Curly Hair Tips from Aphrodite's Sanctuary

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I kind of an anomaly in my family - the only one with curly hair! Well, actually I shouldn't say that, some of my uncles have wavy hair, but they're boys so styling it isn't as much of an issue for them. I was actually born with pretty straight hair - maybe it had a slight wave. My mom chopped my hair off when I was in grade 3 since she was obsessed with Princess Diana at the time (who wasn't!). When my hair grew back, what a surprise, it was curly! Everyone in my family loved my curly hair and told me I was so lucky. I saw it as a curse! I didn't see it as curly, it was a big frizz ball and so it stayed in a pony tail or bun for most of my childhood.

As I've grown up I've learned to deal with it and even appreciate it. Most people I encounter assume that I have a perm and I'm pretty proud to say that it's natural!
When I look for a hair stylist I always make sure to ask for a stylist that can cut curly hair. The right cut is REALLY important for those with curly hair. Hair is usually cut wet and when is dry it bounces up significantly.

Being on Twitter you get to meet such great people! I've been tweeting a lot with Nadine aka Curly Stylist who is always so great at giving me hair tips, I jumped at the chance to visit her at her salon Aphrodite's Sanctuary when an appointment suddenly opened up. It was meant to be!

Aphrodite's Sanctuary specializes in, but not limited to curly hair. Nadine's salon has amazing reviews over at naturallycurly.com which is an amazing resource for those of us blessed with curly locks.


Here's what my hair usually looks like.  You can tell it's curly but the curls are definitely not defined.



The first time Nadine touched my hair she noted how dry it was! So moisture was key to getting my curls back into tip top shape. 

She recommended shampooing with Deva Care products: No Poo and One Condition.

Tip #1: Cleanse the hair and scalp with a shampoo that doesn't contain harsh and dehydrating chemicals. Nadine recommended Deva Curl No Poo to me because this line 100% sulfate, paraben and silicone free but it moisturizes too.

This product doesn't lather and I know that lather isn't necessary for cleansing but it definitely takes getting used to. A few times I thought that I put in conditioner instead of shampoo!

Tip #2: Hydrate hair GENEROUSLY with a moisturizing conditioner. The One Condition has olive oil to help retain moisture in the hair and is designed for chemically treated dry hair like mine.

I'm always pretty generous with my conditioner as my hair always feels really tangled but I noticed that since I've been using both these products I haven't had to use as much conditioner to detangle my hair. I kind of use it as a treatment, making sure that each section of my hair is coated with the conditioner before rinsing it out.  Occasionally I will add more conditioner to my hair and leave it in.

Now on to the styling products.  Nadine recommended the Curls line of products, Quenched Curls and Curl Gel-les'c.

Tip #3:  Apply products to sopping wet hair.  Yup!!  This one was an eye opener for me. Taking my soaking and dripping wet hair in sections I use the Quenched Curls moisturizer and sprayed it into my hair. Nadine actually recommended getting a water bottle and diluting this product as you don't need much and it will last longer! (I have yet to do that).

I then apply the Curl Gel-les'c (pronounced Jealousy according to the website) which is in between a gel and a serum. It really it! It's not as liquidy as a serum but it works into the hair really nicely unlike a gel and it doesn't leave my hair "crunchy".  Again, I'm applying this product to soaking wet hair so this process is all done while still standing in the shower.  I flip my head over and then scrunch up my curls.

Tip #4: Use a micro fibre towel to wrap hair (if you must wrap it) and use clips to keep volume at the top of your head.

Those of you with curly hair may be familiar with what I call the Christmas Tree or Triangle look.  That's where your curls are bouncy and full of volume starting at the mid point of your head and create a wider triangle look at the bottom while the top of your head it flat.  Sound familiar?

The trick is to take clips such as the ones in the picture and clip your hair at the roots but make sure that the clips are "standing up" and not lying flat.  Let your hair air dry like this or use a blow dryer (see next tip).

Tip #5: Blow dry your hair with a diffuser set on LOW - MEDIUM heat and LOW speed.

Nadine told me that setting the dryer to a high setting will essentially just suck all the moisture you've worked hard to adding to the hair.  It's also important to work in sections, drying each section for a few seconds then moving on to the next until you've covered the whole head then repeating if you need to.  At Nadine's salon she had those big dryers that covered your whole head similar to the one below.  Man I wish I had one of those! I could just sit back and relax or do my makeup as my hair is drying!

Tip #6: Don't dry hair completely! To prevent frizz never dry hair completely, the key is to retain the moisture so the curls keep their shape.

Also, don't forget the clips are still in the hair!  Carefully remove the clips and add a shine product like Deva Curl MirrorCurls

I admit I don't use this product that much, I find it a bit hard to work with since you need SUCH a tiny amount.  I need to remember to work it in my hands first then add to my hair.  What Nadine taught me to do was flip my head upside down and with the products in my hands apply it to my hair by scrunching but also shaking lightly at the roots to remove any dents that the clips may have caused. 

If needed I will then blow dry as I mentioned above but with my head upside down just to make sure there is volume at the top of my head too.

Here are the results after I left Aphrodite's Sanctuary (sorry, had to take the pictures by the light with the curtain in the background - at this time this was the only place in the house that wasn't a disaster!)

Nicely defined and shiny curls, but wait until you see the back!

 

Look how curly my hair looks!!!  I couldn't believe that my curls were really THAT curly! 

So I've been keeping the routine up, I have to admit that some days are better than others :P  The times when I am able to let my hair air dry as much as possible like on the weekends seem to turn out better than others.  And I'm trying not to shampoo my hair as often so as not to dry it out. It's definitely worth the effort and the products are way more expensive than buying products from the local drug store but I really think it's worth the splurge.  Hopefully when my hair is in better condition I won't have to use as much product and will save money in the long run!

I hope these tips will help you out!  But if you have any questions, as the expert, Nadine aka Curly Stylist of Aphrodite's Sanctuary.

***Disclosure: all products and services purchased by me!***