Hellobee Boards

Well my hair is pretty long so I don't "do" much to it. When I blowdry it I just kind of hold my head upside down and shake the blowdryer and such. I don't use any brushes or anything. And then I either crimp it or straighten it.

Well my hair isn't as curly as yours but I have a little experience in styling curls like yours.

I would NOT brush it (that causes frizz) after you shower. Don't use a towel or it is frizzy as well. Use an old cotton tshirt to "blot" dry and scrunch. Spritz your hair with a leave in conditioner (this is my fave http://www.amazon.com/Unite-7Seconds-Condition-Leave-Detangler/dp/B003YJ6I78), then with either spray gel or a small amount of mousse.

Use the special attaachment for a blow dryer for curly hair (looks like this) http://www.amazon.com/Revlon-RV480-Professional-Universal-Diffuser/dp/B001AHAEZ8/ref=sr_1_6?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1377050996&sr=1-6&keywords=blow+dryer+with+diffuser) and position the hair dryer at your ends, NOT the roots and you can let the curls naturally shape themselves.

that technique creates flawless, soft curls. I do the same just for my wavy hair.

I found a straightening iron when I was 12 and after having frizzy wavy gross hair I was in heaven. I wore it stick straight until I got pregnant with DD and my waves turned into more curls. Now I just touch up my curls with a flat iron to make some more shapely but that's it! After 25 years I finally like hair lol

My mom's not into beauty stuff either so I never learned. I just straighten it in the morning, takes 3 minutes. I'm sad because I don't even know how to French braid so now lo will be missing out.

I found a stylist with curly hair who specializes in curly hair and she taught me how to style my hair. I use an alcohol free curl cream from L'oreal and just dry it about halfway with the diffuser.

@Mrs. Jump Rope: so pretty! looks way shorter curled!

Ouidad salons specialize in curly hair, how to cut it/style it, etc. If you have one near you, it might be worth going to once so they can cut it in a way that maximizes your curls and you can learn how to style it at home!

@pastemoo: ok, clue me in on your curly hair updo secrets! I have mostly fabulous medium-fine curly hair (as long as it is not too humid). I just got it cut so when dry, it is just past my shoulders. I wear it in a pony nearly every day, but I need some variety (I have basically had the same hair since 8th grade).

When I wear mine down, I wash and condition, comb some l'oréal curl cream into it with a wide tooth comb, turn my head upside down, wrap a towel around the hair turban-style and let it sit 5-10 minutes. Then I gently unwrap the towel, fix the part and let it air dry and DON'T TOUCH it while it dries. The only time I use a hair dryer is in the winter if I absolutely must and I use a diffuser and blow dry my hair mostly upside down.

@loveisstrange: where do you buy your Moroccan oil from? My salon no longer sells it & its pretty expensive online! Is there a better website than amazon?

@loveisstrange: oh! yeah, our drug store carries that.

I used to use this:
http://www.amazon.com/Moroccan-Hair-Treatment-Bottle-Blue/dp/B001AO0WCG

@loveisstrange: ill give it a try! I have really thick, coarse hair too. I think my stylist used that same brand on me last night & my hair feels like silk!

The other brand was great but tricky. Too little and your hair didn't feel any different. Too much & it was a greasy, flat mess. It also used to be $40 a bottle!! It lasted me 5 years. When I ran out and saw the new price I nearly had a heart attack!

So i have semi curly, semi straight hair. pretty much a PITA to "DO" either straight or wear curly. I almost never wear it curly because it ends up looking like a rat's nest midday. I 90% wear it in a sock bun (without the sock since i have so much hair!)... but I actually curled (sorta) my hair today for work. And i've been wearing it like this on wknds

i only JUST learned how to curl my hair with a 1 or 2 inch curler in the last cpl of years.

@LindsayInNY: ok, makes sense! I have curls in my hair now, so I can't really brush it out, which is what is making me hesitate.

@looch: @LindsayInNY: Just spray it into your roots and massage it in . . . it doesn't have to be brushed through.

@looch: They make black /dark dry shampoo. Personally, I hate them. They always make my hair feel gross and look chalky.

@looch: This is the one Ive always heard about http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod3560065&categoryId=cat40004#sku2234688

Honestly, it's not good to wash your hair every day unless you get super oily and have to. Curls generally run dry, so you want to wash every other day at most. Shampoo strips the natural oils from your hair. I only wash wash my hair once or twice a week. Other days I can just brush and go or I can just wet it and then restyle. You can also wet and condition but not use shampoo.

@looch: The first couple weeks are the worst when you're "detoxing" your hair to not be washed every day. Eventually, your scalp does regulate and you stop getting gross like that. Ponytails are probably your friend during that phase. lol

I have wavy hair and my mom has straight hair. She had no idea how to style mine, so she just taught me to brush it, too! That is definitely rule number one to curly hair: NO BRUSHING! I finally figured out, through trial and error, what worked best for my waves when my hair was longer. I would squeeze out excess water after my shower, then scrunch mousse into it (I used L'oreal's Springing Curls for the longest time). Then I would scrunch it again with a towel (but no rubbing!). Then I'd use my fingers to kind of manually curl a few pieces.

Putting the mousse in while my hair was still pretty wet was clutch for me, to avoid crunchy hair. Gel also made it crunchy.