low-poo shampoos and spent several years using the famous DevaCurl system. Though it had a wonderful effect on my hair texture, I found that over time, the product was really building up and making my hair heavy and limp. I’ve found that Aveda’s Scalp Benefits Balancing Shampoo is the perfect solution for my hair texture, and eradicates build up while also providing lots of moisture. It certainly lists sulfates on the ingredients list, but they follow a really long list of nourishing and calming extracts.

Conditioning

My favorite company for conditioning products is SheaMoisture. Though their name, and their brand, is founded on their use of shea as an ingredient, I’ve noticed that most of their conditioners feature coconut oil as a top ingredient. And I’m relieved. The BeautyBrains‘ assiduous research and my personal experience have convinced me that coconut oil should be dominant in most of my hair products.

Leave-In Conditioners

Like most curlies out there, I apply my leave-in conditioner before any hair oils or gel. I absolutely swear by Qhemet products and find that their Burdock Root Butter Cream has dramatically changed my hair’s manageability over time. It’s a light product that absorbs seamlessly into my hair – one of the only leave-in conditioners I’ve used that leaves no residue but still moisturizes. I apply it directly out of the shower and let it soak into my hair for five or six minutes before touching my hair again.

Oils and Gels

After a few minutes, I dive back into my hair with a cocktail of oils and gels. I try to hit all the renowned HG oils for curlies out there – shea, castor oil, and moringa. I haven’t been able to find a product that uses all of them without featuring too many fillers so I mix together my Qhemet Castor & Moringa Softening Serum with my SheaMoisture 100% Pure Shea Oil. I only apply a couple drops of either and work it carefully into my hair to make sure I don’t leave my hair oily and dampen my curls from springing up as my hair dries.

I’ve moved away from wearing heavier gels in my hair. Personally, I like for my curls to be fluffy and even a little frizzy, and I can easily touch up my hair throughout the week in any case. So all I wear for hair gel is Uncle Funky’s Daughter Curly Magic Curl Stimulator. It lists aloe vera juice and marshmallow extract as its top two ingredients, which provides my hair a natural (literally!!”>, but very light, hold. It also leaves me with the satisfaction that everything I’ve used in my hair is moisturizing – no styling products that are strongarming my hair into hold!

Microfiber Scrunching

On a whim, I decided to buy DevaCurl DevaGloves – microfiber gloves that briefly turn you into Minnie Mouse. Microfiber towels are great for hair of all types and help to dry curly hair without leading to breakage or frizz. I put these on and scrunch my hair in sections, holding my hair in a scrunch for half a minute rather than scrunching rapidly (rapid scrunching with microfiber gloves leads to massive frizz!”>. I’ve found that by using this, my hair hangs together in larger ringlets. It’s worth a try if you want to encourage slightly chunkier curl formation!

Diffuser and Blow Dryer

Before blow drying my hair with a diffuser, I always spray on a heat protectant, like the classic TRESemmé Heat Tamer. I recently migrated from a hair dryer and diffuser with ultra-long prongs to a diffuser with a wider base and lower prongs. I found that the former encouraged really tight and frizz-free but limp curls, whereas the latter gives me a lot more volume. I’m careful and gentle with my blow dryer, using a medium heat and low speed for the majority of my hair drying process, and only cranking up the heat and speed at the very end when I hold the blow dryer further away and hand scrunch my hair. I dry my hair to almost completely dry and tousle it lightly over the next hour to encourage root volume and let my curl pattern nest naturally.

How do you curly cocktail? What are some of your faves?

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Curly hair loves moisture, and there are so many ways to deliver it. Oils, leave-in conditioners, hair masks, hair tools, and even some old tried, tested, and true measures to keep your hair moisturized and healthy between washes. Here are my top 10 favorite products and techniques that I use to keep my hair moisturized.

Lighter Conditioners

Qhemet Burdock Root Butter Cream

I’m on my second jar of this product – the only leave-in conditioner that I’ve ever finished and replaced. It has single-handedly transformed my hair. Dryer areas in my hair aren’t the problem they once were, and my hair stays moisturized for days and days. This product is affordable and boasts a short and natural ingredients list topped by burdock root, nettle leaf, and olive oil.

Miss Jessie’s Pillow Soft Curls

If you’re looking for something lighter, Pillow Soft Curls is still moisturizing but it promises (and delivers!”> fluffy, soft curls. Though the fragrance isn’t for everyone, I personally love the fabric softener aroma.

Palmer’s Coconut Oil Formula Replenishing Hair Milk (Hair Milk Smoothie”>

Palmer’s is my favorite drugstore option for moisturizing any part of my body, including my hair. Their newer line hops on the coconut oil bandwagon, with an ingredients list topped by shea butter and castor oil, with coconut oil and coconut fruit extract a bit further down. It, of course, smells amazing.

Alaffia Beautiful Curls Curl Reviving Tonic

This is my go-to curl re-setting option during the week, to re-twist any frizzies that might have developed back into individual curls or to give my whole head of hair a little boost. Stocked at Whole Foods, which is fastidious about vetting its natural cosmetics brands, the ingredients list is drool-worthy: shea butter and coconut oil suspended in a base of calendula water and aloe vera gel.

Heavier Conditioners

Shea Moisture’s 100% Pure Oils

SheaMoisture’s suite of pure oils for body and hair are really exciting and affordable. And several items in their line are cult favorites of curlies of all types, including shea oil, Jamaican black castor oil, argan oil, and monoi oil.

Qhemet Aethiopika Hydrate & Twist Butter

I’ve discovered a second use for this styling butter! I use it on difficult strands that have been damaged by the elements to give them an extra moisture boost. This simple and moisture rich product (olive oil, mango butter, plant wax”> is the best I’ve found to keep those dryer areas moisturized and content between washes.

Masks and Treatments

Q-Redew

Q-Redew is a strange but amazing contraption. Part clothes steamer, part diffuser, curlies can use it as a detangler, as a curl stretcher, or to revive limp curls and add volume. I tend to reach for it in that last day or two before I wash my hair as a mid-week conditioning treatment.

Coconut Oil (hair mask”>

The cosmetic scientists from The Beauty Brains show that coconut oil is one of the rare oils on the market that actually penetrates hair, in an overnight deep condition. I gravitate to cosmetic grade, rather than food grade, coconut oil, like SheaMoisture’s 100% Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, or if you’re feeling really fancy, Kopari’s Organic Coconut Melt.

Preventative Measures

Night Cap

Adding moisture to your hair is only one piece of the puzzle. Preventing moisture loss is just as important! I wear a satin night cap to bed every evening to avoid the friction of my cotton pillow, which can draw moisture from your hair. If a night cap isn’t for you, consider a silk or satin pillowcase.

Pineappling

Protect the delicate crown area of your hair, which is constantly exposed to the elements, by gathering your hair in a loose, high ponytail at night. Your crown will be surrounded by a comforting cocoon of the healthier parts of your hair. Not only will it keep your curls full and bouncy from day to day – it will also help keep your crown moisturized.

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Photos by Edzar

Have you been thinking of cutting your type 3 hair short? Maybe you’ve even taken a gander at my take on the pros (and cons”> of short 3 hair and feel ready to take the plunge. But before you head for the salon the chop, there are 3 things that you should prepare in advance. Remember, curly hair takes a long time to grow, so don’t hesitate to take your time prepping for your haircut.

Gather Type 3 Haircut Reference Photos

You’ve definitely heard this before: reference photos are so important if you’re getting your hair cut at any length. But for short haircuts, they’re absolutely vital. The subtlest differences in length, shape, and layers can have a huge impact on how your hair looks and suits your style and face. Shop around on the internet for reference photos that really appeal to you. And keep in mind that many of your favorite celebrities or Instagram beauty stars may not be showing you their wash and go hair! For wash and go styles, NaturallyCurly’s built-in community of curlies could be a great resource. Check out the StyleNook and try filtering by your hair type. Here are 18 sexy short cuts we love for more inspiration.

Bring in several reference photos with you. Your hair stylist will be an expert at picking out the common elements in each photo and it will help them to understand what, precisely, you like about all of them and want replicated on your head.

Analyze Your Reference Photos

When your hair stylist looks at the reference photos you bring in, they’ll scan them for commonalities: Are all of your photos pixie cuts? Are they all bobs? Are there layers? Where do the layers start? Where is the hair widest in the haircut silhouette?. You can do some of this work yourself before you sit down for a consultation. You might want to start by looking up some of hair stylist vocabulary online yourself. Gather together all the photos you selected and while you’re looking at them consider:

• Were you actually just drooling after the hair texture or type of the photo’s model? Maybe even the hair color or the highlighting? If so, maybe you didn’t like the hair cut as much as the hair color/texture. It might not be the best reference photo.
• Where is the weight line in each of the photos you assembled? Examine the silhouette of the hair cut and identify where the hair is at its most voluminous. Where, on the face, does this weight line fall? You might find that when you look across all your reference photos, you picked pictures where the weight lines were all at the chin (like a bob”>, or much higher on the head near the eyebrows or forehead (like a pixie”>. Try using this term when you talk to your hair cutter to tell them where, ideally, you want the weight line of your hair to fall in relation to your face.

Shop for a Hair Cutter and Salon

Feel free to shop around your area for a hair cutter and a salon that caters to curly hair. Research is key! Use Yelp reviews, Google reviews, and of course, NaturallyCurly’s Salon Finder to locate curly hair stylists in your area. And don’t hesitate to stop curlies in the street to ask where they’re getting their hair done.

Consider the many ways one can cut curly hair. There’s the standard wet cut, the dry cut, and the Ouidad “carve and slice” technique. Some salons that use dry cutting techniques will even have you return after washing your hair for a touch up!

Once you’ve identified salons that interest you, call ahead and find out who their curly hair specialists are and what techniques they use. And if it seems like a fit, schedule a consultation.

Consultations are No-Commitment!

I’ve gone to many a consultation and ended up sitting down for my hair cut right then and there, even if I wasn’t comfortable with my hair stylist nor confident that they could give me what I wanted. That consultation chair can feel like a pressure cooker, and you might be too polite or afraid to get up and leave if you feel hesitant. But a short hair cut is a huge commitment. You should interview a few hair stylists before settling on the one who understands your hair and your desires the best.

Start your consultation by saying that you don’t intend to have your hair cut today. Hey, if you need to, say you have a prior engagement in a half hour! Give yourself time to think before you take the plunge with a hair stylist.

If You Can’t Find a Fit…Wait

I can’t say this enough: a short type 3 hair cut can take over a year to grow back to shoulder length. If you aren’t entirely happy with your reference photos, and if none of the hair stylists you’ve interviewed are really vibing with you or your hair texture, then don’t hesitate to wait it out until the right fit comes along. There are plenty of beautiful, long curly hair styles you can rock in the meanwhile until you find that perfect fit!

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It took me a long time to discover that my hair is curly, and even longer to style it curly every day. You see, I’m mixed race—my father is white and Dutch, and my mother is black and from St. Kitts—and every member of my family has different hair textures. My Dad has smooth, Caucasian hair that he has to wash every day. My sister has light brown 2a hair that she can easily style from straight to wavy to curly. I have 3b/c hair and my Mom’s curl pattern is a bit of a mystery but it would probably be 4a or 4b. We run the entire spectrum from smooth to textured, wavy to coily, and curl-shy to curl-happy.

Growing up, my mom always tied mine and my sister’s hair back into pony tails, carefully smoothing it down and stretching it out. I grew up with what I now recognize as a full-bodied mane, but at the time, I hated my hair. Girls around me whose hair was already stick straight shared horror stories of pressing their hair in the laundry room with clothing irons, and it was virtually impossible to find curly inspiration in magazines, on t.v., or anywhere. My mother firmly forbade chemical relaxing as an option, so I longed for the day when I would know how to blow dry and straighten my hair—something which I’ve still only done a handful of times in my life.

I embraced my curls almost entirely by accident.

First, I had to suffer through braces and puberty combined with my hair in a perpetual ponytail, and often hidden under a hat, going from misunderstood haircut to misunderstood haircut (I still have nightmares of hairdressers pawing at my hair with disgust and telling me there was really nothing they could do with it”>. Finally, as a high school junior, I begged my Mom to cut my hair short. I was convinced that only then would I actually have the time to properly straighten my hair on a daily basis. And after some effort, she conceded. We cut my hair short, I straightened it for a week, and then I got lazy and gave up.

You see, though I was too shy and scared to try to style my hair curly myself, and had no one who could show me, I had been accumulating research on how to achieve the gorgeous, voluminous, defined curls that I sometimes spotted in my community. But having never let my hair dry naturally, I really had no idea what my hair texture was, and growing up in the ’90s, it was hard for me to imagine that it could be curly. The occasional hair inspiration I spotted stuck with me. I knew from this spotty research, that scrunching was vital, as was a customized arsenal of hair products. And I already knew from my lifetime of black hair care that conditioning deep conditioning and leave-in conditioner were not optional.

Fed up with straightening my newly short hair and curious to put these nuggets of wisdom to the test, I nurtured my hair to its natural texture for the first time at the age of 17.

Curly haired Kathryn was born.

I was so surprised to discover that I was capable of creating curls and coils. From that point onwards, I struggled to find products and haircut inspiration in a world not particularly interested in a diversity of curl patterns, with NaturallyCurly.com as the only exception. Here, I eventually discovered no-poo shampoo, having one’s curly hair dry cut, and pineappling my hair—hacks that are still staples in my curly hair regimen.

The landscape for curly girl support has since entirely changed, and so has my approach to my hair. I often think of my hair as a kind of bonsai tree. I meditatively observe it, I carefully prune it (yes, I cut my hair myself”>, and I observe how it reacts to different moods and environmental conditions. I’ve learned how my hair acts in cold Canadian winters, humid Carolina summers, and in the hard-calcified water of Paris and London. I know the full arc of my hair texture from wash to wash, from first day to seventh day hair. And I have a much better sense of what kinds of ingredients my hair really loves and really hates. But I’m still not finished with this journey yet. I’m always looking to fine tune my hair drying and curl refreshing game, and to take my texture in all the directions that I want to, regardless of what’s trending. Next up on the curly hair journey? Experiments with afro picks.