‘If it doesn’t look professional, that’s because you don’t know how to take care of it,’ said Laurent D., a stylist with salons in New York and Los Angeles.
Laurent said hair that’s too long can look ‘hippieish.’ He likes the curly bob and a loose ponytail for work. And to provide a more defined curl, he likes to apply his Prive Formule Aux Herbes Leave-In Treatment and his Curl Activating Creme around small sections of hair, twistin them around the fingers and allowing them to dry like that. When diffusing the hair, he said don’t move it at all to create bigger, looser curls.
Lorraine Massey, author of ‘Curly Girl’ and owner of the Devachan salon in New York, recommends keeping hair flatter and less frizzy. Once you allow the curls to dry, don’t scrunch them. Other styles she recommends include pulling two strands of hair from either side of the head and tying it loosely at the neck. Then keep a scarf on for five minutes. When you remove the scarf and allow the curls to dry naturally or a diffuser for a softer look.
But ultimately, she said, it’s not the hairstyle that determines whether someone is good at their job.
‘Knowing that you are professional is what makes someone professional, no matter whether your hair is curly or straight,’ Massey said. ‘Curly hair is not a disability.’
Most curl experts believe that women with curly hair have the power to change attitudes about curls in the workplace by accepting rather than fighting their curls. And it’s changing already, with more women with curls showing up on the fashion runways and in magazines.
‘Sometimes, you just have to wear your hair the way you want to rather than following trends,’ Yates said. ‘It’s refreshing to the eye and soon everyone else starts to follow. I personally like wild hair rather than hair that’s too perfect.’
‘If we continue to embrace curly hair and we show people how to create different styles, then curly hair will be more accepted,’ Christo said. ‘Then, hopefully, the corporate world will see curly hair different. We can all help change attitudes, one curl at a time.’
Read More: How to Create Professional Hairstyles
