Curl Talk.

 
Girl. You got curls?

 About this time last year Laura had a great quote in the New York Times for a great article about curly hair entitled Curls Get Their Groove Back in the fashion and style section.

“People want too much control over their hair,but anything you try to control too much loses its magic,” said Laura Connors, a stylist at Seagull, a salon in the West Village that specializes in curly hair.” Curls Get Their Groove Back” – New York Times

We love curly hair here at Seagull--whether you're sporting ringlets, waves, kinks, or swirls, we think you look great when you rock your hair's own gorgeous natural texture.

We get a lot of questions about curly styling, so we've put together some step-by-step tips courtesy of our resident curl expert Laura. Read on for a how-to on rocking killer curls for springtime.

 

Washing: Start the process with the right shampoo and conditioner. A low- or no-sulfate shampoo is best to avoid stripping hair of moisture. Love Curl Enhancing Shampoo and Love Curl Enhancing Conditioner from Davines are great for fine curls that need amping up. For frizzy curls that need taming, there's Love Lovely Smoothing Shampoo and conditioner. (In addition to smelling amazing, all Davines shampoos and conditioners are color-safe as well as environmentally low-impact. That's so win/win.) After shampooing, apply conditioner to just the ends of hair. Post-shower, use a towel to SOFTLY squeeze and pat water out of hair--avoid roughing up your hair, because you want to preserve the curl pattern.

Products: Products are crucial tools in your curl styling arsenal, but remember--less is more. Be careful not to weigh down curls with too much; you want to coax, not shellack. It takes some experimenting to know what products, and what amounts, work best for you.

To enhance volume and define curls, apply a ping pong-ball sized dollop of mousse from roots to ends while hair is wet. We love Davines #3 Universal Mattering Mousse because it never gets that yucky crispy feeling and it smells like cupcakes. (Optional: use a pea-sized dab of Kevin Murphy Hair Resort for added hold and beachy texture.) And while you're moussing, remember: you do need it on your roots for volume, but make sure to disperse the product lightly and evenly so it's not concentrated in one area.

Another option we like for taming and defining frizzy/coarse curls is Kevin Murphy Easy Rider. Use a pea-sized amount, emulsify in hands, and work from the ends up, skipping your roots. 

Before drying: Separate your hair into sections and twist. If you prefer to just let your hair air-dry, then you can let it be and run your fingers through the sections to break up the twists later, when hair has completely dried. 

Drying: For maximum curls, use a diffuser to dry the twisted sections of hair. Make sure to dry as gently as possible with the diffuser. Gently! Don't move the diffuser around too much or too fast--that's just inviting frizz into your life!

  

Finishing Up: When your hair is almost dry, blast it with a little hairspray. Spray sparingly! (We love Crystal Fixative Lacquer #7 from Davines--like their mousse, it smells sooo good and doesn't get crunchy.) Now, shake out your hair and flip it upside down while continuing to dry the roots with the diffuser. While your mane is still upside down, give it another light mist of hairspray. Now flip those curls right side up and use fingers to separate and style your curls to your satisfaction. Polish the look with a final touch of hairspray if needed.

Now go enjoy your curls, you glamorous babe.

*Thanks to Michelle for modeling those killer curls!

xo, Seagull Salon

Comments

[MDN]

Thank you so much...I'm going to try the 'twist' drying method!

[shaun]

Wow you guys. This is really a great article. I hadn't actually read all the way through *Curl Talk*... I'm really impressed at how the article so articulately conveyed how to manage curly hair!
Thanks Laura and Molly.
Shaun Surething.