Sarah, our Body Care Department Lead, has an amazing head of curly red hair! She often gets complimented on her lovely locks, and asked for the details of her hair care regimen. She put together this entertaining and comprehensive guide for all the curly girls out there - tried and true ways to maintain that gorgeous mane!
Sarah's curls on display during the first winter snow!
If you are a fellow curly haired comrade, you can appreciate the woes of curly hair... both loving your curls and learning how to maintain and style them. It took me nearly 20 years to fully embrace my curls and almost 10 more to learn how to perfect the styling and maintenance of them. With the help of an amazing book, called Curly Girl: The Handbook, MopTop Haircare products, and a microfiber towel, I don't think my curls have ever looked so good, in my humble opinion. So if you want to learn to love your curls and establish a successful styling routine, here's what you oughta do...
Read the book Curly Girl: The Handbook to refresh your attitude and hair-outlook. This book is great for that, as well as helping you to understand how curly hair works and the type of curls you have. It's also crucial in learning which hair care products to avoid, and most importantly how to care for and style your curly hair. And after you do this...
MopTop Haircare is "curly girl" friendly, meaning it does not contain sulfates, silicone, and parabens that are harsh and strip your hair of beneficial oils. Curly hair is more delicate and drier than other hair types, so you must treat it tenderly! At the beginning of my new routine, I used the MopTop Haircare Clarifying Rescue Treatment. This is just a once in a while reset/detox for your hair, especially if you were using mainstream hair care products previously. It makes your hair feel fresh and rejuvenated without feeling dry or too squeaky clean.
Then, you shampoo! I use the MopTop Haircare Gentle Shampoo. Since using this shampoo, I've found that I don't need to wash as frequently, as I think it balances my scalp oil production. It's not drying or harsh on my curls either. And it smells very nice! If you're switching from mainstream shampoo, it will feel a little different because it doesn't lather a ton or leave your hair feeling squeaky clean, but that's how it's supposed to be!
Next, I condition with the MopTop Haircare Light Conditioner. It's important to be extra gentle when shampooing and conditioning. The Curly Girl Handbook illustrates how to properly shampoo and condition, but you basically want to comb it through with your fingers, scrunch, and then rinse as you scrunch. The Light Conditioner makes your hair so soft but not heavy and you really can run your fingers through your hair!
I apply the Medium Hold Gel by MopTop while my hair is still damp, smoothing over my hair and scrunching upward. No toweling yet! As per the Curly Girl method, this helps to define your curls and lock in the moisture. I like the MopTop gel because it provides definition and hold to my curls but doesn't make them crunchy or dry.
Finally, the 3rd key player: the Microfiber Towel by Earth Therapeutics. This towel has been miraculous. Cup your hair with the towel, scrunch, and squeeze. The towel soaks so much water and exponentially speeds drying and decreases frizz!
Occasionally in the winter, I will use a hair dryer with diffuser attachment if I don't have time to wait for my hair to dry. The diffuser attachment is important, as it diffuses the harsh heat and helps to maintain hair definition.
And waa-laa!! A head of hair that's supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!