Dear CurlySuzy

Dear CurlySuzy: My name is Kaci and I’m an African American teen with (who would know!) curly hair. I’ve been natural all my life, but since I’ve had my hair straightened for as long as I remember, it has never showed. I would simply stare at the beautiful washed wet hair before me and dream of having that hair and not the dried poof that followed. The reason I’m mailing is because I’m having a little trouble with putting my hair into a category. My hair looks exactly like this when wet and applying KCCC, but what type is it? What other products would you recommend for this type of hair? So far, I have only used Carol’s Daughter and Kinky Curly. The two products have worked great for me. I’m pretty new to being a curly girl and would love to show off my curls instead of destroying them with a straightening comb. I would really appreciate your help!

Dear Kaci: Your hair type I think is a 3c. You are using great things so far. KCCC and Carol’s Daughter products are really fantastic. Have you added or tried the Kinky-Curly Knot Today to the KCCC? That can give you a little more softness and control.

The other line you might consider is Curl Junkie. The owner has hair that is 3c. Here is a pictures of her. She has a lot of hair but the curl type is 3c.

My favorite Curl Junkie products are:

• Curl Assurance Gentle Cleansing Shampoo
• Daily Fix Cleansing Conditioner
• Curl Assurance Soothing Conditioner
• Curls in a Bottle
• Coffee Coco Curl Creme
• Hibiscus Banana Honey Butta Leave-In Conditioner

Good luck and please email me again if you have any more questions. I love getting emails from teens that are proud of their curls. You are great role models.

Lindsey Jacobellis

The winter season is the toughest on Curls. Especially if you are out in the elements—running, skiing, snowboarding or ice skating. Winter curly athletes need to protect their hair from the blustery cold air and wind. Whether your are a USA Olympic curly like Lindsey Jacobellis, Stacey Cook, Sarah Schleper, Jessie Vetter or an otherwise avid winter sports athlete, you are going to have to take extra good care of your winter curls.

Curls are already prone to dryness and frizz and the winter weather makes taking care of those problems more of a challenge. A healthy winter hair care routine should start by reducing the frequency of cleansing or shampooing your hair. Try to avoid shampoos that have sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium myreth sulfate. On the days when you don’t wash your hair, co-wash with a moisturizing conditioner.

It is important to always use a conditioner on your hair after you wash or co-wash your curls. A good conditioner should have essential fatty acids (EFAs), cetyl or stearyl alcohols, humectants, essential oils and vitamin E. All of these healthy ingredients help prevent dryness and will make your curls happy. You can also add jojoba oil to your conditioner or use it once a week as a hot oil treatment. Jojoba is a great extract for your curls because is similar to sebum and is easily absorbed into your scalp and hair.

When you are in the shower avoid washing and conditioning your curls in hot water. Warm or cool water will lessen the dryness and help lock in the moisture. This will be a great help to your curls as well as your skin.

Once you are out of the shower, using a leave-in conditioner is a must for any curly in the winter. Follow with your favorite winter stylers. Air drying is the best practice for your curls. If you don’t have the time, don’t go outside with wet hair. You will be risking breakage caused by your curls freezing! Instead, use a diffuser on your hair dryer. Your hair dryer should be on the cool setting. Once again avoid adding extra heat to your hair.

Jessie Vetter

Now that your curls are looking great and you are ready to go, you look out the window. Freezing winds, snow and ice are all ready to ruin your curls. Wearing a hat is a necessity. Hats are warm and provide protection for your curls, but there are a few things to be cautious about. A hat can cause a whole new set of problems. Make sure the hat isn’t too tight. It can constrict circulation to your scalp. This causes your sebum glands to go into overdrive producing more oil which can lead to greasy limp curls. Hats can also cause split ends, static electricity and frizz. If your wear dreadlocks the wool fibers can lodge themselves into the locks and loosen the lock strands. Hats can be a problem for curlies, but I am not suggesting giving them up, just a little modification can do the trick. Be crafty and turn around bad hat head curls. Sew a silk or satin lining into your hats, or if crafty is as scary as the bad hair days, wear a silk or satin scarf under your hat. This will reduce the friction that hats cause and your curls will thank you. Winter hair breakage and damage is as much about dryness as it is about what you put on your head.

Wearing your curls in protective styles is also a good option. The winter weather will tangle and snarl curls faster than a snow flake melts on your tongue. Whether you are racing down a mountain or jogging through a snow covered park, the more precautions you take to protect your curls the better. Keeping your hair out of harms way by wearing protective styles is another perfect winter hair care solution. Braid, twist or gently pull back your curls so they are safe and healthy.

This evening sit by the fire or under a warm blanket and make your winter hair care list. Get crafty with your favorite warm hat or do a hot oil conditioning treatment. Your newly moisturized and well cared for surls will look great while you are out in the cold weather enjoying your winter sports and later when you are indoors.

Here are some of my favorite winter hair care products from Curlmart.com.

Cleansers

• Blended Beauty Soy Cream Shampoo
• Kinky-Curly Come Clean Shampoo
• Jessicurl Hair Cleansing Cream
• Max Green Alchemy Scalp Rescue Shampoo

Conditioners

• Blended Beauty Curl Cleansing Conditioner
• Curl Junkie Curl Assurance Smoothing Conditioner
• CURLS Coconut Sublime Moisturizing Conditioner
• MYHoneyChild Olive You Light Conditioner
• Aubrey Organics 100% Organic Jojoba Oil

Leave-in Conditioners

• Kinky-Curly Knot Today
• Curl Junkie BeautiCurls Leave-In-Hair Conditioner
• Curl Junkie Curls in a Bottle
• MYHoneyChild Coconut Hair Milk
• Curl Hair Solutions Curl Keeper

Stylers

• Miss Jessie’s Baby Buttercreme
• MYHoneyChild 3-4 Combo Hair Creme
• Oyin Handmade Whipped Pudding
• Shea Terra Organics Certified Organic Shea Butter
• Jane Carter Nourish and Shine
• Curlisto Bio Gel Mousse
• AG Re:coil
• DevaCare Arc Angell

Share your winter hair care tips in the comments area below!

Dear CurlySuzy: I can’t decide what type of curls I have. My hair is shoulder-length, processed and medium to course in texture. Areas of my hair have ringlets and others larger curls. If left alone with no product it is a frizz machine. With product I can make it look ok until I recently had it highlighted. Here is the issue. Now I am REALLY, REALLY dry. It gets in tiny knots, it doesn’t look smooth on the ends, and I can even see split ends. I need product advice to get my hair back in condition.

Dear Aimee: The answer is deep conditioning! Once a week for 30 minutes with heat. Follow with a cool rinse. That should really make a world of difference. Also use a sulfate-free cleanser. That will preserve your highlights and will be a lot more moisturizing. I will give you a bunch of suggestions below. I also really love Aubrey Organics HoneySuckle Rose cleanser and conditioner. (usually in health food sections of grocery stores and we will be selling it soon at CurlMart!

You might also want to think about trimming the end just a bit. Here is a link to our salon search if you need a good Curly Stylist.

Deep Conditioners

• Curl Junkie Curl Rehab Moisturizing Hair Treatment
• DevaCurl Heaven in Hair
• MYHoneyChild Olive You Deep Conditioner
• Curl Junkie Hibiscus Banana Deep Fix Moisturizing Conditioner
• Curlisto Deep Therapy Masque

Sulfate-free Cleansers and Favorite Conditioners

• Curl Junkie Daily Fix Cleansing Conditioner
• Curl Junkie Curl Assurance Smoothing Conditioner
• I love these new Curl Junkie products
• DevaCare No Poo
• DevaCare One Condition
• good combo
• Kinky-Curly Come Clean Moisturizing Shampoo
• great cleanser
• Elucence Moisture Balancing Conditioner
• good conditioner, great for the price, good for co-washing as well
• MOP C Curl Enhancing Shampoo
• MOP C System Hydrating Conditioner
• love
• HPO Spa Hair Conditioner
• another good conditioner

Do you have a question for CurlySuzy? Post it below!

Dear Curly Suzy: For the past 3 years I have been wearing my curls rather than straightening them. I get many compliments on them from both friends and my husband. I am very interested in your curl products but don’t know where to start. I am a little unusual so if I describe my hair could you recommend something?

Type: 2b (I think)
Length: Long
Color: Blond
Weight: Thick

My hair has wave when it is wet and holds it when it dries. As the day goes on, I can NOT touch it much because the curl drops. It also tends to frizz in the back of my crown so I use a curling iron to define it slightly. Do you have a product to eliminate this curling iron step and the frizz? Keep in mind that m hair is thick so it has to be thick. I like to use liquid gel as it distributes best. Also How do I use those duck-type clips?

Dear Jane: I would say to add another product over the your gel or mix with your gel. Some like to use a leave-in conditioner. Others mix two different gels together. Another option is to mix a mousse with the gel or put it over the gel. Your styling products just need a little extra power.

This combination should help with frizz and holding the curl better throughout the day. When the products are drying, try really hard not to touch your hair. When the curls are dry, gently scrunch out the glaze the products will leave. Be especially gently in the area where your curls lose their definition. A lot of curlies like to use a pomade to scrunch out the crunch the products have when they dry. That will also help with with frizz. You can’t use too much, though, or it will weigh down your curls.

The duckbill clips are used by some curlies to avoid pyramid head. They lift the curls at the roots while your hair is drying. You open the clips and gently slide them sideways along the top of your scalp. You close the clip with the under layers of the curls in the clip. I use about 6 clips, some people use more. It takes a few times to get use to doing it. It is hard to explain, so if this is confusing please email me again and I will try to be clearer.

Favorite Mousses
AG Hair Cosmetics Mousse Gel
Curlisto Bio Gel Mousse

This is sort of like a leave-in conditioner, works best combined with a gel
Curlisto Structura Lotion

A fantastic leave-in conditioner, works great with a mousse or a gel over it
Kinky-Curly Knot Today

Combine with a mousse for best result
Curlisto Control I Gel

A good strong gel and can be combined with a leave-in(Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper) or another gel(Curlisto Structura Lotion)
Curlisto Control II Gel

Another great gel, a lot of hold and can be combined with a leave-in(Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper) or another gel(Curlisto Structura Lotion)
Batia & Aleeza Bio Herbal Mineral Sculpting Gel

A totally new combination for you:
Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper
AG Re:coil

These two products work really well together. Apply a lot of the Curl Keeper (a very unique leave-in conditioner) on very wet hair, it should make a squashy sound as you are putting it in your curls. Follow with the AG Recoil, use a dime size and apply in sections, you might need more but be careful it is very concentrated.

I love both of these for scrunching out the crunch
Curly Hair Solutions Tweek (more of a liquid, very very concentrated)
MOP Glisten High Shine Pomade

Dear CurlySuzy: I was wondering if you know of any curly hair products that can make your hair grow a little faster. I have type 3b hair and I got my hair just trimmed in the beginning of September and it looks as if my hair hasn’t grown at all since it got trimmed..(and it’s not just me that thinks that!) Some of my hair isn’t even touching my shoulders and I really really want it to grow longer. When it’s short my ends have way too much body in them and I feel like a triangle! And if I use a diffuser to give my roots more body to match my ends it gets too poofy and I hate it. Also, are there any products that you recommend that have protein in them? I have breakage in the back of my head and a hairdresser said I should get some products with protein.

Dear Stacie: Here are some products that might help with getting your hair to grow. Growing longer curls sometimes takes a huge amount of patience. Also here are some product suggestions that have protein in them. They are deep conditioners. They work best if you leave them on for 30 minutes with heat and then follow with a cool rinse. Please email me if you have any more questions.

Best,
Suzy

• Nourish Hair Nutrition Vitamins
• HPO Happy Scalp Oil
• Curlisto Deep Therapy Masque
• DevaCurl Heaven in Hair
• Elucence Moisture Extended Moisture Repair Treatment

Dear CurlySuzy: I live in Cape Coral, Florida and I have type 3c, very thick hair. It’s past my shoulder blades when wet, but just touches the tips of the shoulders when dry.

I have two issues I would like your opinion about. First, I would like your recommendation on a deep conditioner. When I lived in NY (back in the days), I used to use L’Oreal Mermade Deep Penetrating conditioner, but it has been discontinued. Can you recommend a similar type of product currently on the market?

Also, I texturized about 6 months ago (I used a store-bought product and applied at home). At times, my hair has that “straight at the ends” look. I’d like to get it “trimmed”, but the last time I went to a hair stylist (based on salon listed on the website), I received a shorter than expected haircut. I really don’t want to lose the length because it takes FOREVER to grow. I haven’t really seen anyone with my same hair type. I have talked to friends, but their recommendations haven’t helped; the stylists I’ve gone to can’t even style my hair right! Any recommendations?

Dear Lisa: I think doing a deep conditioner once a week for 30 minutes (with heat) is the answer to both of your questions. The more moisture the you have in your hair the healthier it will be. I think that might let you go a little longer with out getting it cut. I use to live in NYC way back when also. I didn’t use that conditioner though. I should have, my curls weren’t at their best then. I know it was super popular and very moisturizing. Here are some deep conditioners that are great. Maybe they are close to what you used to use.

Also here is a link to our curl community and a thread for your curl type. There is a lot of information when have time for reading. It is all very helpful!

Deep Conditioners

• Arbre de Vie Shea Hot Oil Treatment
• Blended Beauty Herbal Reconditioner
• Curl Junkie Curl Rehab Moisturizing Hair Treatment
• CURLS Curl Ecstasy Hair Tea Conditioner
• Jessicurl Weekly Deep Conditioning Treatment
• MYHoneyChild Honey Hair Mask
• MYHoneyChild Intensive Oil Treatment
• MYHoneyChild Organic Shea Butter Hair Paste

It is 2010 and my curly hair has a holiday hangover. All the products that I used for the updos, twenties-style curls and big waves are now making my hair feel limp and lifeless. I want to get all the 2009 gunk out of my hair. I know I need to use a clarifying shampoo. I follow the no-poo routine, so the word “shampoo” doesn’t really excite me. I immediately start worrying about how dry my curls might feel. Then I remember my hair is already dull, dry and I have poor curl definition. Why am I hesitating? My hair looks bad, and I need to deal with it.

Dealing with it means that I actually need to buy some hair products. I am usually shopping for hair products out of curiosity or hopefulness that some truly amazing discovery is still out there waiting for me.

There are a lot of clarifying options. One is to go to the CurlTalk thread about hair care recipes.

I like the baking soda recipe for a mild cause of product build-up and for cleansing the scalp. I also think the apple cider vinegar rinses can be a good solution. Mix 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar with a cup of water and use the rinse before you cleanse, condition and deep condition. Using the rinse first is best for curlies with very brittle, dry hair. You can also use the ACV rinse after you cleanse and condition if your curls aren’t as moisture-deprived. It can be a nice finishing rinse.

My favorite Naturallycurly.com contributor, Tonya McKay Becker, aka CurlChemist, writes “Vinegar is very useful as a rinse for the hair for several reasons. Acetic acid is a mild chelating agent, so it can be useful in removing mineral deposits on the hair that accumulate over time due to impurities in the air and hard water. The clarifying properties of ACV and other vinegars also extend to the removal of accumulated sebum or other waxy buildup from products.”

The clarifying shampoo options are limitless if you don’t want to involve your kitchen in the process. If the buildup isn’t too severe, you can use a cleanser with cocamidopropyl betaine and cocobetaine in them. Cocamidopropyl betaine is a medium-strength surfactant, while cocobetaine is a milder one. These surfactants help make the cleanser foam and bubble without stripping too much oil or irritating your scalp.

If you are going to use a clarifying shampoo that contains the big bad harsh anionic surfactants like sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, ammonium lauryl sulfate, and ammonium lauryl ether sulfate, it is extremely important to deep condition those precious locks for 30 minutes with heat and then follow with a cool rinse to close the hair cuticle.

I want to get the bounce back in my curls for 2010. I am going to clarify my hair and start the New Year with happy fresh curls.

Here is my shopping list for clarifying shampoos and cleansers and few other goodies:

Curl Friends Clarifying Shampoo
Curlisto Aqualizer
CURLS Clarifying Shampoo
Elucence Volume Clarifying Shampoo
Hair Rules Aloe Grapefruit Purifying Shampoo
Greenridge Herbals Herbal Vinegar Rinse
HPO Happy Scalp

Dear Curly Suzy: For the past 3 years I have been wearing my curls rather than straightening them. I get many compliments on them from both friends and my husband. I am very interested in your curl products but don’t know where to start. I am a little unusual so if I describe my hair could you recommend something?

Type: 2b (I think)
Length: Long
Color: blonde
Weight: Thick

My hair has wave when it is wet and holds it when it dries. As the day goes on, I can NOT touch it much because the curl drops. It also tends to frizz in the back of my crown so I use a curling iron to define it slightly. Do you have a product to eliminate this curling iron step and the frizz? Keep in mind that m hair is thick so it has to be thick. I like to use liquid gel as it distributes best. Also How do I use those duck type clips?

Dear Jane: I would say to add another product over the your gel or mix with your gel. Some like to use a leave-in conditioner. Others mix two different gels together. Another option is to mix a mousse with the gel or put it over the gel. Your styling products just need a little extra power.

This combination should help with frizz and holding the curl better through out the day. When the products are drying try really hard not to touch your hair. When the curls are dry gently scrunch out the glaze the products will leave. Be especially gently in the area where your curls lose their definition. A lot of Curlies like to use a pomade to scrunch out the crunch the products have when they dry. That will also help with with frizz. You can’t use too much though or it will weigh down your curls.

The duckbill clips are used by some Curlies to avoid pyramid head. They lift the curls at the roots while your hair is drying. You open the clips and gently slide them sideways along to top of your scalp. You close the clip with the under layers of the curls in the clip. I use about 6 clips, some people use more. It takes a few times to get use to doing it. It is hard to explain, so if this is confusing please email me again and I will try to be clearer.

I hope this helps.

Best,
Suzy

Favorite Mousse

• AG Hair Cosmetics Mousse Gel
• Curlisto Bio Gel Mousse
• This is sort of like a leave-in conditioner, works best combined with a gel: Curlisto Structura Lotion
• A fantastic leave-in conditioner, works great with a mousse or a gel over it: Kinky-Curly Knot Today
• Combine with a mousse for best result: Curlisto Control I Gel
• A good strong gel and can be combined with a leave-in (Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper) or another gel (Curlisto Structura Lotion): Curlisto Control II Gel
• Another great gel, a lot of hold and can be combined with a leave-in (Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper) or another gel (Curlisto Structura Lotion): Batia & Aleeza Bio Herbal Mineral Sculpting Gel
• A totally new combination for you. These two products work really well together: Apply a lot of the Curl Keeper (a very unique leave-in conditioner) on very wet hair, it should make a squashy sound as you are putting it in your curls. Follow with the AG Recoil, use a dime size and apply in sections, you might need more but be careful it is very concentrated.
• Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper
  AG Re:coil
• I love both of these for scrunching out the crunch:
• Curly Hair Solutions Tweek (more of a liquid, very very concentrated)
  MOP Glisten High Shine Pomade

Dear CurlySuzy: I live in Cape Coral, Florida, and I have type 3c very thick hair. It’s past my shoulder blades when wet, but just touches the tips of the shoulders when dry.
I have two issues I would like your opinion about. First, I would like your recommendation on a deep conditioner. When I lived in NY (back in the day), I used to use L’Oreal Mermade Deep Penetrating conditioner, but it has been discontinued. Can you recommend a similar type of product currently on the market?

Also, I texturized about 6 months ago (I used a store-bought product and applied at home). At times, my hair has that “straight at the ends” look. I’d like to get it “trimmed”, but the last time I went to a hair stylist (based on salon listed on the website), I received a shorter than expected haircut. I really don’t want to lose the length because it takes FOREVER to grow. I haven’t really seen anyone with my same hair type. I have talked to friends, but their recommendations haven’t helped; the stylists I’ve gone to can’t even style my hair right! Any recommendations?

Dear Lisa: I think doing a deep conditioner once a week for 30 minutes (with heat) is the answer to both of your questions. The more moisture you have in your hair, the healthier it will be. I think that might let you go a little longer with out getting it cut. I use to live in NYC way back when also. I didn’t use that conditioner though. I should have, my curls weren’t at their best then. I know it was super popular and very moisturizing. Here are some deep conditioners that are great. Maybe they are close to what you used to use.

Also here is a link to our curl community and a thread for your curl type. There is a lot of information when have time for reading. It is all very helpful!

And you might check our stylist/salon recommendations to find a stylist who might be a better fit for you.

Deep Conditioners

Arbre de Vie Shea Hot Oil Treatment
Blended Beauty Herbal Reconditioner
Curl Junkie Curl Rehab Moisturizing Hair Treatment
Curls Curl Ecstasy Hair Tea Conditioner
Jessicurl Weekly Deep Conditioning Treatment
MYHoneyChild Honey Hair Mask
MYHoneyChild Intensive Oil Treatment
MYHoneyChild Organic Shea Butter Hair Paste

I hope this helps and please email me if you have more questions.