Seems dumb to post about this. But there are some things that people ask me about that I feel like I repeat myself over and over and it's just easier to email a link. So that is what I will do here similar to my post on baby wearing: http://coffmanfamily.weebly.com/1/post/2011/11/the-many-forms-of-babywearing.html So! Before I started the dreadlocks this is what my hair looked like: I typically straightened it with the chi. But this was the morning that I went to the Barber Shop to start the locks, so this was just washed and brushed. A bit wavy, never without body and if I put moose in it while wet then it looked a little more curly. Below is about a month after I cut the locks off. A couple days after I cut them off I realized that for whatever reason, my hair had entered a more curly season. So I started reading about how to deal with curly hair. I figured that with Robert gone I wouldn't be taking the time to straighten it and so the easiest thing would be to just let it curl. The more I read the more I heard that you must go to a stylist that is specifically trained in how to cut curly hair. Because typically they are not trained in how to cut curly hair. So I found one in Springfield, MO while I was visiting and got an amazing hair cut from her! Plus lots of tips. So here are the tips that I have learned and started doing. 1. Don't use shampoo. I don't want to spring for the extra money of chemical free shampoo but the chemicals are what dries out curly hair so bad. Evidently the main thing curly hair needs above all else is moisture. So if shampoo removes moisture then you shouldn't use it. So I wash my hair with a little bit of baking soda and Dr Bronner's soap about once a week. 2. Use conditioner a LOT! Every other time that I take a shower I just use conditioner. And a TON of it! Like, a lot. And then I barely rinse it out. And occasionally I add a bit of leave-in conditioner afterwards. 3. Never brush it or comb it. I put a pick through it after I apply conditioner in the shower, that is the only time I do anything relatively close to combing or brushing. 4. Don't use a towel on it. So the terry cloth is suppose to be bad for curly hair because it makes it frizz more. So you're suppose to use a cotton t-shirt or microfiber towel to scrunch your hair dry. So I keep a shirt hung up with my towel for after shower drying. 5. Don't touch it. So the idea is that you shouldn't touch your hair after you've styled it is because every time you touch it makes it more frizzy. Honestly, I've not struggled with this much because of how short it is, I think. But there it is. So with those new rules in mind here is my typical styling. I take a shower, do tons of conditioner barely rinse it out. I do a different type of gel or other product almost everytime because I'm still trying to figure out what works best. But lets assume I'm using spray gel. (I make it with two parts boiled water and one part gel mixed together) Before I step out of the shower or dry my hair at all I spray the junk out of my hair with the spary gel, while it's still dripping wet. Sealing in as much moisture as possible. Then I scrunch my hair up in the the tshirt to remove the extra dripping water. Then I start my day. I can use my diffuser but rarely have the time. So I typically let it air dry. Then a few hours later when my hair feels dry I go back to the bathroom, throw my head over and scrunch all the stiffness out from the gel. The stylist called this "breaking the gel cast". Basically you are making your hair movable. After I do this it doesn't even look like I put anything in my hair really. It doesn't feel like it, it feels normal, soft. Then I usually hair spray some and I'm done. Lots of changes but all the changes lead to less work. I usually take a shower every other day and I don't do anything to my hair the next day. I just get up and make sure it's not standing straight up, maybe put a head wrap on to keep it out of my face. All hair is different. The idea behind doing my hair like this is just letting it dry right where it is. Not pushing it or manipulating it into what I want it to look like. The left side of my head is always less curly than the right. In some places I have lovely little spirals and in other places my hair curls in one direction and then abruptly changes direction! And the longer it gets the more it is wavy and less curly. It's just embracing those differences and letting go of trying to control it so much. That's all! : ) And meanwhile I am working up enough nerve to make some homemade gel! Out of flax seeds! Still researching different ways of doing it so I will get back on that subject once I have a good recipe. : )
1 Comment
Melissa
3/27/2013 05:06:07 am
Love the hair now, though I still miss the locks and when I think of you, in my mind, you still have them. :)
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