Curl Whirl

So I've spent the past month with Pureology's Precious Oil, Versatile Caring Oil. It's seriously the lightest serum in the world. I could barely hold it in my hands without it dripping. It had the consistency of water but the application feel of oil. I had to completely coat my hair in it to see any real frizz-fight. When I was applying the product I was doubtful it would work, but in conjunction with all of my other products I've been frizz free all month long. It's interesting because you don't see any real effect when you first apply the product. Throughout the day though regardless of weather my hair stayed smooth (or as smooth as girls can get anyways).

Curly Concoction - I'm trying out different combos that avoid harsh gels and mousse-  but its especially hard to fight frizz and dryness with summer heat. To compensate I've made sure to use a ton of moisturizing and conditioning products. Today I gave It's a 10 Miracle Leave in and the new Pravana spray leave in. I'm loving the Pravana spray, super easy to use nozzle and the formula is light but effective!

For years I've been watching straight haired girls take their pony tails up a notch by curling the entire tail. I always wanted to do it but couldn't bear to take all the effort I put into straightening my hair, and throw it away with one simple twirl of a curling iron. Today I was off to watch fireworks for the fourth of July and threw my hair into a quick side pony with a little TIGI catwalk hair spray. I was twirling my hair for a while ( habit that I have to cut, because everytime you touch curls they just get bigger and bigger) and to my surprise I found that I had created that perfect one spiral pony. I'm not sure if it's the hair spray that kept my hair from frizzing out or the salt water I spent the day swimming in - but I couldn't be more excited. This simple twist of my fingers took my hair from frizzy and feisty to neat and polished.

I'm completely obsessed with Lisa Kudrow's hair in the opening credits.

What I discovered is that for some curly girls (unfortunately not myself) you don't need to straighten and then curl. If you've got type a curls - and sometimes even type b, you can just go straight through with the curling iron. I thought it was pretty amazing.

My hair's been feeling really dried out lately, and even after I've deep conditioned like crazy it didn't seem to help. So I did a little digging and spoke to Michelle, and what I found is that the two best products for curly hair hold - gel and mousse - are actually the worst for curly hair, because they dry it out (it's all the alcohols). So today I tried out a concoction without either, we'll see how it goes.

I've had my CHI straightener for forever - our relationship is to the point where I can call her "old reliable." So I'm reluctant to ever let her go. It's such a great tool - and they just don't make straighteners like it anymore (it's the Chi Turbo). However I do have a habit of hoarding old hair tools, and when I got my hands on this new one I just had to give it a try. Meet the SLEEKR by Sam Villa and Redken. It costs a pretty penny ($250) - but it's one beautiful tool. The Sleekr features rounded hot plates which prevent your hair from getting stuck. It's heat settings range from high to low like your typical hot tool, but it also has a special setting for color treated hair. Plus it glows different colors based on the heat setting (which I just enjoy for my own personal amusement). Overall its really a great straightener, I only had to do one or two passes over my curls to get them pin straight (and this is with letting my hair dry on its own naturally, I just took the straightener to my curls, no pre - prep). I'd definitely recommend it, not to mention it's just nice to look at on my bathroom countertop.

A newer product is It's a 10 Miracle Oil plus keratin. This formula is a bit thicker, but also leaves your hair super soft and shiny. It's also got the keratin in it, which helps keep your hair strong.

It's always best to wait to wash your hair, but sometimes your hair just feels gross. It gets oily and your scalp will to start to itch- but if you keep shampooing you'll just strip your hair. Plus you put all that work into blowing out your hair just to wash it right away - such a waste. Or not, if you're willing to use dry shampoo. I've had mixed experiences with it. The aersol spray powder leaves white marks in my hair if its too concentrated and it stands out because my hair is super dark. The foam doesn't work - it just makes my hair wet, and then re-curl essentially killing my blowout. You've got to be careful and make sure you spray lightly between layers, and that you comb it through so that you don't end up with build up. A great drugstore option is TreSemme - the aerosol version. It's super cheap and does the job. If you're willing to pay more - Rene Furter has an awesome formula that doesn't gunk up as much. But there's a new product with a competitive edge from Keratin Complex - the dry shampoo is color tinted (available in blonde and brunette). So even if you put in a lot, you can't tell because the color matches your hair. No embarrassing white spots. The applicator is a kabuki brush which isn't exactly traditional, but it works pretty well. If you want to use something a little more natural, straight up baby powder will do the trick. Yes, I'm serious. Baby powder removes excess oil and dirt from your hair. You just need to be careful with the fine hairs that frame your face because the powder clings to them and its hard to work the powder through super fine hair. Baby powder also doubles as a volumizer if you've got thin hair. Who knew right?

Hair is essentially dead protein cells that your body is looking to expel. Since the cells are no longer living they're very easily damaged and as such need to be treated with care. One of the best ways of treating already damaged hair is through split end treatments (see an earlier post for my recommendations). However, you can also take steps to prevent damage in the first place to help your hair grow long and strong. Here are some common mistakes all girls make when working with their hair: 1. Towel Drying - using a terrycloth towel to towel dry your hair is extremely damaging to the hair shaft. Plus the friction from rubbing your hair amongst the fabric creates a lot of frizz, and wrapping long hair into a towel turban just creates knots. Instead of towel drying - dry your hair with an old cotton tee shirt - or simply use your terry cloth towel to blot your hair. Don't rub just squeeze! 2. Hairbrushes, everyone's got them so everyone thinks what's the harm? Truth is hair brushes actually create split ends, they're to blunt for the hair shaft to handle - especially if you're like me and just rip through your knots. Instead try a wide tooth comb and take your time when combing out your hair - its best to brush it when its wet and in the shower, or right when you get out, so it doesn't have a chance to tangle. If you're patient enough steer clear of a comb too and simply use your fingers to untangle your locks, its the least damaging because its the least forceful. 3. Over-shampooing - shampoo is actually REALLY bad for your hair, the cleansing process strips the follicle of its natural oils and causes it to dry out faster leaving your hair with a lackluster look. To avoid this try washing your hair once every two to three days - the longer you can go without shampoo the better. Also try to use sulfate free shampoos, a great option for Curly Girls is the DevaCurl line of products (particularly the no-poo). I'll cover those products in a future post, but essentially what's great about that shampoo is that it doesn't have detergent (yes I mean like laundry detergent). This common shampoo ingredient does the most damage to your hair, but it can be difficult for some to use a detergent free shampoo because it doesn't provide the sud-sing effect that makes people believe their hair is clean. If you're not addicted to bubbles I strongly recommend using that kind of product regardless of your hair texture!

Leave in treatments, are to curly hair, as air is to your body; a complete and utter necessity. If there is one thing curls thrive on its moisture, I mean come on you see what your hair does in the humidity! There are dozens of options available, and I've tried at least a thousand. Here's a few of my favorites for your ultimate reference. To the left Moroccan Oil - it is to die for. Super thick formula that smells great (like a tropical island) and really leaves your hair feeling smooth after a short 10 minutes treatment. It's one of the best products for keeping your hair feeling super soft. It's quick easy and the tub lasts a while, unfortunately it is expensive. Don't get me wrong most hair masques will cost you a pretty penny, but this one certainly isn't cheap. Another great option is by It's a 10. It also has a super thick formula, and is a 10 minute apply and rinse out treatment. This is the first hair mask I ever tried, it smells delightful too, and definitely will aid with pesky split ends that have already formed. It's also great to just leave in. Sometimes I don't rinse it out and the great thing about it is there's no flaky residue from it. It simply leaves my hair silky and smooth. If you're looking for a product to repair your split ends Joico has the ultimate ticket. K-Pak reconstruct literally reconstructs your hair stand, I have absolutely no idea how, but it worked like a charm on my hair. Now keep in mind I used it with the matching shampoo, conditioner, and blowdryer, but still -it's a great product. My final product recommendation - is Nexxus' Promend Split End Remedy, I use it every day after I shower. It's a great treatment to prevent future split ends. Ever since I started using it I noticed that my hair would get less damaged each time I took a hot tool to it. I stopped using it for a while and the damage came back full force - I'm convinced this is my hair's current best medicine. Plus this one isn't that expensive!

The major reason I'm so strict about my haircuts is because my hair splits literally faster than it grows. I'd rather avoid crazy vitamin regimes to improve my hair health, so instead I stop my splits in their tracks and cut them right off. It's important though to never cut your ends themselves- and NEVER rip them off, it only makes the splits worse. I've got a horrible habit of ripping mine and its only hurt my hair, so I've tried to stick it out and just cut them off when they become unbearable between cuts. If you are going to cut your ends yourselves don't ever ever ever use regular scissors - promise me and your hair that you'll pick up some hair scissors from your local drug store. They're serrated, which allows them to simply snip off your end, whereas household scissors merely cause it to split further. In addition be sure to deep condition your hair between cuts - you can try products (I'll review some awesome treatments next week) or home made recipes.

Curly hair comes in many different textures and shapes - its unpredictable, and the shape can change on a day to day basis, and usually one curly day is never the same as the next. Generally speaking though all curls can be classified under a sort of "hair stereotype." NaturallyCurly.com is a FANTASTIC resource for curly girls, aside from astounding advice, it offers great visuals and explanations to find your hair type. You can find them here. Now not all curls will follow this mold, everyone's hair is unique, and weather has a huge effect on curls every day. However for the purpose of understanding what types of products/how much product to use, it often helps to label your locks. I'm a 3B/3C (similar to Ms. Nikki McCauley, but a tad less tame), so my hair resembles your average slinky, sometimes - what's your type?

This blog will serve to document the day to day behavior of curly hair. It will review products and techniques for styling, as well as how to manage curly hair in different types of weather. It will also talk about different styles and inspiration that can work for different types of curly hair. My goal for this blog is to make it a sort of reference for girls who don't know how to manage their crazy hair- I hope it will encourage girls to embrace their wild locks, instead of calm them down