Curl Talk: What you need to know to love yours.

So I am famously that girl that has always disliked her naturally curly hair.

I am that girl that woke up 2 hours before school started

just so I could blow-dry and straighten my hair....everyday.

Looking back I realize the main reason

I did not embrace my curls is that I did not know how to

take care of them to fully benefit me and how I wanted to look.

It was simply a lack of knowledge.

Everywhere you look when it comes to beauty and advertisements

the norm is straight hair and how to achieve that.

Facts and tips to accomplish beautiful curly hair show up few and far between.

But here it is readers, the basic 101 on how to take care of those curls

and start a love/love relationship with them instead of continuing that love/hate war.

1. Realize the blessing of having the option to go curly or straight on any given day.

Girls with curls are far more fun and versatile then girls without curls.

2. It is all in the haircut.

If your hair is short, you want weight. This keeps from your hair getting

 that annoying poof and frizz all at the same time.

If your hair is long, it's okay to have the stylist thin your hair. It is not to heavy and

adds that envied bounce to the hair that straight heads want.

If you plan on straightening your hair regularly (what are you reading

this blog for?) then make sure your hair is cut after it has been blown dried and

straightened so you achieve the desired affect with the end result.

3. Less product equals happy hair.

I used to add 4 or 5 different products to my hair, thinking I was helping the curls.

Fact is that I hindered letting my hair be itself.

After multiple years of trial and error, I have found that I need just one product.

Yes, one product and one product only.

The mousse from the Herbal Essence: Tousle Me Softly Hair Line

for curly hair.

After washing I put this in my hair after getting the extra moisture out.

It does not weigh my hair down but helps control the frizz that happens with humidity.

There is no crunch feeling when running my hands through my curls.

And it smells delicious.

I have not used the shampoo/conditioner from this line because my hair is colored.

And that last sentence is for another time and blog.

4. Towels are our friends, not enemies.

There is a towel specifically designed for hair that is not the same size or shape as a body towel.

It is perfect for drying the hair efficiently but without the added weight of the typical body towel.

I purchased mine at the Dollar Store, but they can be found on http://www.ulta.com/ or http://www.sallybeauty.com/ as well.

This particular tip I got from my sister and now I do this every time.

You just put this towel on after you bathe to get the excess moisture out that I talked about earlier.

Then after a minute or two you take it off to apply the mousse.

Put the towel back on and let your hair naturally dry as you finish your after shower routine.

For me this is about 20 minutes (compared to the hour when I blow-dry and straighten)

Keeping the towel on lets your hair dry in its natural shape with out the chance to frizz,

with the aid of the product as well.

5. The option to bounce or not.

If you want less bounce, wash your hair at night and follow the tips about an hour before you go to bed.

In the morning your hair will still have curls, but not as full and thick as you are used too.

Since using these two simple steps,

I have become reattached to my natural curl and don't bother with straightening as often.

It is nice to know I still have the option though.