Advice for transforming frizz into curls

[1953Diygal]

My stepmother's hair-story could be one of those testimonials from the Curly Girl book. She grew up in the age where long, straight Marcia Brady hair was in style. She battled what she calls "frizz" by blow-drying, using curling irons, using cone-laden straightening products...anything to make her "frizz" (aka curl) go away.

Now that she's retired and moved back to Vermont, she's let her hair grow grey (and looks wonderful) and has adopted an "I don't care what others think of me" attitude. I'm thinking this might be the perfect time to teach her how to care for her curls.

For Christmas, I bought her a DevaCurl kit, complete with the Curly Girl book. I'm also sending some other goodies like a wide-toothed comb, a microfiber towel, and some other products.

My question for you is, what advice would you give to her to help her care for her curls?

I'm not sure of her hair type, but I'd say that she could possibly be a 2c or a 3a. Her hair is definitely coarse and a i or a ii.

Any advice is helpful. Thank you!

[Curlsgirl]

My stepmother's hair-story could be one of those testimonials from the Curly Girl book. She grew up in the age where long, straight Marcia Brady hair was in style. She battled what she calls "frizz" by blow-drying, using curling irons, using cone-laden straightening products...anything to make her "frizz" (aka curl) go away.

Now that she's retired and moved back to Vermont, she's let her hair grow grey (and looks wonderful) and has adopted an "I don't care what others think of me" attitude. I'm thinking this might be the perfect time to teach her how to care for her curls.

For Christmas, I bought her a DevaCurl kit, complete with the Curly Girl book. I'm also sending some other goodies like a wide-toothed comb, a microfiber towel, and some other products.

My question for you is, what advice would you give to her to help her care for her curls?

I'm not sure of her hair type, but I'd say that she could possibly be a 2c or a 3a. Her hair is definitely coarse and a i or a ii.

Any advice is helpful. Thank you!

Awwwwwwww what a sweet daughter! The Curly Girl Book should help her a LOT! You may tell her that she can just read it and take what she wants to from it. Though it really helped me I really don't follow it totally. I would say the most important advice is to NOT brush it. Maybe get her a shower comb and tell her to detangle in the shower, get out and apply some leave-in conditioner and maybe gel (it helps the frizz) and the leave it completely alone to dry ALL THE WAY before touching. Maybe she could do this sometime when she is not planning to go out just to see the results. I did that at first and then wore it out a few times like that and was amazed at how everyone loved it. That helped me a lot to embrace my curls.

[boomygrrl]

Leave-in conditioner is a must. Dont touch hair after styling and while drying is also important. Scrunch out the crunch after it's dried to get rid of the crunchy/wet look.

[~GypsyCurls~]

Things that have made the most difference for me:

*Not using shampoo at all, or using a sulfate-free one and only about once a week, washing primarily the scalp.

*No touching hair before it's dry...the more you touch, the more frizz there will be.

*No brushing, and using only wide tooth combs.

*Air drying whenever possible.

*Rinsing hair with cold water to help seal the cuticle and add shine.

HTH!

[suicides_eve]

don't brush it! ( took me 12 years to learn that one)
invest in a water filter if you have hard water- best thing i ever did

[Copasetic]

I have heard so many good things about that book, I really need to get it.

The three biggest things that helped my hair curl instead of frizz, were washing it less often, using coconut oil, and ONLY detangling in shower with a wide tooth comb.

[Pegasus Marsters]

Condition Condition Condition! Curly hair can be so dry and keeping it very well moisturised is the key to fabulous curls.

[rapunzhell13]

She sounds like a perfect candidate for CO!

[Mahars]

Everything curlsgirl said is good advice. I would also advise her to avoid cone-laden products, which tend to weigh down curls and dry them out. Also, curls need both moisture and hold, so she might want to try a leave-in under a mousse or gel. One other thing that helps is to put the products in when hair is still VERY wet. Waiting until it dries gives the frizz a chance to pop up. And most importantly, don't touch it until it's dry!

[missy60]

Most of that advice is already in the book, but one thing LHC does different is to leave the conditioner on longer to CO. So you could tell her if she has a problem with her hair looking clean to maybe try leaving the conditioner on longer. When CO I dont think the book stresses the importance of rinsing, but I guess its not as important because in the book there is very little conditioner applied to the scalp (maybe a tsp or Tbls I cant remember) and its rinsed off before the length conditioner is applied. She also recommends applying alot of conditioner to the length, and rinsing very little when doing the rinse and leaving alot of the conditioner in the hair. Getting to seaweed feel takes alot of conditioner alot of people dont realize that. When I wear my hair curly I use way more conditioner and either leave some in or apply a leave in. I didnt realize how much moisture curly hair needed. When doing the same hair when I blow dry straight I have to cut back on the conditioner and be very careful with leave in or I get flat dirty looking hair.

[Shadow]

What helped me the most with my curls is not touching them until they were dry and then as little as possible after. That and a decent Curl Enhancing cream (I use an Avon one that works pretty well) and Volume spray. I scrunch the cream very, very gently into my hair when it's still dripping wet with my head upside down, then spray it with Volume Spray (I am using a Matrix one at the mo thats pretty good, Kerestate do a good one too), Then I gently flip my head the right way up and just leave the strands as they fall to air dry their own way. This almost always gives my pretty, frizz free spirals.

[Debra83]

What helped me the most with my curls is not touching them until they were dry and then as little as possible after. That and a decent Curl Enhancing cream (I use an Avon one that works pretty well) and Volume spray. I scrunch the cream very, very gently into my hair when it's still dripping wet with my head upside down, then spray it with Volume Spray (I am using a Matrix one at the mo thats pretty good, Kerestate do a good one too), Then I gently flip my head the right way up and just leave the strands as they fall to air dry their own way. This almost always gives my pretty, frizz free spirals.

After 44 years this coming Sunday on the planet, I only just the other day discovered my "curls" by leaving my hair saturated after washing and slathering in some cream conditioner and letting it air dry naturally. It really works...see my album :cheese:

[Starr]

What a thoughtful gift!


Conditioner is a must. And leave in conditioner is a bonus. Like Pegs said, moisture is the key.

[lapushka]

Wash your hair, then put in some conditioner (lengths). Leave it in as long as you want, but it doesn't have to be long. Then comb, when it's still dripping wet and saturated with conditioner. Rinse and no longer touch it, put your hair in a towel and blot & squeeze (don't rub). Then style by putting a non-drying (non-alcohol) gel into it, clip it, leave it to dry, or dry with a cool setting on the blow dryer, don't fully blow it dry, leave it slightly damp & mist here & there if it's a bit fluffy.

You could also style with a leave-in conditioner (the mixed chicks one has cones), or a plain cheap conditioner that you don't rinse out. Rinsing out the conditioner or not depends on how dry, coarse your hair is. If it's fine and soft in texture and gets oily fast, rinse!

I'd recommend she go to http://www.naturallycurly.com (great tips there).

[1953Diygal]

Wow! You guys are the best! I'm busy compiling a lot of FAQs into a document that she can read, in addition to the book.

What great advice! Thank you so much.

[prosperina]

This is a nice gift--and a helpful thread for the rest of us. I know a lot of what has been said here has been said before, but any suggestions for gel or mousse? I looked at one I had from a while ago--John Frieda I think--and it had alcohol and propane in it. :shudder: Propane? :confused:

[Xandergrammy]

I have no additional advice, but I just wanted to tell you that I think that's a really wonderful gift. I don't suppose you'd want to adopt me, would you? :gabigrin:

[Curlsgirl]

This is a nice gift--and a helpful thread for the rest of us. I know a lot of what has been said here has been said before, but any suggestions for gel or mousse? I looked at one I had from a while ago--John Frieda I think--and it had alcohol and propane in it. :shudder: Propane? :confused:

When I use gel I usually use LA Looks Sports gel. It's cheap and it works well. After it's completely dry the crunch scrunches out easily and leaves soft defined frizz-free ringlets.

[1953Diygal]

I have no additional advice, but I just wanted to tell you that I think that's a really wonderful gift. I don't suppose you'd want to adopt me, would you? :gabigrin:

Absolutely!!! :D

[1953Diygal]

I also sent her my bottle of DevaCurl B'Leave In. It's loaded with glycerine, so it doesn't work in my climate (but it'll work in hers). I sent her my bottle of Pureology Real Curl creme. It works for me, but it's a little heavy. Since her hair is more coarse, I think it'll work better for her. I instructed her to only use a tiny bit.

With the kit, she gets Mister Right, No Poo, One Condition, An-Gell, and the Curly Girl book. It all comes in a handy-dandy tote.

Oh, and I ordered her some Oyin Greg Juice. Again, it's too glycerine-heavy for me. After that, I had to stop myself. :)

I'm sending her explicit instructions on how to use the wave net. Her hair is shorter (it fluctuates between chin and shoulder length with layers). They have a wood burning stove in their house, so it's about 75 degrees inside. I don't think she'll have any trouble walking around with a wet head.