How Do You Hair-Do?

When I was a wee little lass, I had somewhat curly blonde hair.

Cute, right? Not sure what happened....

As I got older it, however, my hair got darker and straighter. It still had a few kinks in it which drove me crazy and I quickly invested in a straightening iron for the rare occasions that I didn't tie it back.

A few years ago, I went to get my hair cut and had my stylist chop off about a foot of hair. I had done it before so I didn't think much of it... until she finished drying it and had me flip my head back. When I raised my head, my hair was a mess of crazy curls and we collectively went, "Whoa."

It was unexpected and hard to adjust to, but now I love my curls! They were frizzy and unpredictable and I never knew if they would be elegant spirals or twisted kraken tentacles when I woke up each morning. 

But I have since done lots of research and tried TONS of products to maintain some semblance of control. There are tons of great websites out there with good advice on managing your curls. Lots of people ask me what I use and how I style it and I feel like a broken record repeating my answer so I decided to do a post about it instead. 

Things to keep in mind!

Everyone's hair is a little different. Oily, dry, extra moist, coarse, fine, thin, thick.... there are so many different hair types that you have to experiment to find what works for you! Consider it a beauty adventure!

Even curls are all different. Are yours loose? Tight? Are you the reincarnation of Shirley Temple or are you rocking beach waves? If you have loose waves, you aren't going to wake up with tight spirals usually so embrace what you have and don't force it into something it isn't.

I have lazy curls and thick hair, so when my hair is longer, the curls are more like waves. Right now I have an inverted bob so the curls up front are more like kinks while the shorter ones are curlier. 

What I Do

1. Separate. I don't use a brush. I use a large toothed comb before I shower and that's it. I don't comb my hair any other time. 

2. Cleaning. Wash and condition (massage in the product, don't maul your scalp like a bear skinning a hiker alive). 

3. Drying. Towels = Frizz, if you need to dab it dry, use an old t-shirt, pillow case, or similar fabric. I let mine dry naturally as much as possible because that intensifies my curls, but I always dry it a bit on a medium power and medium heat setting until some of the water evaporates. (If you have thinner hair, you probably won't have to to this long).

4. Product. Curling cream (see below)

What is this strange device?

5. Diffuser. I have watched so many stylists go berserk with these things; moving the dryer wildly and giving people HUGE frizzy hair. That's not how it works. I lay sections of my hair in it, hold it a bit from my head, turn it on medium heat & power and let it go for a bit. When it feels too hot I lower it to the cooler setting which locks in your curls better. DON'T MOVE IT AROUND. Just let it do it's thing. Put on some moisturizer with your free hand or something. Just let it lay there. Then move on to the next section. 

6. Curl. Sometimes my longer locks are a little limp so I curl them and then shake them out so they flow with the rest of my hair. There are lots of awesome curling tips out there, I like to shimmy my curls off and hold them a little so they stay curlier for longer.

7. Hairspray. Spray it on your hair.... yup.

What I Use

I have tried so many products and wasted so much money.... but I have finally found ones I like.

For years I bought cheap products and when I looked in the mirror I could see that they were doing more harm than help.

A lot of my research told me that sulfate was one of the culprits behind my frizz so I started looking for sulfate-free shampoos. I find that Organix brand is my favorite. They recently came out with the Coconut Curls shampoo & conditioner so I tried them and they work great, but the Argan Oil of Morocco is also really good and what I used first. 

[Image Credit: Organix]

I also use their curling cream (above) before I dry my hair with the diffuser (I just scrunge it into my hair). I use a cream because I have thick hair that doesn't take to gels and mousses. They just aren't powerful enough. My stylist (who is awesome) often uses "it's a 10" cream on my hair and it works really well, but it is more expensive than Organix and I am still pretty cheap.

Average Price

Organix (OGX) Shampoos and Conditioners: $6 - $8

On rare occasions you can get the extra large containers for the same prices at Target. Also, sometimes Ulta has them BOGO 50% off 

Organix (OGX) Curling Cream: $5 - 8

Other curling creams will run between $17-$25!

When it comes to hairspray, I'm not an expert and I don't use very much. But I like the Aussie spray in the pic above because it seems to hold well and doesn't make my hair stiff at all. 

[Image Credit: Ulta.com]

Also, I got a free sample of the "it's a 10" miracle leave-in product last time I went to Ulta. I have been putting in a bit of it before my hair gets too dry and I haven't really decided how I feel about it yet.

What little frizz I have nowadays is virtually non-existent when I use this, but my hair feels a little funky with it in and it's like $18 (That's 3 cups of fancy coffee and a couple brownies. Do you see the dilemma here?)

On a side note, if you have straight hair and want a frizz-free shampoo, the Organix Brazilian Keratin Therapy is amazing. It made my hair pin straight and there wasn't a single one out of place. Of course I can't use it if I want my curls, but if you have straight hair I highly recommend it.