How to Control Curly Hair in Summer
Thursday July 12, 2007
A reader wrote in to me this week asking for simple ways to take care of her curly hair in the summer. As a busy mom, she doesn't have much time for styling. Here are a few suggestions I gave her: 1. Pull hair back in a hairband. If you pull the hair back in a band while it's damp, it's a great way to "flatten" hair at the crown, leaving the curls at your hair's ends. Later you can pull off the hairband and you'll have gorgeous body.
2. Water is your enemy. Try not to dry hair in summertime with a dryer, instead let hair airdry. Apply a leave-in conditioner to ends, a silicone serum to curls and let hair airdry. You can pull hair back in a loose bun for a gorgeous look. Add some style with a ballerina band.
3. Pull the sides of hair back, leaving a sort of half-up/half-down 'do. It's super romantic.
One last word of advice: don't fight your curls in summer, you'll lose the battle once you step out in humidity. Instead, embrace your look and keep in mind that we straight-haired girls spend a lot of time trying to get your curls. What I would do to look like Keri Russell on occasion.
Photo: Keri Russell, June 20, 2006, by Junko Kimura/Getty Images
Comments
HI,
I tried all of the things suggested & they really do work. Sometimes I think the more you try to fight the curl, the hair will not look so good. My daughter also has curly hair & it is in much better condition than my hair. She is always trying to straighten it & it does not look as good as it would, just going with the natural curl. I was very happy to see the same tips that I use for my hair. Thanks for letting all of us with wavy/curly hair about this. Judy K. from Chicago.
My hair is very short and can’t be pulled back. Can you recommend some really good products to use for summer on it? It is very curly!
I have curly hair and use Citre Shine anti frizz serum. I put it in when my hair is wet. HTH
I recommend you all read the “Curly-Girl Handbook” and buy some Devachan products. www.devachansalon.com
They’re the best if you follow the directions…and believe me, I’ve tried them all! And if you’re lucky enough to live in NYC, make an appt. with stylist “Rosie” and “Ed” for color.
Paul Mitchell Sculpting Foam with conditioners (and no alcohol). THE BEST! Make sure you get the sculpting foam and not the regular mousse. Very different stuff.
I have course, curly hair. I use copious amounts of this stuff while my hair is wet. I blowdry or air dry scrunching all the way.
I’ve found that the Matrix Sleek.look shampoo and conditioner (orange bottles) do WONDERS for keeping my extremely curly hair from being tangled after the shower and in general.
I also use Citre Shine anti-frizz serum after towel-drying my hair and then follow it with quite a bit of John Frieda’s Frizz-Ease mousse. It’s the best mousse I’ve ever found for my hair because it’s not sticky or crusty after drying, and the combination of those two products never lets my hair frizz. It’s also low-cost! I always let my hair air dry, year-round if possible which keeps it extra healthy according to my hair stylist. A few times a year I’ll remember to use a hot oil treatment before washing it.
And by the way, my hair DOES look like Keri Russell’s… I used to get lots of comparisons to her when Felicity was on the air!
I have the FRIZZIEST hair, i.e., standing near the stove when water is boiling makes it grow to three times its volume) and I have more hair products in my bathroom closet than Walgreens. So I can highly and authoritatively recommend Razzamatazz products, the conditioner and gel are my favorites: www.razzamatazz.net
Avoiding harsh detergents is the key to getting curly hair back to its naturally hydrated state! Go to www.devaconcepts.com to locate a stylist in your area who is trained to care for your hair type and also well versed in the Deva products! There is nothing else like it! Its life altering!
Just one word: OJON. It’s expensive but it’s fantastic. The $55 bottle of mud-like substance. It’s supposed to be a conditioner but I leave it in. It’s greasy but worth it!
I have thick curly hair and I could never wear it down all day, no matter how hard i tried. Now, it’s shorter (the longest part being down to my shoulders) and the person who cut it is amazing, so i wear it down and wear a headband, and people assume i spent hours curling my hair. I straightened it once this summer (i’m incredibly lazy) and it went nicely wavy.
well i dont know how to control my hair
its not really curly but its not wavy,
my hair is just above my shoulders.
can you help?
Or just get an awesome flat iron like I did. I have crazy curly frizzy hair. Remmington T-zone, I swear will keep it flap and not frizzy all day even in the most humid conditions.
Leave in conditioner for hot hair stylers and flat iron flat iron flat iron. It has the added bonus of sealing split ends.
I have curly but brush it or comb it and it sticks out like a big frizz bush. I usually use a wide tooth comb to keep from pulling hair out and I don’t put it a tight pony tail any more. I discover it pulls your hair out at pressure spots and makes you look like you have thinning hair/going bald.
The thing I use the most are hairband without the teeth. The teeth will pull your hair out and also give you a receding hairline just like tight hairstyles. Hairbands without teeth can be hard to find and you might have to shop the little girls section bt they are out there. I don’t remember the brand but I found grown up colors in the adult section recently with no teeth at Walmart,might have been Walgreens. They might feel loose sometimes but your hair will curl around it and it does make the front of your hair flat and a neat wave that your curls hang from.
Also, use spray on leave in conditioners. Your hair will mostly obey without looking like it’s crispy.