My love-hate relationship with my curls began in 2003, when a really, really, really bad experience with a home highlighting kit damaged my hair beyond repair. I decided to grow out the relaxer that I had been relying on for all of my hair-straightening needs for the previous 10 years and go au natural. Skipping over the hellish year that it took for my natural hair to grow long enough that I felt comfortable cutting off the straight parts (I didn't take my hair out of a bun for 14 months, give or take), by late 2004 I had a short, curly bob that I loved in theory, but not practice. Meaning, I loved having my natural hair but had no earthly idea what to do with it.
So what did I do? I straightened it. All the time. And really, what's the point of not chemically straightening your hair if you are just going to straighten it with heat all the time? It wasn't until I came across a tub of over-priced, oddly named curl creme and got a haircut at an over-priced, oddly named salon that I saw the light.
Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding, $38, is like hair crack. Seriously. And the Ouidad Salon is curly girl Mecca. My haircut (and the great styling techniques they teach you at Ouidad) would never have pleased me the way it does if it weren't for the salvation of Curly Pudding. And vice versa. The two were a one-two punch that made me forget about my flat iron. Curly hair is harder to deal with than straight, so I find that a lot of other girls blessed with it at a loss as to what to do to style and tame it. The cut and the creme — invest in both and you will be a lot less clueless about your curls. I promise.
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I'm thinking about going natural. Of the few women of color that live around here, the majority of them have returned to their roots (the idea was mostly a practical one. There are few places that can cater to ethnic hair.).
It's been nearly three months since my last relaxer, and I'm at the stage where I've got to either commit to "natural" or get a perm slapped in it. I'm going to give pudding the old college try. Crossing fingers. Thanks for the tip!
You are preaching to the choir! I am a curly girl and ONLY curly pudding or curly merange work well enough on my curls to allow it out of a bun. Love Miko and Titi's cutting too at Curve (Miss Jessies). I did find John Frieda's Wind Down to be a cost effective substitute this past weekend in HUMID Florida. Had to let the dominican blow out go
Love your curls Lauren (you and your sister are like friends in my head
PS Ronnie when I was "transitioning" as you are, I use to add gel to make my roots wavy, diffuse until dry and then curl the straight ends with a small barrell curling iron. More work than I wanted so I cut the straight ends off for truly wash and go hair. Just a FYI good luck!
[...] I no longer relax my hair, but I'm also not a natural hair guru who shuns straighteners and flat-irons and weaves and wigs — whatever hairdo you feel suits you best probably does. I can speak in flowery terms about how black hair is beautiful, but as is apparent in this post's comments — hair is still a subject that brings about both controversy and a great sense of solidarity. And it's inspired me to bring you a Stereohyped series dedicated entirely to our unique tresses. First up: an interview with the very interesting Carolivia Herron, who wrote the beloved/controversial children's book Nappy Hair. Look for it tomorrow. Oct 8, 2007 · Link · Respond Related Posts • 10/05/07: Superlatives From the Press Room: VH1's Hip Hop Honors (Comments: 6) • 09/18/07: Beyonce, Can You Loan Him A Lacefront? (Comments: 4) • 09/18/07: Minority Report (Comments: 4) • 09/16/07: Droppin' Science (Comments: 3) • 09/13/07: Zulema Griffin Gets Real About Being A Fashion Designer (Comments: 7) Tagged: Lauren · Hair · Stereohyped Series Comments (0) [...]