Previously we entered the world of curly hair in my previous post. We continue here with the sometimes hilarious, sometimes frustrating, and sometimes expensive consequences to it all.
The thing about curls is that they a personality all to themselves. They demand at times to be tamed or pulled back. I say pulled back as if it's an easy and quick thing to do. It can be, but it takes practice and a mirror. Then you have to determine which hair tie you have around your wrist best suits your current situation.
Are the curls just in your way but need to be preserved for later? That's a tight tie once around.
Are they driving you nuts and you don't have anything to do but cook dinner and work out later? That's a medium tight tie, two or three times around – and maybe even a bun or an updo depending on your level of frustration.
Are you sort of hoping they're going to stay nice but you don't necessarily need them to be down later? That's a loose tie twice around. You see where this is going.
They sometimes get lazy, wake up late, go to sleep early and don't show up when they should. They're idiosyncratic and controlling. No, you can't go swimming right now, you just got out of the shower and did your hair. They have a short working day. From door to door between each shower, they likely only make a good appearance for, at best four hours.
Unless you have the aforementioned unaffected cupid curls. So, it depends on your kind of curl. But let's average it and say you'd better only have one important thing planned for the day unless you live nearby and don't mind taking multi-daily showers.
Sometimes they make you think, maybe I can air-dry and not diffuse today – only to find out your guessed wrong, and now must back track to fix it. In which case your ends will look like they've been through hell and back just so you can have some body on your crown. It's a give and take – all the time. They may get mad and decide to separate from one another, perfectly rejecting the idea of teamwork. Enter hair tie. And on humid days, the headband.
The product and the straightening is a whole other animal entirely. Product. How much? What kind? Applied all over or just to the ends or nape? A different product to the tips than the root? It's a never-ending battle of dos and don'ts.
My best advice? Never use more than two quarters worth (and I have long hair). And stick to clear or lighter colored creams. Never, I repeat NEVER gels. As far as straightening goes, stick to the winter months and if patience isn't a virtue, I'd get used to the look au naturel.
But as much as we complain and make fun, or as we may never forget get made fun of, curly hair has its plusses (and I think we've discovered minuses). We are the envy of every flat-haired woman in the world. They look at us and fume, minuses). We are the envy of every flat-haired woman in the world. They look at us and fume, "Right there! That! Why can't I have that?! That's exactly what I want. Is that so hard? And here I have to slave over the curlers for an hour just to have them fall out after twenty minutes. I bet that girl doesn't even do anything. She just combs her hair and walks out the door!"
Yes, ma'am, it's true. I do comb and walk, just about every day. What you don't know is it comes with the price I've already mentioned. But knowing what I do know, and hearing my mom say those same words near verbatim, I'll take the good, the bad and the curly every time. Another plus? We're almost always cute. There is something about seeing a good girl with curly hair that just puts you in that happy place. Maybe it's a childhood memory or a friend you know whose hair looks like that. Or maybe, it reminds you of that time you decided (the worst decision of your life yet) to get a perm. And it reminds you of how wrong you were when you thought getting a perm would make your hair look like any curly haired compadres.
Nice try.
Membership only applies once, from the beginning and it lasts a lot longer than your perm. I'd be remiss if I didn't say a benefit was that our curly hair gives us character. Cliche maybe? But how boring are those girls who had to put a pink bow in their hair in 7th grade because it was the only thing that made their hair different from anyone else's with straight hair. We curly haired girls are so unique. Our hair never looks the same twice. We are a year round snowflake, different with every wash, every day. Plus, I think I heard somewhere that curly haired girls are smarter. Yes, I'm certain I read that in a medical journal once.
So please forgive me bus companion, with your adorable corkscrew curls you tied back over and over and over again. As you see here I've been bothered that I didn't give us a better more acquainted introduction and flash my club card at you with the secret handshake. I hope one day we'll meet again. Perhaps then we'll have stumbled upon a newer and even better product than the ones we discussed last time that we can share.
For those interested: my go-to never fail product for both air and blowdry is Aveda Be Curly and Infusium 23's leave-in treatment. Also surprisingly good for the cheap stuff is Aussie Mousse + Leave In Conditioner. I usually stray from mousses but this one's not bad. Shea Moisture makes some wonderful leave-in products geared towards our hair and the price is most definitely right. Find a hairdryer and diffuser you love. I promise it will be worth the hassle of searching and paying for one. Try new things and different things at least once, and please report back to those of us card-holding members.
