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Rodney Cutler

Many women with curls and kinks view their texture as the enemy—a hindrance to achieving the hairstyles they want.

But armed with an understanding of your curl type, the right cut as well as the latest styling technologies, you can learn to love your hair’s natural texture rather than fighting it.

“Curly hair can look beautiful in so many varying ways,” says Redken Expert Rodney Cutler, a celebrity stylist who has curls himself. “It’s all about finding that comfort level. Having the right tools can help you embrace your curls and get your hair to look the best it can look.”

It’s crucial to get an understanding of your hair’s texture. Is it loose or tight, coarse or fine? Or is it a combination of textures? The texture of your hair will help you and your stylist determine what styles would work best for you.

“Figuring out your texture will determine the right length as well as how many layers you put in,” Cutler says.

Then it’s about using the right products to work with your cut, texture and the weather. Redken this month has unveiled several new styling products for curly hair, including Soft Spin 05 Curl-Enhancing Gel, new and improved Ringlet 07 Curl Perfecting Lotion and Curl Wise 14 Curl Defining Cream. Rounding out Redken’s curl lineup is Curl Force 17 Texturizing Spray-Gel.

For fine, wavier hair, Cutler suggests using Redken Fresh Curls shampoo and conditioner, then style with Redken soft spin 05 curl-enhancing gel.

For thicker, curlier locks, he likes Redken Fresh Curls Shampoo and Conditioner and styling with Redken ringlet 07 curl perfecting lotion.

And for tight, kinky hair, he suggests shampooing with Redken Fresh Curls Shampoo and conditioning with Redken Fresh Curls Curl Recovery intense rinse-out mask. To style, layer Redken Fresh Curls Curl Refiner leave-in anti-frizz detangler and Redken curl wise 14 curl defining cream for the perfect level of control.

Cutler also suggests cocktailing, or layering, products to get the results you want, whether your hair needs more moisture or more support. This may change depending on the hairstyle and the humidity level.

“The good thing about Redken’s new products is that they are so easily layered—whether your hair needs moisture or support,” says Cutler.

Your Redken hairstylist can help you customize your Redken cocktail.

Cutler says the modern technology available in products like Redken have conditioning as well as styling agents to keep curls looking shiny, healthy and defined.

Redken’s new styling products are enriched with natural ingredients such as avocado oil, sunflower oil and mango butter—nourishing ingredients that create healthy, bouncy waves and curls.

“We’ve gone to a whole new level,” Cutler says. “We’re getting better end results and we’re getting rid of damaging ingredients. We’ve gone through the next generation plus.”

When ABBA Pure Performance launched 21 years ago, it was a pioneer in natural haircare.

Over the past two years, ABBA has taken that commitment to a new level, introducing new ABBA pure performance hair care. The new salon collection is a full range of cleansers, conditioners, styling and treatment products designed to not only match the right natural plant ingredients to specific hair-care needs but also redefine the way performance is viewed in the natural hair-care category.

Too often, natural hair care comes at the expense of product performance. With ABBA, product performance is due to these natural ingredients, not in spite of them, says Kersten Lee, marketing manager for ABBA.

“These botanicals are performance-based,” Lee says. “When we relaunched the line, we wanted to make that clear to the consumer.”

All ABBA products focus on aN Herbal RX system that customizes the products for the daily needs of an individual’s hair by identifying the specific botanicals that are best.

“Abba’s philosophy is straightforward: prescriptive product formulas based in natural plant ingredients,” Lee says. “The result is truly customized approach to pure performance hair care.”

All products within the line carry the brand’s “Commitment to Purity” seal, a pledge to produce products that are natural and pure while recognizing the brand’s social responsibility to protect the earth. All ABBA products are 100% vegan, cruelty-free and free of synthetic dyes.

This focus on performance has helped make the Pure Curl category popular for individuals with both naturally curly and permed hair. The five products in the curl family contain a combination of natural herbal ingredients — including lemon grass, orange peel oil and chamomile – to help revitalize and detangle curly and wavy hair while delivery shine and bounce.

Pure Curl line actually evolved out of ABBA’s True Shapes Perm — a low-ammonia, low-thio perm that is the company’s top-selling product. The perm conditions the hair with an herbal therapy of arnica, chamomile, rosemary and watercress and is designed to create a natural look.

“It is unusual for a perm to be a company’s top-selling product,” Lee says. “Because of that, curls have been a big focus for us, and it was a natural progression for us to create products that are good for textured hair.”

The biggest issues with curlier hair types are dehydration and frizz, and ABBA’s curl system and Herbal Remedy Leave-In Treatment Moisture Spray are designed to moisturize and nourish curls and prevent frizz. Lee also recommends finishing styles with Abba Pomade, which provides separation, definition and shine.

For those straight-haired girls looking for beachy waves like Giselle’s, there’s a new product on the horizon that’s generating a lot of buzz in beauty circles.

Coming to salons Feb. 1, Pravana will be unveiling The Beach Wave, a salon service designed to provide long-lasting, soft, natural, undulating waves that don’t damage the hair. This unique application and gentle formula contains no thio (thioglycate, a relaxing agent), and utilizes natural Cysteamine, a natural amino acid, to realign the hair’s internal bonds to create a soft, sensuous wave.

This gentle formula is safe for color-treated hair and incorporates Keratin Fusion Restructurizing Serum to infuse hair with silk and human hair keratin amino acids which strengthen, protect and add shine.

This is not your mother’s perm.

John and Lotte Davis, founders of AG Hair Cosmetics

For most curlies, shampooing every day is a big no-no. But even if you don’t wash it every day, you want it to feel fresh and clean.

That’s why dry shampoos are gaining popularity with the curly crowd.

Dry shampoos comes in a variety of forms and provide a waterless way to freshen and restyle hair. Traditional wet shampoos contain a soap-free detergent that reduces the surface tension of the water, allowing it to move into the small crevices in the scalp and hair shaft, breaking up the oil into droplets that can be washed away. Dry shampoos usually contain a base of talc, cornstarch, potato, or rice that absorbs rather than washes away sebum and dirt.

For those who think of Psssssssst! when they think of dry shampoo — a relic from the ’70s that left a white film on the hair — the category has evolved dramatically in recent years.

This fall, AG Hair Cosmetics, creator of curly favorite Re:coil Curl Activator, developed FastFWD dry shampoo. It is designed to refresh without suds absorbing oil without leaving a film.

“Clients were demanding a dry shampoo,” said John Davis, founder of AG. “The main reason they want it is because of the shear convenience. And people with curly hair don’t like washing it every day because they don’t want to dry their hair out.”

Creating a dry shampoo wasn’t necessarily an easy endeavor. AG spent the past year developing FastFWD, Davis says. The biggest challenge was the technology — creating a powder that comes out in a spray that wouldn’t cake or lump. To accomplish this, the company looked at a variety of powders and liquids, working on different formulas in parallel until they came up with the perfect formula. Davis said the final product uses rice starch, silica and a polymer in an aerosilized can - a combination that absorbs dirt and creates body without leaving a powdery residue.

“You can get up in the morning, give it a quick refresh and boom, you’re ready to go,” Davis says.

Alexa

I can’t believe summer is over and it’s time to head back to school already. This summer, my curls took a real beating between the beach and camp. I enjoyed days at the beach, in the pool or just catching some rays, but the wind and salt from the ocean really left their mark on my hair. Here’s what I did to get my hair healthy and shiny just in time for class:

First I got a trim to remove dry, split ends that were left over from the sun and beach. My mom wanted me to cut my hair shorter for school. But to avoid any back-to-school hair trauma, I just went for a simple and minimum trim. No drastic hair cut was going to take place this year!

Second, if your hair is like mine, it had a lot of environmental build-up. YUCK! I used Ion Purifying Solutions Clarifying to remove all the chlorine and mineral gunk! After I use this shampoo, my hair is really beast (for those who are little older, that means it’s clean, fresh hair with its natural texture and vibrancy restored).

To keep my curls in perfect shape, there are a couple of other things I do. I don’t wash my hair every day. It might seem “gross,” but my hair is much shinier and in much better condition. Instead of washing it every day, I wash it just two or three times a week and make sure to condition it daily. I use Miracle 7 every day. It’s a leave-in conditioner that detangles and adds shine, but it’s light and doesn’t weigh my curls down. For a daily shampoo, I love Beyond The Zone Noodle Head Curly Hair Shampoo that makes my hair soft and shiny and it smells great.

Everyone’s curls are different so experiment with different products to find the ones that may be right for you. My mom shops at Sally Beauty so I always ride shotgun when she heads there or go online to SallyBeauty.com and see the tons of products they have and just experiment.

And when it comes to styles, have fun! Look through magazines and experiment with different accessories. I’m a big fan of curly ponytails. They look fun, and they keep my curls out of my face.

Gotta go! I hear the bell!

Do you want the beachy look of soft waves like supermodel Giselle? Herbal Essences’ celeb stylist Charles Baker Strahan tells you how to get them with the new Tousle Me Softly collection.

1. Wash and condition with Tousle Me Softly Shampoo and Conditioner
2. Mist Tousle Me Softly Spray Gel through wet hair
3. Blow hair dry with diffuser
   (Expert tip: Moving hair too much with the diffuser will cause frizz)
4. Smooth a round brush through hair and curl using heat from dryer
5. Smooth Tousle Me Softly Finishing Touch Cream over hair
6. Define curls with curling iron

See how to style your hair with Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly.

Alexa

This month, many kids will be heading off to camp, looking forward to weeks of swimming, horseback riding and canoeing.

While you’re labeling your clothes and packing your sunscreen, make sure you’ve developed a plan to keep your ringlets looking their best. We asked 10-year-old veteran curly camper Alexa from Texas to share some of her top tips.

The key is to keep it simple and fun with the right products and styling tips for the great outdoors.

If at all possible, keep your curls longer. That provides you with more options. If you want to get a haircut, make sure you talk to your stylist before the cut to communicate what exactly you are looking for — a short wash-and-wear curly cut or a trim that provides different styling options.

Make sure you’re stocked up on the right products to deal with the demands of an active camper. If you shampoo every day, make sure the cleanser you choose is gentle. Alexa’s favorites are Beyond The Zone Noodle Head Curly Hair Shampoo (it helps her curls stay soft, full and untangled) and Ion Anti-Frizz Smoothing Shampoo (It helps smooth her curls, zaps her frizz and makes it easier to detangle).

Ion Curl Defining Conditioner

Beyond the Zone Noodle Head Leave-In

For swimmers, you might want to buy a bathing camp. However, if wearing a swim cap doesn’t fit into their summer fashion style, make sure to drench your hair with water before you enter a pool, lake or ocean, and coat your hair with a good conditioner or leave-in conditioner. Applying a conditioner to your hair will fill up the gaps in your hair shaft and act as a barrier to the chlorinated water. Alexa recommends Ion Curl Solutions Curl Defining Conditioner and Beyond The Zone Noodle Head Curly Hair Conditioner or Beyond the Zone Noodle Head Leave-in Conditioner. They also help make detangling a snap!

Make sure you rinse your hair with water after swimming. You might want to include a clarifying shampoo in the mix that removes chlorine and saltwater, such as Ion Anti-Chlorine Swimmers Shampoo.

Ion Curl Solutions Curl Defining Shaping Crème

Don’t forget the styling products, which can make life a lot easier by defining curls and fighting frizz. Alexa’s favorites are Beyond The Zone Noodle Head Curling Cream, Beyond The Zone Noodle Head Curl Boosting Spray, Curl Solutions Curl Defining Shaping Crème and Ion Anti-Frizz Gel Styling Mist.

The right styles can take the angst out of your camp experience. Ponytails and braids are always a cute, easy option. Or pull the hair back with clips or a bandana. The time to experiment with styles is before you go to camp, such as on the weekends or in the evenings. That gives you plenty of time to learn how to braid your hair! Practice with a few friends! And don’t forget to have fun!

Ouidad

Are you a curly girl? If your curls could talk, what would they say?

That’s what Ouidad wants to know in the “If These Curls Could Talk!” contest, which starts today.

Upload a picture of your curly ‘do, and, using the “talk bubbles,” tell Ouidad what your curls would say.

Ouidad will pick a grand prize winner from the top 250 highest scoring entries. The winner will be named a Ouidad Curl Ambassador. That person will have the opportunity to guest blog on Ouidad.com, and will also receive the ultimate curly girl weekend in New York, complete with a makeover with Ouidad at her flagship salon, round trip airfare for two, two nights at the W Hotel, two tickets to see “In the Heights,” a $500 American Express gift card and a collection of Ouidad products. Prizes also will be given to a runner up and 43 other entrants.

The contest runs June 2 through July 14. Enter now!

Ouidad, “The Queen of Curl,” has developed products just for curls. So stop fighting Mother Nature and learn to love your curls!

Styling your hair curly or straight requires two opposite techniques. When you dry your hair curly, Curl Keeper is the ultimate tool because it will totally control all frizz and keep your curls where they should be. Your styling success will depend on how you apply Curl Keeper, and on your ability to style your own hair. Make sure to use a generous amount of Curl Keeper, and once your hair is surface dry, shake it around to loosen the curl and soften your hair.

When drying your hair straight, your success depends on your ability to blow dry and flat iron. ReMane Straight will make the straightening process a breeze; your hair will glide through the brush with ease. You can use a generous amount without the feel of silicones. ReMane Straight is so clean and effective, your style will hold and last twice as long, especially on humid days, as the formula allows for reactivation with moisture.

The extracts in ReMane Straight have been added to protect your hair from high heat blow dryers and irons.

One product that is useful — whether you’re wearing your hair curly or straight — is Silk Leave-in Conditioner. It will make your hair feel soft without adding excess weight. Most people with curly hair have one or two stubborn wiry pieces that are quick to frizz and need extra attention. Silk Leave In Conditioner does not feel greasy and doesn’t need rinsing.

When dealing with straight hair, a common mistake is to go over rough wiry patches with a flat iron, hoping they will disappear. By adding Silk Leave-In Conditioner to wet hair and combing through the stubborn wiry patches before blow drying or flat ironing, you will achieve better results and protection while smoothing the hair and adding shine.

Split End Spa Repair Serum

If you ask stylists what the No. 1 client complaint is, split ends will be high on the list.

That’s why AG Hair Cosmetics decided to create a product to repair dry, split ends. After two years of research and development, this month the company launches new Split End Spa — a light serum designed to condition, repair and prevent split ends instantly as it protects hair color. It contains AG’s special CARE complex, a blend of herbal extracts such as meadowfoam, calendula, lavender and sunflower seed.

“With just a few drops of Split End Spa, hair is noticeably softer, smoother and well on its way to recovery,” explains Jami Symons, AG’s artistic director.

Split, frayed ends can be a big problem for people with curly and kinky hair, especially if they use heat appliances to straighten their hair. In addition to moisturizing the ends and sealing up flyaways, Split End Spa creates smooth, non-frizz waves, says AG spokesman Tatiana Jovic.

Split End Spa is designed to be applied to clean, damp hair, concentrating on the ends. It is meant to be left on the hair.

Split End Spa is the latest innovation for the Vancouver, BC-based hair-care manufacturer, which hit a home run with its Re:coil Curl Activating Balm, a product created using feedback from NaturallyCurly members.