NaturallyCurly: Please introduce yourself!Diane: My name is Diane. I am a twenty something with a passion for curly hair! I also love animals, especially my dachshund Stretch, live music, Disney Princesses, Snoopy, video games, playing with makeup and anything girly!
NC: How and when did you start embracing your curls?
Diane: When I was younger, I hated my curls. Throughout high school and most of college, I would blow my hair straight and flat iron it constantly. At one point I even got a relaxer to keep my hair straight, which really messed it up. I tried to enjoy my curls a few times, but I always went back to straightening them until 2010, when I started educating myself and taking care of my curls. I grew the relaxer out. and went over two years without blow drying my hair straight at all. Now, I will maybe blow it out twice a year (at most”> for a change, but I have grown to love my natural wavy texture. It makes me unique. Once I learned to love and take care of my hair, it started to love me back, as silly as it sounds.
NC: What’s your current routine?
Diane: I wash my hair twice a week and most of the time I let it air dry…when the weather gets freezing, I sometimes have to diffuse it because I get too cold! Each time I wash my hair, I prepare the night before by sleeping with stimulating scalp oils on my head to encourage hair growth and coconut oil through the length of my hair as a pre wash treatment. Coconut oil is magic—it helps keep my hair soft and smooth and counteracts some of the damage I do (from coloring my hair”>. Once a week I use a co-wash and once a week I use a sulfate-free shampoo. I always deep condition…my hair is very dry so using regular conditioner would be a joke! I try to sit under my steamer or hard bonnet dryer during one of my deep treatments because the heat really adds to the conditioning process. Some of my favorite deep treatments are the Living Proof Restore Recovery Regimen, Jessicurl Deep Conditioning Treatment and DevaCurl Heaven in Hair. I leave conditioner in my hair anywhere from a half hour to 2 hours.
Right after the shower, I use normal conditioner (I like DevaCare One Condition“> as my leave-in, followed with the Living Proof Restore Cream, a gel and argan oil. I’ve been rotating between the DevaCare Arc AnGEL and Jessicurl Spiralicious. Then I scrunch the excess water out of my curls and take my curl ease towel and scrunch some more. I hang my head over my body much like the DevaCurl 3 step way. On days that I don’t wash my hair, I use a refresher spray and spray my hair in sections. Then I apply a leave-in conditioner and a serum. My favorite serum is the Nubian Heritage Strengthen & Grow, or DevaCurl MirrorCurls for special events. If I diffuse my hair, I use the living proof restore spray as a heat protectant.
