B003YL4KS0 EBOK (16 page)
Authors: Lorraine Massey,Michele Bender
Vida with relaxed hair.
Yes, I decided it was time to let my hair be. I didn’t make any big commitments and I always kept a bottle of relaxer in my fridge at home, just in case. I went cold turkey. Now, some people prefer to go curly more gradually by softening their hair first with what they believe are gentle relaxers. But remember that by doing so, your curls won’t emerge as quickly, if at all, or will be lethargic. That said, I know you need to find your own comfort level.
Vida goes natural.
At first, I’d braid my hair or do a two-strand twist, let it dry, and then unravel it. But my hair didn’t grow very much and I didn’t see many curls. Finally, I had to admit that I really needed to leave my hair alone once and for all. So I started following the routine for multi-curl-tural hair (described in detail,
pages 65
–69): I gave up shampoo and slathered my dry hair with a botanical conditioner, starting at the ends and working it throughout my whole head of hair. Often, I’d keep the conditioner in my hair for an entire weekend.
Vida in transition.
My hair began to grow faster than I imagined it could. The first section of curls cropped up in the back of my head; the last in the front and on top, which makes sense since those are the areas most exposed to environmental damage. Soon my hair was below my bra strap. Years ago, if you’d told me that I’d have the curls I do today, I would have said you were crazy, thinking “other people’s hair may grow like that, but my hair doesn’t.” But it did. And so can yours.
Note:
For more tips on going natural, see
chapter 7
, Curlies Coming Out of the Closet.
Vida’s amazing curls today.
So if you’re ready to put down the chemicals, relaxers, and hot combs and go natural, understand that your curls are not going to happen overnight,
but they will come
. However, they’re not going to reach their full potential until the products full of petroleum, waxes, and silicones are no longer clinging to your strands. Keeping hair in optimum condition during the growing-out phase is paramount, because you want the new growth to be healthy. Coconut oils, shea butter, jojoba oil, and TLCurl are all key moisturizers to use during this phase and in the future to keep your hair hydrated. Your hair will start to lie a little softer once it’s no longer being abused.
Begin by following the cleansing and styling routines for fractal and zigzag curls, on the next page. At first you will need to use a sulfate-free cleanser or botanical conditioner several times a week to really release all the waxy product from your hair. I also recommend that you condition your hair nightly as I did. Also, leaving some, maybe all, of the conditioner in your hair when you shower can be a good styling foundation. If you have flyaways, put some gel in your hands and glide it over your wet hair. The next day, your hair will probably still look great and the bathroom steam will reactivate your curl product from the day before.
CURL CONFESSIONStephanie Trusty
bookkeeper and staff accountantStarting around the age of nine, my sister would straighten my tight, kinky hair with a hot comb heated on the stove using either lard or very thick hair pomade. The whole house would smell like something was burning. After that, I graduated to permanent relaxers, but that thinned out my hair around the edges and in other spots.
Then I went natural, but couldn’t stand it, so I tried getting my hair hot-combed at a salon. The tips of my ears got burnt and smoke filled up the place with such heat that I could hardly stand it—all just to get my hair straight! I tried to sleep with rollers in my hair but it was torture. The final straw happened when a beautician put a softener in my hair that left my hair smelling like rotten fish for a month despite many, many washings.
Finally, I was tired and frustrated by my quest to find the “perfect solution.” My hair wanted to be curly. I had to stop fighting it, and I cut my hair really short. I wondered if my hair made me look unattractive to men. (I know it shouldn’t have mattered, but it did.) So it meant a lot to me when my oldest brother, whose opinion I highly value, told me how great it looked. Many of my friends say they wish they could just let their hair go, but they think their husbands won’t like it. My advice? Give it a try! It is so liberating not to have to spend the time and money in salons and on products trying to figure out how to tame my hair. It took a while, but I finally learned that what my hair really wanted was for me to let it be its kinky, curly self.
AFRO-ZENGrowing out hair treated by relaxers can be a pain, but relax (pun intended). Be Zen and adventurous with it. Some creative ideas to help you through this awkward phase include:
•
Hats, headbands, clips, and other hair adornments can be helpful enhancements.•
Go for a Billie Holiday jazz singer look that is sleek, slicked back, and anchored with clips, a flower, or brooch at the side.•
The Afraux-hawk is so popular in an updo shape and can be very flattering with all hair types and face shapes. Simply slick or braid back the sides and allow the top center to be freestanding and natural.•
The “twist and out” is a great day-to-evening look. Twist or braid locks when wet for daytime, so they set the hair but still look stylish. Then at night, unleash them by gently opening them apart and shaking out your curls so they’re voluminous and sexy.•
Hairpieces can be playful, when clipped in temporarily for a stylish look.
•
Cleansing/conditioning and styling time:
10 to 15 minutes. This time will decrease when hydration has become your hair’s way of life.
Fractal and zigzag curls are the tiniest, driest, and densest of any hair type. Because of their nonporous nature, a lot of products don’t penetrate the hair shaft, which is why you may have tried unsuccessfully to hydrate your hair in the past. You know by now that sulfate-filled products are bad for curls, and for fractals and zigzags they’re a disaster. Just one dose of shampoo takes gallons of water to rinse and it never comes out completely. For these curl types to absorb maximum moisture, they need to be hydrated
before
you get in the shower. A precleanse acts as a wetting agent for these hard-to-saturate fractals and zigzags, making the conditioning process more effective. This method is also great for cleansing dreadlocks, weaves, or extensions.
COLORING MULTI-CURL-TURAL CURLSThough you can color your curly hair (I use a lightener on mine), you have to be careful. Hair color chemicals can dehydrate your already parched curls. Just make sure you are conditioning and deep conditioning on a regular basis, in order to put back the moisture that’s depleted when hair coloring products are used. And remember: No shampoo! Ever!
Daily Routines: Fractal and ZigZag Curls (3:39)
1
Before getting in the shower, pour a shallow palmful of sulfate-free cleanser or botanical conditioner into one hand, then rub your hands together. (If you’re not sure whether to use cleanser or conditioner, go with the latter because it is more hydrating.) Smooth the cleanser or conditioner over the entire surface of the hair’s canopy, using a downward motion. This precleanse acts as a wetting agent to make the cleansing and conditioning process more effective. (It saves water, too.)
