Curls, or frizzy, strawberry blonde (ahem) afro if you are looking at my do! Love them or hate them that is what I have been blessed with. I do not come from a family full of curls but I am Maori and every now and then someone will pop up along the line with curly and yes slightly red hair. Much to Muma Shorts delight this was me. I have grown up with strangers touching my hair my whole life and while I don’t mind it so much now… yes they still do…it did scare me a little bit as a child.
I did not like my curls for the longest time and my GHD hair straightener went everywhere with me and was nearly joint to my head. To think about not only the damage that I was doing to my hair every day as well as the time spent doing it I wish I had not bothered. Some people never even knew I had curly hair and would get a surprise if I turned up somewhere with my natural hair. I now only straighten my hair on odd occasions and usually just for a special occasion.
The change in embracing my curl came with a change in Hairdresser. I had time and time again been to hairdressers who had no idea how to cut curly hair and would use the straight hair techniques and I would walk out looking like a triangle. I then came across a fabulous hairdresser in Christchurch, Gary Sullivan, who was the first hairdresser to cut my hair dry and really took the time to learn about how my curl reacted to cutting, different hair dyes and what products it suited best. I learnt so much about my curls while going to Gary and I even scheduled my flights back to Christchurch around the times I needed a haircut as I was paranoid about going to one on my move to Melbourne. I did however with his advice start doing a lot of research and can not recommend highly enough reading the forums about a new hairdresser if you do move cities. You get honest feedback and can usually narrow down some to try. While I did have one hiccup to start with this is how I found Neel my new hair dresser and started on a new curls adventure while in Melbourne. While there are a lot of great curly hairdressers out there if you do want to have a chat to someone about your curls to get an idea of maintenance or a cut to suit your lifestyle I cannot recommend Neel highly enough. He is honest and wants you to get the most out of your curls. If you do not live in Melbourne but would like some tips on your curls you can follow his blog here or check out the web for other great websites out there with tips for curly gurls such as naturallycurly.
While I still definitely get frustrated with my curls as they have a mind of their own I have learnt what helps and what doesn’t help with my hair. For my curl it is a fine line between too much product and not enough while I can never ever have enough conditioner. I only wash my hair twice a week but condition it ALL THE TIME. I do have to plan for when I wash as the first day after all the curls will drop down and have to work their way back up to a tight curl. I use a hair dryer with a cool setting to blast my curls every morning for around 5 minutes. I find that a heat setting sets my frizz off plus it is bad for your hair. My favourite products at the moment are Evo and I love their calming conditioner. I also use Moroccan Oil Curl Defining Cream. I find that cream is better as it does not leave a crunchy texture in my hair. Every second day I also put some Argan or Coconut Oil on the tips of my hair which I find very hydrating. You do not have to stick with the top of the line products as the key is variety. Your hair will get used to something so mix it up and try something new next time, there are lots of products out there. You will also need to be patient with your hair and find what works for you. Sometimes all you need is a great hat!
Oh and the number one rule of curls… NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER brush your hair! Or you will end up looking like you have the frizzy fro below. I don’t even own a brush, instead comb it while you have conditioner in it in the shower.
They say you suit your natural hair the most. I am probably rocking the curls more than I ever have and it is a great feeling. It is easy and definitely a huge part (literally) of who I am. It also adds some much needed height!
I am slowly being talked into cutting a real afro by L but for now am going with the fro below.
I hope that inspires at least one curly girl to let their natural curls come out for a few more days a week… Kristy! 🙂
Other than that maybe next time you think you are having a bad hair day look at what I have to deal with haha.
Happy Wednesday xS
the long and the short of it 