When I was a little girl, I was blessed with beautiful Shirley Temple ringlets that my mom could wrap around her finger, let go, and a perfect ringlet would stand to attention and hold it’s shape. My mom said that people would stop her on the streets and ask her how she got my hair to do that, and my mom would admit that she did nothing except wrap the curls around her fingers. My children, sadly, were not blessed with mommy’s curly-haired genes, but I always wish that I could do this to my own daughter’s hair.
Fast forward about thirty years and you will discover a girl who has beaten her curls into wild submission with product, blow dryers, metal brushes, and hair straighteners. I fight frizz and wave with pure aggression and as much heat as my hair can stand. If I try to do a day with wave in it, the waves will barely perk up, hanging limp and weighed down by forty products intended to curl boost.
Years ago, I discovered a book at the library called Curly Girl that changed my life. I applied the Curly Girl philosophy to my hair for awhile with fabulous results, and then decided that I wanted a more polished look and headed back to the straightener. I admit that I feel less confident with my wild curls and wonder if people think I rolled out of bed instead of paying attention to my hair.
My hair is starting to show the strains of abuse though and I decided to head back to the Curly Girl way of life after witnessing my girlfriend who rediscovered her curls again after picking up the book. For a curly girl, the philosophy is curl-changing…a total game changer for girls who have relied on hair products to pull their curls together.
Want to return to your baby curls? The Curly Girl philosophy is frugal and easy to start!
1. Wash your hair with a non-sulfate clarifying shampoo to remove all of the gunk and product build-up from your hair.
2. Get your ends trimmed on your hair to give you a fresh start to your new curls.
3. Don’t ever use a brush on your hair. You will need a wide-toothed comb or you can use your fingers to comb through your curls in the shower and when your hair is wet.
4. Don’t use shampoo on your hair and only use conditioner on your hair. Shampoo has harsh chemicals in it that dry out and damage your curls. Instead, use conditioner and give your scalp a nice massage and rub the conditioner into the scalp. Apply the conditioner to the rest of your hair and let it set in on your hair for four minutes and condition your curls. I comb my conditioner through with my hands and don’t even use a comb on my hair. Finish by rinsing your hair with a cool rinse. Even if you are not washing with shampoo, there is no need to do this daily, some girls can even go once a week! I rinse mine with conditioner three days a week and that seems to work well with my hair.
5. Apply product to your hair while it is still wet (you can use an additional frizz cream and gel) and Scrunch your curls or wrap individual curls around your fingers to shape them.
6. Allow your curls to air dry or use a diffuser to dry them. Never use a towel on your curls because they can bruise and frizz your curls up. Instead, use a microfiber towel or even an old t-shirt to dry your hair. These instructions explain the drying process well.
7. Allow your hair two to six weeks to adjust to your new routine. I found it takes me about two weeks for my hair to look good, but it depends on how much abuse your hair has suffered!
I am on week one again of letting my curls all hang out. Again, I feel unpolished and crazy, but here is where I am at right now:
This is actually the second day without washing my hair (in week one) and all I had to do was use a little water to scrunch everything back up again. I am working on being comfortable with my original look, but I definitely am getting used to these crazy old curls again. I can’t wait to see what my curls look like after six weeks of this treatment!
I had been planning to blog about this and they reissued the Curly Girl book and asked if I wanted to host a giveaway for my readers. Since it is something I am using in my own life, I am excited to share it with another girl fighting her natural beauty and curls! I am looking forward to getting my hands on my own copy of this book since I have worn the library book out to pieces!
Today I am giving away a copy of the new CURLY GIRL: The Handbook and a DevaCurl Travel Kit of products to care for your curls. Three additional winners will win a copy of the Curly Girl Book! That means four girls will be rocking their original curls this year thanks to MomAdvice!
To enter, leave a comment below letting me know why you need this book for yourself (or for someone you love!) Please submit your entries by Tuesday (03/01) at 8PM EST. Our winner will be drawn at random. Good luck, everyone!
MomAdvice Giveaway Guidelines: Want to know more about how things are handled here at MomAdvice? Be sure to read our Disclaimer which clearly states how things work and know that we will always offer only the best reviews and giveaways to our readers. In full disclosure, the email addresses that are collected for this giveaway will only be used for the purpose of contacting the winner(s), and will never be sold or given to anyone. This giveaway is only open to residents of the United States who are 18 years of age or older. Entries that do not follow the above criterion will automatically be disqualified. This giveaway will close Tuesday, March 1st at 8PM (EST). I’ll announce the first name of the winner(s) that will be added to the top of this current giveaway post and contact the winner(s) by email. I will draw the names of the winner(s) by using the random number generator at Random.org from the eligible entries received. If a winner does not contact me within 72 hours by email, I will draw a new winner. The winner(s) will receive their prize from the PR agency/company responsible for this giveaway. The above link(s) are an affiliate link and provided for reference for our readers.