NaturallyCurly: Please introduce yourself!
Alex Portelli: My name is Alex and I am currently a junior at Boston College studying chemistry. I am from a town about an hour and a half from NYC. I also enjoy running and baking in my free time.
NC: How and when did you start embracing your curls or have you always enjoyed and embraced your curls?
AP: I started embracing my curls in high school. When I was a kid I just had wavy hair, but as I got older, my waves turned to Botticelli curls! In middle school, I used to straighten my hair every day and pull it back in a ponytail. But towards the end of middle school, my mom strongly encouraged that I begin to experiment with different products and styles. By high school, I had learned how to tame my curls and embrace them!
NC: What is your current routine/regimen?
AP: When I condition my hair in the shower, I also run my fingers through it to break up the knots. I let the conditioner sit for about five minutes. Then I rinse it out and apply it a second time, but in a very small amount. My hair feels silky. When I get out of the shower, I apply the gel when my hair is still soaking wet, scrunching the product into my curls. Finally, I use a microfiber towel to remove the excess water!
NC: So from start to finish, on a curly day, what’s your process?
AP: I don’t blow dry my hair, so I either shower a couple hours before I go to sleep or when I wake up in the morning. Blow drying my hair makes it frizzy and going to sleep with my hair too wet makes the curls uneven — I could wake up with one side curlier than the other!
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