I sold my GHD hair straighter on Facebook recently. Honestly I was glad to see the back of it. My family used to call me Shirly Temple after the ringletted child actresss when I was little. I was blessed with a mop of thick shiny ringlets.
After going blonde 4 years ago my curl structure was ruined. I felt the only way to avoid candyfloss hair was to get regular keratin blow-dries. The use of the straightener to do this treatment always resulted in a "thermal haircut" losing about an inch each time meaning my hair never really grew past my shoulders. I checked myself into hair rehab. My hair wasn't perfect within 30 days, but it was on the road to recovery. Here are my Steps for Curly Hair Rehab.
Step 1. We admitted we were powerless over our hair, that our curls had become unmanageable.
We admitted that we were powerless over heat. No more heat styling. I do make one exception to this as my preferred method of drying my hair lately is to take off my plopping cloth and turn the car heater on to blow gently at it as I drive to work in the morning. Best - curls - ever. Like a giant gentle hood dryer.
Step 2 Made a searching and fearless inventory of our bathroom shelf.
Shampoos with sulfates and conditioners with silicones are not curl friendly no matter what the expensive advert or bottle says. Dump them. Invest in some sulfate free shampoo, or better yet, co-wash, and some really excellent conditioners and masques that do not contain silicones. You do not need the chemical equivalent of dish washing liquid on your hair I promise. The products that worked well for me were OGX Nourishing Coconut Milk Shampoo and As I Am Coconut Cleansing Co-Wash for cleansing. Garnier Fructis Repair and Shine Conditioner deserves a special mention here as something I stumbled across which being both sulfate and silicone free makes the best co-wash (a conditioner with which you wash your hair) and also a sensational conditioner which is really cheap as chips. The clumping and curl definition I get with this as well as the gloss on my curls is really special. Speaking of conditioners that are reasonably priced and excellent for curly hair get over to Amazon and get yourself a tub of the very fabulous Cantu Shea Butter Deep Treatment Mask. Their curl creme is also my go to product for scrunching into my soaking wet curls after washing and before plopping. Rest assured that as someone who really does occasionally splurge on haircare with the premium brands, I keep coming back to these bargain basement basics because they work.
Step 3: Came to believe in a stylist who knew what they were doing and turned our hair over to a power greater than our last hair stylist.
A curly cut is non-negotiable in this process and it will probably involve a lengthy search for a curly hair specialist and a breakup with who ever has been butchering your bonce up to now. Curls need to be cut curly and one at a time and dry. Combing hair straight while wet and cutting it to hope it'll look ok when it dries curly is like rolling the ball on a roulette wheel as the curl shrinks and coils as it dries. This cutting method has left many curly heads nervous of the scissors when they ended up with hair several inches shorter than planned. Curl cutting specialists are becoming a thing. Find your curl sponsor. In the meantime, put down that nail scissors. I see you. You are no Vidal Sassoon.
Step 4: Made direct amends to our curls whereever possible
Stop treating your hair like it's straight. Wash it upside down, squeeze the curls into your scalp to rinse dont drag them down with your fingers. Naturallycurly.com was also the place I learned about plopping and pineappling. Not deviant sexual practices at all. Unfortunately. But great for encouraging the curl in your hair. Expiriment with products to see what works best for your curl type.
Step 5: Having had a curl re-awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other frizzies and to practice these principles in all our affairs. Be generous with the info that works for you. I'm forever giving my hairdressers telephone number and list of products to complete strangers who ask me how I keep my curls so bouncy. Hell I would come around to your house and show you how to do it if you asked me nicely and had cake.
Step 6: Enjoy your curls.
We admitted that we were powerless over heat. No more heat styling. I do make one exception to this as my preferred method of drying my hair lately is to take off my plopping cloth and turn the car heater on to blow gently at it as I drive to work in the morning. Best - curls - ever. Like a giant gentle hood dryer.
Step 2 Made a searching and fearless inventory of our bathroom shelf.
Shampoos with sulfates and conditioners with silicones are not curl friendly no matter what the expensive advert or bottle says. Dump them. Invest in some sulfate free shampoo, or better yet, co-wash, and some really excellent conditioners and masques that do not contain silicones. You do not need the chemical equivalent of dish washing liquid on your hair I promise. The products that worked well for me were OGX Nourishing Coconut Milk Shampoo and As I Am Coconut Cleansing Co-Wash for cleansing. Garnier Fructis Repair and Shine Conditioner deserves a special mention here as something I stumbled across which being both sulfate and silicone free makes the best co-wash (a conditioner with which you wash your hair) and also a sensational conditioner which is really cheap as chips. The clumping and curl definition I get with this as well as the gloss on my curls is really special. Speaking of conditioners that are reasonably priced and excellent for curly hair get over to Amazon and get yourself a tub of the very fabulous Cantu Shea Butter Deep Treatment Mask. Their curl creme is also my go to product for scrunching into my soaking wet curls after washing and before plopping. Rest assured that as someone who really does occasionally splurge on haircare with the premium brands, I keep coming back to these bargain basement basics because they work.
Step 3: Came to believe in a stylist who knew what they were doing and turned our hair over to a power greater than our last hair stylist.
A curly cut is non-negotiable in this process and it will probably involve a lengthy search for a curly hair specialist and a breakup with who ever has been butchering your bonce up to now. Curls need to be cut curly and one at a time and dry. Combing hair straight while wet and cutting it to hope it'll look ok when it dries curly is like rolling the ball on a roulette wheel as the curl shrinks and coils as it dries. This cutting method has left many curly heads nervous of the scissors when they ended up with hair several inches shorter than planned. Curl cutting specialists are becoming a thing. Find your curl sponsor. In the meantime, put down that nail scissors. I see you. You are no Vidal Sassoon.
Stop treating your hair like it's straight. Wash it upside down, squeeze the curls into your scalp to rinse dont drag them down with your fingers. Naturallycurly.com was also the place I learned about plopping and pineappling. Not deviant sexual practices at all. Unfortunately. But great for encouraging the curl in your hair. Expiriment with products to see what works best for your curl type.
Step 5: Having had a curl re-awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other frizzies and to practice these principles in all our affairs. Be generous with the info that works for you. I'm forever giving my hairdressers telephone number and list of products to complete strangers who ask me how I keep my curls so bouncy. Hell I would come around to your house and show you how to do it if you asked me nicely and had cake.
Step 6: Enjoy your curls.
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