Hair Matters

For people with Curly Hair, the best cut option for your lovely locks is a layered cut. One of the best features of a layered cut is that the addition of layers gives your hair body and bounce that will keep your hair from looking dull.

Girls with curly hair should be sure to regularly get their hair trimmed. If split ends aren't regularly taken care of, curly hair tends to get a bit frizzier. A good deep conditioner or hair oil treatment can help enhance the overall feel and appearance of your curls. There are also products and entire product lines dedicated to the care of curls.

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The Irony of Curls
It happens all the time: girls with curly hair want straight hair and girls with straight hair want curls. Whether it's a temporary change you are looking for or something more permanent, we've got advice for all.

Curling your Straight Hair
Perms are the strongest, most permanent, and  possibly most harmful way to curl your hair, due to the chemicals involved. Hair that is heavily damaged could actually break off during the perming process. If, however, you wish to have curly hair everyday, without spending a great deal of time on it, a perm may be the best option for you. There are different types of curls you can achieve from a perm and you should talk with your stylist about what you want before getting a perm. Decide what you want before you go in for your appointment: loose and bouncy curls, or tighter spirals? If you want to try a perm but don't want to spend a lot of money, check out a beauty school near your home; chances are you can save a lot of money and help out a student at the same time. For those who color their hair and are looking to get a perm, make sure you wait a couple weeks between these processes to avoid damaging your hair. Once you have your perm, you can wake up with curls and be ready to go in minutes.

Rollers are much less harmful to your hair than a perm is. Rollers use heat, like a perm, but no chemicals. The down side to rollers is that they do take time and practice to perfect, and the curls do not last for days and through hair washes, like a perm. Rollers will, however, save you time if you've been using a curling iron. Try rolling your hair before you do anything else. Then, put on your makeup, pick out your outfit, have breakfast, etc. while your rollers cool. When rolling your hair, divide your hair into one-inch sections to apply to rollers. For a natural look, switch your rolling technique: on some sections, roll the hair up, on other sections, roll the hair under. Make sure the rollers are completely cool before you remove them.

Scrunching is an easy way for girls with wavy, or "in-between", hair to get curly hair. For most girls, all they'll need to do is apply a spray gel, mouse or curl-enhancing spray to damp hair and then scrunch with your fingers while it dries. You can also flip your hair upside down and scrunch over low heat to speed up the process. Going from wavy to curly hair is that simple. Also see the "Oreo-Cookie Mousse Trick."  It helps both with scrunching and helps control frizzy ends on curly hair.

Straightening your Curly Hair
When using heat, you'll want to be sure to apply a heat-protecting spray before straightening your curly hair. After showering, pin your hair up in sections and then blow-dry, from the bottom up, using a large round brush or a large flat brush to hold the hair taut. Aim your blow-dryer down the hair shaft, pointing from root to tip, use a diffuser to help prevent frizzing. Make sure each section of hair is completely dry before moving on. When you've finished blow-drying, if you're not satisfied with your hair and want a sleeker look, apply a shine serum and run a flat iron over your hair (in segments of course). Complete the look with hair spray or a shine enhancing spray.

If you want to avoid using a flat-iron, there are some products out that that you can use to blow-dry your hair straight. We like Kevin Murphy's Leave-In Conditioner. You apply it to your clean, wet hair and blow-dry it in. It will stay straight and will even keep away the humidity frizz. It's like a two-in-one product, combining the hydrating power of conditioner with the necessary hold of a styling product.