Faith Unfolding: All About My Mane! Yes, for real.

If you had ever told me that I’d have a blog post about my hair, I would have thought that you were lying. Yet here we are… It turns out that I get asked about my hair quite a bit. During most of my youth, I hated my hair because I couldn’t control it. I never found the right products and always managed to get bad haircuts. –But I’ve learned a few things since then and I happen to love my hair now. It’s actually the only thing that I really splurge on regularly. –And us curly haired types need to stick together! The struggle is real.

I hear that you shouldn’t wash curly hair every day but I actually do. Every now and then when it gets dry, I will only wash the roots, rinse, and then condition the ends. (Repeating it for a few days if necessary.)

But I have found something else that seems to have a greater impact on the result than my frequency of washing. -The products and the process. Yes, what you use and the steps you take completely affect the outcome!

Here’s mine:

Wash with Redkin Frizz Dismiss Shampoo and Conditioner
I even let my hair sit in the conditioner, up in a clip, while I wash the rest of my body.
Then I pick my hair, while it still has conditioner in it, before I get out of the shower.
Then rinse with cold water.
(I NEVER BRUSH IT!)
Dry it with a t-shirt, not a towel.
Spray in Infusium Leave in Conditioner
Apply Redken #7 Mouse
Spray with Suave Max Hold Hair Spray
Blow dry the roots around the front of my face. (Otherwise it’s flat.) I go lightly over the rest of my hair but NOT all the way. Just enough to take some of the moisture out otherwise my hair will stay wet all day.
Then I spray it with more hairspray

On really humid days, I wait about an hour. Then put it in a bun for an hour or so. Then let it out. It seems to relax the curl and hold down the fly-aways.

If price is a consideration, I also like L’Oréal products. Just substitute their sulfate free shampoo, conditioner (in a tube) & mouse for the products mentioned above.

In the summer if I spend a lot of time at the beach or in the sun, I also use Le Kair Cholesterol as frequently as I feel that it’s needed. I often leave it in. (Especially if it’s a beach day.) They aren’t all the same. There is something about this orange one that seems less greasy than the others. You can buy it at Sally’s Beauty Supply.

ALSO....

There are several types of curly hair - Do you know if you are A, B or C? Supposedly, it matters when it comes to products. I haven’t found this to be true for me but it might help you.

Getting a haircut

DON’T let them do the following - Thin it out, texturize it, or use a razor. You will ugly cry (for years).

You may not even want to consider layers. If the person can’t cut them for curly hair, you'll hate it. Whether or not they straighten it prior to cutting depends on the stylist. I hear it affects the end result but I think it’s just a matter of preference. I’ve never had a bad cut with straightening. I also have good cuts without it.

Valerie at Bridgewater Salon cuts mine about once a year. (And I don’t have layers.)

There is a curly hair salon in Richmond, Imago Hair. It’s worth it to go at least once and I didn’t find it more expensive than other salons. They will give you many of the same tips, if not more. They only use Deva Curl and Jessi Curl products. (I loved the Jessi Curl, by the way. I used the hair cleansing cream, Too Shea conditioner & Spiralicious gel.) They will even teach you how to cut your own hair if you’re interested.

That’s about all that I have for now. What about you? I love to trade notes. Feel free to comment below and share your tips with me!