Advice for managing curly hair, from waves to coils

Acurly crown

Anyone with curly hair will know all about the hours that are spent trying to straighten it. But these days more people are making peace with their curls. Elsa Krüger shares advice on how to make this ʻnegotiationʼ a bit easier.

There was a little girl, Who had a little curl, Right in the middle of her forehead. When she was good, She was very, very good, But when she was bad she was horrid.

‒ Nursery rhyme attributed to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

styling HANNES KOEGELENBERG photos ED OʼRILEY

How many times have these words flitted through my head as I have stood, hands in hair, tussling with my curly locks that have a will of their own? When my hair is ʻbadʼ , I feel ʻhorridʼ . When I lived in Johannesburg, the curls and frizz were restricted to rainy weather and humidity. Otherwise my hair was blow-dried straight. But now that I live at the coast, I have had to make peace with my curls. It remains a struggle. After a lifetime of trying everything to straighten my hair ‒from a hot iron on an ironing board to Brazilian keratin treatments ‒ I am now learning to love my curls again. Fortunately the timing is good. In recent years, there has been a worldwide shift towards natural hair, a giant ʻcurl-naissanceʼ movement so to say. Natural and especially curly hair is stepping up into the spotlight. And have you noticed how much shelf space is being given over to new haircare products formulated specifically for curls? Curly hair has unique require-

ments, and at last cosmetic houses and hairstylists have seen the light. And very timeously, I came across Lorraine Masseyʼs book Curly Girl: The Handbook to educate me and give me insight into how incorrectly I handle/mishandle my curls. In addition, South African entrepreneur Simonne Solarsh made it her lifeʼs work to formulate a product for curly hair after a hair stylist told her as a teenager that she should accept that she would never have soft, shiny hair, because curly hair is by nature dry and dull. Press the fast-forward button and the IntrinsiCurly Me salon range, made for wavy, curly and coily hair, takes a bow ‒ fully embracing the Curly Girl Method (more about this later) that was Simonneʼs inspiration. She tried out and tested formulas until she had perfected the recipe for shiny, bouncy curls. Simonne says waves, curls and coils should be celebrated, instead of being ironed flat and damaged by chemical products and heat. ʻIf you constantly fight against your natural hair, you suppress your beautiful wild side and who you really are. If you are born with curls, that is who you are intrinsically. ʼ But before you can manage your crowning glory correctly, you need to know what type of curls you have. Your curl type is determined by the shape of the hair follicles in your scalp, out of which your hair grows. The flatter and more oval-shaped the follicle, the curlier the hair; the rounder the follicle, the straighter the hair. The curl pattern is then determined by what the hair itself does ‒ does it kink, curve or wind around itself in spirals? Most of us with curly hair know that you can have all three patterns on one head!

Here is a simple guideline:

Hair types are classified from straight to coily from 1 to 4 and then sub-classified from A to C, depending on the width (circumference) of the curls. Type A is wider or looser, B is medium and C is tighter. TYPE 1 IS STRAIGHT. It never curls. It is super-easy to care for and to style. TYPE 2 IS WAVY WITH A LOOSE ʻSʼ PATTERN. Type 2A hair lies close to the scalp, with little volume at the roots. It is fine, curls sometimes and the waves donʼt hold their shape, while too much product can make it dull and ʻweighed downʼ . Type 2B has more volume at the roots. It can be fine or coarse. 2C waves are thick and predisposed to curliness. The ʻSʼ curves are well defined and start at the roots.

TYPE 3 IS CURLY, BUT CAN ALSO BE A BIT FRIZZY. The curls are not well defined. The scalp and hair are dry. Type 3 can vary from loose, bouncy curls to tight, springy corkscrews. Type 3A is shiny, with large, loose curls, about the diameter of a swimming pool noodle. 3B has small, springy ringlets, about the size of a marking pen. The texture can be quite dry. Type 3C is tighter corkscrew spirals, about the circumference of a straw or pencil. The hair is thick, which gives it volume. It also frizzes easily.

TYPE 4 IS KINKY OR COILY. It is usually described as Afro-textured and is naturally very dry and spongy in texture. These curls are constantly thirsty. The hair can be soft or coarse or wiry. It forms tight, small curls or zigzags right from the scalp. Type 4A is dense S-pattern curls with the circumference of a crochet hook. 4B and 4C are very similar, with tight curls that are brittle and dry.

Breakthroughs in natural hair management

Over the past few years, the ʻnatural hairʼ movement has been picking up steam. Natural hair means hair that is not chemically treated or straightened to change its texture or curl pattern. Nowadays increasing numbers of women worldwide are embracing their natural hair. You can see on Pinterest how popular ʻcurly girlʼ posts are. Myriad women find themselves in a transition phase between chemical styling and natural hair. It takes work

‘If you constantly fight against your natural hair, you suppress your beautiful wild side and who you really are. ’

- Simonne Solarsh

and dedication to keep natural hair in a good condition, much more so than other hairstyles or types. The breakthrough with the Curly Girl Method is that it provides a foolproof step-by-step way to care for your curly hair so that the natural texture and curl pattern is shown to best effect. The method was developed by Lorraine Massey after she realised as a hairstylist with curly hair herself that regular haircare practices didnʼt work for curls. For example: Drying your curls with an ordinary towel will damage and break the hair. Wavy, curly and coily hair is much drier than straight hair. The natural oils from the scalp canʼt flow over the length of the kinks and spirals of textured hair. The hair needs to be handled gently to ensure that it holds and retains enough moisture. Frizz is a curl waiting to happen, says Lorraine. If you pay attention to the needs of your inherently curly hair, the frizzes will turn into curls. It is therefore clear that natural hair needs much more TLC than other hair types. You must put time and energy into the cleaning and moisturising, detangle knots carefully and use specific styling methods. The ʻco-washʼ method has made life easier for curly haired people. It means that you wash your hair with conditioner rather than shampoo. It retains the moisture in the hair that would otherwise be lost through the soapiness of shampoo.

Do’s and don’ts

3 Avoid sulphates. They make the shampoo foam, but they strip vital moisture from curly hair. 3 Avoid any products that need sulphates to remove them, like silicone, mineral oils and wax. 3 Avoid anything that will dry out the hair, like direct heat, chemical treatments or products that contain drying alcohols. These are very different from moisturising alcohols which are great ingredients. 3 Avoid any rubbing, for instance with rough towels. Without the protection of natural oils, the cuticles (or sheaths) of curly hair are very susceptible to damage. Things that have no impact on straight hair can damage curly hair, cause it to frizz or break. 3 Moisturise the hair regularly. Use moisturising ingredients such as shea butter, or oils such as jojoba, argan, avocado or coconut. 3 For stubborn frizz, use a leave-in conditioner followed by a mousse to seal in the hairʼs natural curl pattern and to provide extra moisture. 3 Keep your hands away from your hair while it is drying, otherwise you will end up with a halo of frizz. 3 Use a moisture-rich curl cream or gel that attracts moisture to your curls. Apply it while the hair is still sopping wet. 3 Buy haircare products that are specifically formulated for curls. There are plenty of co-wash cleansers for curls on the market. The correct cleanser reveals your curl pattern, and a styling product captures it. 3 Type 4 hair ʻshrinksʼ the most when it dries. Use moisturisers generously. Shea butter, coconut oil and castor oil work well to seal in the moisture. 3 As far as possible, avoid styling with heat. If it canʼt be avoided, use a hairdryer with a diffuser set on the lowest heat. The best (if you have the time) is to let your hair air-dry. 3 Detangle your hair while it is wet. A wide-toothed comb works best. Start at the ends and work up to the roots gradually as the hair becomes smoother. If you start at the roots, it pulls and breaks the hair. 3 The only time you should brush curly hair is before you wash it, to loosen any dirt and spread the oils over the length of the hair. 3 If your hair looks dry and bushy, rub a handful of hair treatment oil over it, especially at the tips. 3 Sleep on a silk or satin pillowslip. It prevents friction that could break the hair. 3 Never rub wet curly hair with an ordinary towel. It disturbs the hair sheath and frizz is your destiny. Gently press the hair dry with a microfibre towel or an old T-shirt. Look on Pinterest to see how ʻploppingʼ with a T-shirt works to create a glorious crown of curls. 3 Curly hair requires an expert hand when it comes to cutting. Look for a stylist who literally cuts each curl individually. Reneé Potgieter (support@ gentleapproach.co.za) in Cape Town

is a curl expert. Karen van Wyngaard from Johannesburg (072 264 9714) studied with Lorraine Massey. She runs courses for hairdressers teaching them to dry cut. Marion Magee from @Runningwithscissorshairdressing is also a curl expert. She studied with Karen.

Keep the bounce

Curly hair that has been correctly washed and styled is at its best the day it is washed and the next day. Curly haired people complain that by day three they need to wash again to get back the bounce and definition. But this isnʼt always necessary. You can refresh your curls without the whole washday routine. Shake up a teaspoon of conditioner or curl cream with water in a spray bottle. Spray it on your hair until almost wet through and scrunch it into the hair ‒ donʼt use a comb or brush, your hands and fingers must do the work. Then leave your hair alone and donʼt touch it again until it is 100% dry. If your hair feels a bit hard when it is dry, break the crunch by gently scrunching your curls between your fingers. Another way you can keep the curls bouncy for longer is to apply gel (make sure it doesnʼt contain alcohol) on day one and then on day two, dampen the hair and pull your fingers through the curls, from the roots to the tips.

Tips and tools

Treat your scalp like your face: Cleanse, exfoliate and moisturise. Scrubs for the scalp are widely available and help to remove the product deposits from the skin. Over time these deposits can block the hair follicles and inhibit healthy hair growth. They can also cause the scalp to itch, make it oily and result in hair nourishment not penetrating. You donʼt need to spend a fortune on products. Some of the most effective scalp cleansers and hair nutrition are in your pantry: apple cider vinegar, bicarbonate of soda, salt and rice water. APPLE CIDER VINEGAR: A regular rinse with cider vinegar maintains the ideal pH balance for scalp and hair (4,5-5,5). It prevents fungal or bacterial growth. Rinse your hair monthly with a solution of one part vinegar to four parts of water. Make sure you use a proper deep conditioner afterwards, otherwise the vinegar could make the hair dry. The vinegar also helps to close the cuticles, so the hair is shiny. Buy the raw vinegar that indicates ʻMotherʼ on the label ‒ it contains more enzymes, good bacteria, pectin and trace elements that feed the scalp. BICARBONATE OF SODA OR SALT: Emulsify the bicarb with water and rub it into your scalp. It lifts product deposits and scrubs the scalp clean. Mix salt with a bit of coconut oil and use as a scrub before you wash your hair. Do it monthly or when you feel it is necessary. RICE WATER: Fermented rice water is a tried-and-trusted recipe used by Eastern women to make their hair shiny, strong and thick and help it to grow long. To make it: Rinse half a cup dry rice with water, drain and add 2-3 cups hot water. Stir until the water looks milky. Seal the mixture for 24 hours so it can ferment, which raises the antioxidant content. Drain the water into a clean bowl and pour it into a spray bottle. Saturate the hair with it. Leave it in for a good while ‒like a hair mask ‒ before you rinse it off. Look on Pinterest for more variations of the recipe.

Products

Read labels with care. Use products that do not contain any silicone, sulphates, parabens, wax or mineral oils.

TRY From Dis-Chem, Clicks or supermarkets: The Perfect Hair Mango & Marula Luscious Leave-In Moisturizing Butter; Cantu Avocado Leave-In Conditioning Cream; Crème of Nature Pure Honey Moisture Replenish & Strength Hair Mask; Crème of Nature Argan Oil Creamy Oil Hair Moisturizing Hair Lotion; Crème of Nature Argan Oil Leave-In Conditioner; Crème of Nature Pure Honey Knot Away Leave-In Detangler; OGX Coconut Miracle Oil range; Two Oceans Island Coconut Oil + Argan Curl Quench range; Marc Anthony Strictly Curls range; HASK Curl Care range.

From salons or online: IntrinsiCurly Me (intrinsicurlyme. co.za); Davines LOVE/ range; Schwarzkopf BC Bonacure Scalp Genesis Root Activating Serum; Indola Innova Glamorous Oil Detangler; INOAR Afro Vegan range.

Sources: CurlyGirl: TheHandbook by Lorraine Massey (Workman Publishing Company, 2010); allure.com; intrinsicurlyme.co.za; Reneé Potgieter at support@gentleapproach.co.za. Curlies of SA on Facebook and @supernaturalhair on Instagram