Curly Hair 101

As you probably guessed from the blog name, I am a curly gal. And a long-suffering curly gal at that! You could say that I have struggled to ‘tame the mane’ for many years but now at the good ol’ age of twenty eight I think I’ve finally cracked it.

 I thought it would be fitting for my first post to be a hair related one, so here are my top tips and picks for curly, unruly hair...

Washing

I now choose products which are sulphate-free and not too clarifying. I have noticed a significant difference in the condition of my hair since switching to more natural, less-stripping formulations. I have used both high-end and drugstore offerings, honestly with the same result.

I am currently using 'Kind Natured' nourishing shampoo and conditioner (both £4.99 for 250ml from Boots). But another tip would be to change up products the minute you feel that they are no longer working for you. You can always come back to them, but I often find that my hair adapts to or ‘gets used to’ a product and it stops being as effective. 

Styling

Because curly hair is renowned for being dry, products that inject moisture in to my locks are a necessity. Curly hair is also renowned for being frizzy and unruly so I also need a product that fixes the style, but without that ‘crispy’ feel.

I have searched for years, looking for one product that both conditions and holds a style. And then I found it! It should have been obvious from the (incredibly wordy) name on the tube; Curl Sculpt Conditioning Cream Gel by Ganier. It really is the one-product-does-all that I was searching for and costs only £6.79 for 147ml. As far as I am aware, it isn’t available in UK chemists/drugstores but can be bought online at Amazon. 

Maintenance

As for how many times I wash my hair each week...I’m almost embarrassed to reveal that it is a mere twice. Pushing to three times if I have a special occasion to attend (*hangs head in shame). But honestly, my hair has thanked me for it. It is less dry and requires less styling and products as it now retains its own natural moisture. 

Colouring

Throughout my teens I would have a full head of highlights, which looked lovely for a few days and then I had to spend the rest of the time trying to tame the fuzz that had been caused by all the over-processing. I now stick to my natural colour and must say, I don’t half mind it. If you really must colour curly hair - yes, I’m talking about you, pesky greys! - I would urge you to steer clear of the bleach and stick to semi- or demi-permanent colours. It’s just not worth the frizz!

Cut

I know that many of you will feel my pain here...I have visited many salons over the years, most of them resulting in me either sitting in the chair while several stylist pull, pat and stare at my locks with absolutely no clue how to tackle them, or leaving after almost FIVE (yes five) hours with hair in a style of what could only be described as ‘fuzzy bush’. I now rely on a friend to trim my hair in to long layers and have yet to find a salon that knows how to work with curls. If any of you know of one near to London please let me know.