Maria's Howto; Handling Curly Hair

Think about that girl - the one who comes to school everyday, with dead-straight hair. She can put it in a bun, a braid, ponytail, pigtails, any style she pleases, yet complains about having straight hair that can't be curled.

Girl is WAY too lucky.

As somebody who's lived their entire life with curly hair, and refused to give into straightening it daily, here are my tips for dealing with the curls.

1. Determine your hair type. Maybe your blessed with thin hair, or you have ringlet-curly hair. Maybe you have very thick, wavy hair. It's just a part of figuring out your hair type.

• Determine the wave. Do you have waves, slight curls, or ringlets? Maybe when it's wet, it's ringlets, but when brushed, it's curly. Determining your hair type is the e
• Determine the thickness. Very rarely is curly hair thin, but it is possible. If it only gets frizzy on a hot day, then feel free to dismiss it as being "medium" thickness. If it spawns into the infamous "triangle" position after a few hours of washing, then you have thick hair. Figuring this out helps you decide what shampoos, conditioners, and other hair products are best for you.

2. Go hair shopping! Your hair going to be with you for a long time - it's worth the extra dollars to keep it looking good.

• Shampoo less. It may bseem like Garnier and Tresemme are everywhere, but multiple reports claim they don't work well. Herbal Esscences, Pantene, Suave, and good 'ol Dove do the trick. If your looking for salon-quality hair, go Paul Mitchell. I personally use Pantene.
• Deep-condition more. Deep conditioning will help leave your curly hair nourished, and should be done once a week at most.
• Mousse it. For hair that won't stay down or has frizz - you should mousse, hairspray, or gel it.

3. General hair care. There are general things you should do to prevent hair damage, breakage, and keep it soft.

• Wash less. Consistently washing your hair can dry it out, and damages curly hair even more. Try to wash every other day at most - and when you do, make it count.
• Brush less. Brushing gives hair, no matter what type, frizz and volume, which is okay for straight hair, but not curly hair. Plus, it makes curly hair wavy. So only brush to untangle and style.
• Style less. Curly hair is thicker, so when you put it in a tight bun, pigtails, etc, more strands of hair break. So don't be afraid to keep your curly hair down.
• Do not get bangs. Unless you plan on straightening them every single day, do not get bangs. It will look weird and creepy, so please, don't.

That's my guide! This will not prevent straight-haired people from playing with your hair. So have fun rockin' a fro!