Curly Hair Chat 👩‍🦱

If there is some wave in your hair, would a light perm work to tame it? What used to be called a demi wave? My hair used to be dead straight and wouldn't hold a blow dry for long, but with a demi wave on it I could blow dry it and it did as it was told between washes.

Mine's not curly enough to be pretty, not straight enough to be lovely and the waves are all in the wrong place so it sticks out everywhere.
Think Boris but thicker, longer and much worse except for about an hour after it's been pulled out in a blow dry.

No-one here seems to grasp how to cut it; I don't want short because it looks like an old lady's perm, longer means it's a straggly mess (like today).

I need a style that is not too short but neat.

Help!!

I haven't heard of salt spray, but might look out for it. I find that just water (with a tiny bit of product) works as a refresher, and the misting bottles are good as they don't drench the hair. would kitchen salt dissolved in the water work, or is that way off beam?

Strongcoffee12 I don’t know if you’re near Loughborough but there’s a good salon there called hair magic who specialise in curly cuts.

I have really thick type 2b/2c red curly hair. I have had a specialist curly cut previously which was cut dry and looked really nice when I came out of the hairdressers but when I tried to style it myself it looked nothing like the professional cut. I recently found a smoothing treatment (done at the hairdresser) which helps with the frizz and seems to define the curls.
I couldn’t get on with co washing but use the Cantu cream and curl refresher when my hair is wet using the praying 🙏 hands method of pushing the cream into the hair and use a micro fibre towel and a diffuser as it’s really too long and thick to leave to air dry. I do tend to put it up into a messy bun with bungee type hair ties as they don’t seem to flatten the curl out.
It does just seem to have a mind of its own though 😠

Thanks SueDonim and Greensmufl. I’ve started googling hair dressers who can work with curly hair in my area - anyone in East Midlands want to add one? I’m going to check some of them out. I’ve had hairdressers who are older and know about the old perms and therefore good with curly hair but they then retire sadly for me, not them. I’ve got a medium layerd bob. I noticed that the stylist had cut into the back too much though. No one seems to able to sort my cow lick of a fringe out.

Strongcoffee I’ve finally discovered a couple of hair dressers who can do a cut that suits me. Basically, it’s no layers! I have a bob style, without fussy layers. The weight of the full length of hair stops it from frizzing so much and keeps it in place.

Having said no layers, the hairdresser does cut a layer or two at very ends, as that stops the hair from turning outwards and it curls under more tidily.

I’ve just booked an appt to get mine cut this week. I hope my stylist never leaves her job!

www.cantubeauty.com/

Cantu curling cream from the Afro-Caribbean hair care section at Boots works for me and my curly hair of fine texture.

Wash with shampoo every other day to avoid getting too dry or too greasy, but rinse every morning for easy styling. No conditioner because it weighs it down.

Wrap in towel to dry.

A finger tip sized dab or blob of curling cream rubbed between your hands to distribute before finger combing your hair.
Leave to air dry unless it’s a freezing cold day and you want to dry it with a diffuser attachment on a cheap hairdryer.

The less you handle curly hair, the less it frizzes.

You may want to detangle with a brush or finger comb it or use a hair pick 🪮 before bedtime, but I rarely bother.

Go to hair dressers who know how to cut curly hair. Certain styles and techniques work well like graduated bobs but with some stylists you need to watch you don’t end up with a big triangle or 80s look like Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie.

Hi Fanny, thanks I went to a specialist curly hair place in Birmingham before lockdown with my cousin whos curlier than me - it cost us ££££s and although it looked nice afterwards - it seemed like a lot of faffing around with clips - I felt slightly cheated. But we did have a nice day out in Birmingham 😀

Hello 👋
Apparently for a good curly cut you are supposed to arrive with clean dry hair with no product or styling.

Ooh I’m glad to see this thread as I need help with my hair. I’ve thick curly wavy hair that’s become more curly as I’ve got older, I think, it used to be wavy before that so in effect it’s caught me unawares and I don’t know how to have it cut into a style that suits me and my curly kinky hair or what to ask for

I wash it in a natural shampoo and conditioner for sensitive scalps. I then let it dry naturally scrunching it up in my fingers as it dries. Otherwise I use my hairdryers diffuser and some curl enhancer. - I’ve got one by aveda called B curly.

I wish someone would advise me on what to ask for at the hairdressers or how to find a hairdresser who’s good with curly hair. I get so frustrated by hairdressers who don’t seem able to cut curly hair and seem to want to straighten it or layer it and thin it too much. I’ve had bits sticking out and patchy uneven hair. I’ve had hairdressers tell me they love my hair and love cutting curly hair and then I find out they can’t cut it properly and I’m left with a cut with no shape or style.

I’ve been trying to find a hairdresser for ages who is good with curly hair like mine, asking people for recommendations, Facebook pages etc etc

Oh, I might try it again.

Salt spray encourages the curl my hairdresser recommended it. I was not convinced at first but I have to say it does. I was using hairspray to give my hair a lift but I don't need to now. I bought the one I use from Superdrug it keeps the curl and stops it going flat.

Lbc oh, I’ve been on lots of curly girl sites, and in groups etc.
Hence the confusion!
Some people are very evangelical and bossy about it.
I just find it’s easier to chat properly here and wondered what people I ‘know’ do

Have you looked at other people who have curly hair to see how they style theirs? That, of course wouldn't necessarily give you any clues and you might end up full of envy which may you feel worse than ever. The comedian Rose Matafeo has lovely curls.

I keep my hair very short so that it doesn't get a chance to curl. I've had to let the idea of Pre-Raphaelite curls go as I could never attain it without looking a right mess.

I’ve not had good results with them, they create volume, but make frizz worse.
Dry shampoo is good for volume, but it’s reported to be bad for the scalp.
Scalp care is a ‘big thing’ at the moment

I'm curious, what does a salt spray actually do?

I was a genuine redhead but it's snowy now it's naturally curly. I wear mine in a short bob I usually dry it naturally. Occasionally to give it a bit of height I use a diffuser hairdryer on the roots only. With a £30 hairdryer from Amazon it does the trick I don't brush or comb my hair and I use a sea salt spray got2be beach matte.

My hair has become quite curly in the last five years or so, having just had a bit of wave before that. No idea why! I’m also a 2B/C on your chart, Fanny.

I’m using Only Curls products at the moment but I won’t buy them again, as they’re not suiting my hair. The Cantu range has better results, I find. I use shampoo then a hair mask instead of conditioner. That seems to give it the extra moisturising it needs to stop it frizzing.

I then comb it with a wide tooth comb and apply serum or curling cream before twisting my hair into curls around my fingers. I usually let it dry naturally but if not, I use the diffuser head that came with my ancient hair drier and dry using the ‘plop’ method. If it’s messy after sleeping on it, I dampen my hair lightly, apply a little more curling cream and re-twist it.

I was complimented on my hair by cabin crew when I flew to the US earlier this year! To be fair, my hair was having a particularly well-behaved day but I was still very chuffed!

I have curly hair and I wash and style every morning.
Shampoo, condition, diffuse dry ( Parlux dryer) for a few minutes and tame into shape with a Babyliss hot brush.
8-10 minutes in total.

If I let it dry naturally it is totally bonkers and different every time.

Oh, I forgot - I have a misting bottle that I use between washes to refresh the curls. I add a tiny bit of gel to the water (too much clogs the spray) and dampen then scrunch. It's very effective. OC do them for a million pounds or so - I got mine on eBay for less than a fiver .

I re-discovered my curls during lockdown when hairdressers were mostly closed. I was pleased to be able to change my style after many years of 'cut and blow dry'. Moving to a new area, I looked on line and found a salon that specifically mentioned curly hair. Mine is silver and very fine, so needs sympathetic handling and I have been lucky to find a stylist who really understands what is needed. Between cuts, I shampoo, scrunch it and let it dry without heat. I use a product called 'Naughty' which I discovered in Waitrose, to give it body.

I have long curly hair I’ve tried every shampoo, conditioner, serum and gadget etc etc etc for years never happy with it. Now I buy Simple shampoo and conditioner let it dry naturally sometimes curly and sometimes I straighten it with my hot air brush or stick up in a messy bun and I’m relaxed about how it turns out at last. My daughter trims it with a few layers and I don’t stress about it anymore. I do think it’s actually pretty versatile having curly hair.

I use the Noughty range of products for curly hair. Only wash twice a week, using a deep conditioner once a week too.
On the days I don’t wash, just spray with water into which is a small amount of conditioner.

Usual hairdressers have no idea when cutting curly hair, well worth the cost of a curly hair cut x

This is the Bellisima
Bellissima Ceramic Diffon Hot Air Diffuser for Curly Hair, 700 W, 2 Air/Temperature Combinations, Gentle Heat Technology, Frizz-Free Curls Equipped with UK plug amzn.eu/d/elZ5mpK