Curly Care
the Curly Girl Way!
"My philosophy is, `Blow-dry straight, you're happy for a day; stay curly, you're happy for life.'"
-Lorraine Massey to The Toronto Star
So how does a Curly Girl care for her curls? Lorraine Massey's curly care principles include:
- don't use shampoo (except if you're a wavy girl, and then only a little bit once a week)
- never blow-dry your hair (unless you use a diffuser)
- never comb your hair
- use lots and lots of conditioner
Curls needs lots of moisture (think conditioner) to maintain their curl. But the main ingredient in most shampoos is a harsh detergent (such as sodium laurel sulfate, ammonium laureth sulfate, or sodium laureth sulfate), which dries out your curls (making them frizzy to boot!).
As Lorraine Massey told New York Times, "The curly-haired can leave their hair hydrated with natural oils and clean their scalps quite well by rinsing only with hair conditioner once a week or less. Rubbing the scalp firmly with fingers is enough to loosen dirt."
The Basic Steps of Curly Care
- Step under the "waterfall" of your shower and rinse your curls well (but don't touch them!).
- Once-a-week Cleansing Step: Using your fingertips and a bit of conditioner (gentle shampoo if you're a wavy girl), gently rub your entire scalp. Rinse well.
- Gently but generously and evenly distribute conditioner through your curls. Wavy Girls, rinse well. Botticelli Curly Girls, rinse 'til your curls feel right. Corkscrew Curly Girls, rinse for just a second. (Rinse with cold water to "seal" the hair shaft.)
- Use your towel to "scrunch-dry" your curls, gently scrunching towards your head.
- Spread a small amount of gel over your palms and scrunch your curls in an accordion motion. Repeat until all your curls have been scrunched (scrunching the canopy last), but don't over-gel!
- Use claw clips to arrange and style your curls (click here to see examples), twisting any last curls into place. Then don't touch your hair while it dries! (Use a diffuser on the coolest, lowest setting if you must speed the process.)
- Bend over and shake your dried curls to give them more volume. Enjoy your soft, springy curls!
Extra Tips
- Thin your conditioner by adding water to the bottle and shaking well, in order to allow for a more even distribution of the conditioner throughout your hair with less to rinse out.
- Blondes, mix lemon juice with your conditioner to eliminate product buildup and discoloration of your hair.
- Use a mustard-like squeeze bottle with nozzle to cleanse or treat your roots only.
- Use cold water, especially on the last rinse, to “seal” the hair (hot water strips the natural oils that protect your hair).
- Hang in there for at least three weeks. You may have to wean yourself off shampoo gradually, as it takes a bit for your scalp to adjust, so shampoo a bit if you must, but don’t give up yet! Curly hair is happy hair!
"it's more than just hair...it's an attitude!" -lorraine massey
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