Posts Tagged ‘beauty’

Anyone with curly hair has probably wrestled with it at one point in her life.  I am no exception, and I became something of a hair-product junkie because of this.  I have tried almost every product and shampoo you can imagine.  I’ve tried stuff that claims to give you sleek, frizz-free hair (ha!) and stuff that claims to give you bouncy, frizz-free curls (double HA!).  My bathroom was littered with these products:

SMALL Sample of My Hair Products

The above photo is but a small sample of my hair products.  As you can see, I have a variety of brands and types: mousses, gels, leave-in conditioners. Most of it was NOT cheap, either.  Every time my stylist would cut my hair, I would ask for something – anything – which would help me maintain a blow-out or flat-ironed hair for more than 30 seconds in North Carolina’s summer humidity.  All I got was a smaller bank account and damaged hair.   My hair was always dry and tangled so easily that I could only comb it in the shower with a wide-toothed comb and tons of some undoubtedly silicone-laden conditioner which was further damaging my hair.

So, I decided to embrace my curls a few months ago.  I began my search for a stylist who could cut naturally curly hair and respect the curl.  I almost gave up hope and was planning a trip to New York City to visit Ouidad or a Devachan Spa & Salon, but the Devachan website pointed me to a local certified Deva Concepts stylist.  He is AMAZING!  I would tell you who he is, but he’s very picky about taking on new clients since he’s a one-man operation.  I had to beg to get him to take me as a new client, but I’m so glad I did.  My curly hair is on the road to recovery, and I’m actually thinking about growing it long again!  It’s shoulder-length now, but I would like to have it a bit longer so I can effectively “pineapple” at night and get better second-day hair.   Also, I cannot recommend the Deva products enough.  They have changed my hair completely.  I no longer have to stand in the shower for 20 minutes because I’m trying to untangle my hair with gobs of conditioner and a wide-toothed comb.  In fact, I don’t even have to use a comb or brush at all.  My hair untangles with nothing more than a bit of the Deva One Conditioner and my fingers.  As a bonus, the Deva products have no bad, water-insoluble silicones (‘cones), no sulfates, and no parabens.  I’m a total Deva convert:

DevaCurl Products

I use the DevaCurl Low-Poo, One Condition, B’Leave In, and ArcAngel products.  However, this is a very specific recipe of products for my hair.  That’s what is great about seeing a Deva stylist.  No two heads of curly hair are alike, so what works for one person may not work for another.  My hair is Botticelli curly and fine in texture, bordering on Cherub curls.  If you have coarse texture and curlier curls, what I use may not be hydrating enough for you.  So, find a Deva stylist near you or make a pilgrimage to see one in NYC.  It’s worth it.  Plus, us curly girls really only need to get a haircut every four months or so, depending on the health of your hair when you start and whether or not you want a complete style change very often.  I’m super excited about that; I’ll be saving money on haircuts and trips to the salon!

I know a few months ago I wrote a post where I said I was going to go with a Ouidad cut.  While I was looking for a local Ouidad stylist, I ordered a Ouidad sample kit from Sephora to give the Ouidad rake-n-shake method a try:

Ouidad Starter Kit

I don’t know what is in Ouidad products, but whatever it is, I’m extremely allergic to it!  I used this stuff once and developed a rash on my scalp, neck, and back.  So, I can’t use Ouidad products.  Also, the Ouidad haircut is a carve-n-slice method of cutting, which serves to thin the hair. My hair is already fine with normal density.  It doesn’t need to be thinned.  If it were thinned, I would probably have an even bigger halo (the nice word for short, frizzy hairs)!  If anything, I wish my hair were as thick as it was when I was in my early 20s!  So, I decided to go with a Deva cut since Deva stylists cut each curl individually, looking at where they naturally fall, and blending them into a nice shape.

Anyway, that Ouidad starter kit was used once.  I would love to give it to anyone who would like to try Ouidad products or who already uses and likes Ouidad products.  The kit has Ouidad Leave-in Conditioner, Ouidad Climate Control Gel, and their Moisture Curl Booster spray.  If you would like to have this, just leave a comment to this post.  I would be happy to send it to you!  If I get several comments from people who want the Ouidad stuff, I’ll pick the winner at random next Friday, April 29th.

I am tired of the blow dryer and the flat iron. Getting the curl out of my hair is just an ordeal, and I would like to do something other than spend 45 minutes on my hair each day.  Although my hair doesn’t appear to be highly damaged, I know the drying effects of the flat iron can’t be good, which is why I trade off.  If I blow dry, I don’t use the flat iron.  If I use the flat iron, I let my hair dry naturally before doing so.  Either way, it’s a lot of work.

Long ago, I used to embrace my curly hair because, well, there just weren’t a lot of options back in my day.   Flat irons didn’t do anything except burn my hair.  Also, I was a teenager in the 80s when permed, big hair was the thing. When I left it curly, people would tell me I had hair like Kelly LeBrock, which was fine with me because I thought she was gorgeous. Remember her in the Pantene commercials?  “Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.”

Kelly LeBrock in the 80s

When I got tired of 80s curls, I did the punk thing with my hair: spiked, dyed weird colors, a faux-hawk (mohawk), etc.  My hair was ever changing when I was a teen, but I thought I was the luckiest girl in the world because I didn’t have to perm my hair to get the big 80s hair.

During the late 80s/early 90s, when permed “big hair” started to fade, I let my hair grow to my hips and wore it in long, beautiful spirals.  Did I mention that I also had enough hair for 5 people when I was younger?  It’s true.  It was so thick I couldn’t get a hair clip in it, nor could I run a brush through it.  My hair styling routine consisted of washing my hair once or twice a week, making a long braid, and letting it dry naturally: low maintenance, baby!  When I wore my hair this way, I was compared to Khrystyne Haje.  You might remember her as Simone, the redhead on the TV show Head of the Class:

Khrystyne Haje in the 90s

However, as I aged, my hair changed as did the trends and hair styling tools.  I now only have enough hair for 2 people (which is still a lot), but I don’t consider that a bad thing since I can actually get a brush through it.  Flat irons and blow dryers are also powerful enough to tame my mane now that I have less hair.  When sleek hair became popular sometime in the 2000s, a local stylist gave me a blowout for straight hair, and I was hooked.  I’ve been fighting my curls ever since, trying to have that blowout look or, at the most, sleek waves instead of ringlets.

I’m over it, though, and want my luscious curls back.  The problem is that my curls don’t seem to be as regular (for lack of a better word) as they were in my youth.  I have spots which tend to form ringlets and spots which just seem wavy.  Some of that is probably due to the straightening, but it could just be due to aging and changing hair texture.  Then again, maybe I just need a proper hair cut.  That’s why I’m thinking of going to New York for an appointment with Ouidad.

Ouidad, Queen of Curls

She’s the queen of styling curly hair, and I need some expert advice to avoid the curly-haired “pyramid” look.  Curly girls will know what I mean; it’s hair which is curly and poofy on the sides and flat on top.  I want shapely curls.  However, it’s extremely difficult to find someone skilled enough to cut curly hair.  Believe me, I’ve had my share of hideous haircuts after stylists cut off too much hair or used a blunt cut on me.  I don’t care to repeat those experiences.  My stylist now is okay, but she’s been cutting my hair in a style suitable to a blowout or flat-ironed look, which probably isn’t ideal for my curls.