Dear Ouidad: Please settle this problem once and for all for me. Please let me if I know should comb my hair when it is wet (right after taking a shower”>. My routine is to wash my hair, put in some leave-in conditioner, put in some product and pull it up in a bun/pony tail. I would very much like to wear it down once and for all. ( I am 25 and have never — and I mean never — worn my hair down.”> But I am cursed by having too much hair, compounded by the fact that it is course and thick, and the minute I try to wear my hair down after washing it, and combing product into it, it gets poofier and poofier, even though I am air drying it. Help! What am I doing wrong.? Should I not comb my hair at all, even when its wet. When I have not combed it through, it gets less frizzy/poofy. HELP!
A: The best way to detangle your hair is while you are in the shower. After applying conditioner to your hair, use a large-tooth comb to detangle the hair while the conditioner is still in the hair. This is important because hair is prone to overstretching and breakage when it is wet. The conditioner will add what we call “slip” to the hair to make the detangling process easier. Go slowly and gently. Start at the ends and work your way up. Then rinse half of the conditioner out of your hair under the shower and leave about half in. Gently blot your hair with a towel, but do not flip it over or twist the towel into a turban. You want to avoid disturbing the curl pattern set by the running water in the shower. Only use a wide-toothed comb while you are in the shower with conditioner in your hair. At all other times and for styling purposes, just use your fingers as your styling tools to distribute the styling lotion. You’ll find that you can definitely wear your hair down. Keep in mind that the less you handle your hair, the better your results will be. My mantra: Less is More!
Dear Ouidad: I am a teenage girl who has a full head of naturally curly, thick, poofy, frizzy hair! I am willing to do anything to get rid of my frizz and have beautiful curls! I just can’t spend tons of money on products. I’m desperate! Please help me, it’s urgent!
A: There are many things you can do. You can get a softening (which is a very mild chemical treatment”> to help soften your curls and get rid of frizziness. You only need to do it twice a year — once every six months. Or you can get the best deep treatment your money can buy and do it every two weeks. That way your hair will be filled from the inside and will have its own internal weight. By leaving a conditioner in your hair at all times, you’ll have dramatically increased manageability. For the best results, check ingredients and make sure your deep treatment is made with soy and wheat proteins. Besides being animal friendly, vegetable proteins have higher moisture retention levels than animal proteins so the benefits for the hair are realized longer.
Dear Ouidad: Hello, my name is Tiffanie. I am a 21-year-old college student with very long, naturally curly hair. I have a huge problem with it because lately I’ve been going right to bed after my shower and sleeping with it wet, in a high bun on top of my head. It’s turned into bird’s nest — so matted and tangled that there are no visible ends. Is there anything I can do to loosen the hair to begin to untangle it? I’m very desperate and will do anything to avoid cutting it. Thank you so much for your time.
A: The first thing you need to detangle your hair is patience and time. Start out by wetting your whole head and apply lots of detangling conditioner. Choose a conditioner on the oily side for optimum slip. Then use a chopstick to start opening your bun a little at a time, starting at the edge of your bun and working your way in. That should be the hardest and most time-consuming part. After you have unraveled most of your bun, use your fingers to do the rest of your bun. Keep applying conditioner during this process to ease the stress to the hair. After you have opened the bun sufficiently with your fingers, use a large tooth comb starting at the ends and working your way up to detangle the rest of your hair.Once you have completely detangled your hair, rinse it thoroughly and apply a deep treatment. Apply a deep penetrating conditioner every two weeks to bring the life back to your hair. I’m not a fan of oily conditioners because they coat hair, causing it to dehydrate and become dull and brittle. But I am recommending it to you just to detangle your hair. Please call my salon (212-333-7577″> and leave a message to let me know your results. Good luck.
Dear Ouidad: I have been blessed with naturally curly hair, which I love! However, thanks to genetics, my hair is very fine and thin. It is currently just above my shoulders with long layers. I don’t ever wear my hair completely down for various reasons. First of all, my hair is so fine and thin that you can see my scalp and I appear to be balding (even though I’m not”>. Second. my hair begins to curl about an inch from the roots therefore my hair looks flat on top until the curls begin. I have a combination of waves, loose curls and a few Shirley Temple curls as well. I also can’t seem to find a combination of products that allow my curls to be smooth and defined for any length of time — they always end up frizzy by mid-afternoon. (I love your Heat and Humidity Control gel which is a lifesaver in the summertime”>. To combat this, I always wear my hair half way pulled up, in a ponytail or french braid. I wish I could leave it down and have the beautiful curls I see other curly haired women have. However with my fine, thin hair, is this possible? Please help! Kristin
A: Dear Kristin, My Play Curl / Boost line was created with your hair type in mind — fine, combination wavy, loose curls. It’s natural for emerging hairs to grow straight from the follicle. Straight hair is straight because the opening of the follicle is circular. Wavy hair like yours has a follicular opening that is more oval-shaped. As the hair grows and lengthens from the roots, it starts to create its curl patter like curling ribbon. The more pronounced the oval, the tighter the curl pattern. PlayCurl will help boost your roots and define curl pattern throughout your hair and right down to the roots. It will allow you to wear your hair down. And keep in mind that applying a deep treatment to your hair every two weeks will definitely put the pulse in those curls and keep them bouncy.
Dear Ouidad: I would like to know how often I should be getting my hair trimmed. Unfortunately I don’t lilve anywhere near a certified Ouidad salon, so I have to rely on stylists that don’t know very much about curly hair. My hair has been at shoulder length for the past 10-15 years. I get regular trims every 6-8 weeks — sometimes as long as 10 weeks. Still there’s no apparent growth. My stylist insists she is only cutting 1/4′ to 1/2′ at a time, depending on the ‘breakage’ she sees. Help! I am going to start using the products suggested like the Deep Treatment, but I am looking for advice on trims. I’m desperate to see my curls go beyond my shoulders. Thanks in advance! Jill
A: Deep Treatment will definitely be of great help. But you should trim your hair only every 12 weeks. Hair that is in good condition should and will grow a quarter to a half an inch a month. If you cut your hair every three months and only half an inch — because I’m sure that’s all you’ll need — your hair should extend a full inch every three months with your hair cut. Four inches a year is very good. You’ll find your that curls will go beyond your shoulders in no time. Good Luck.
