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Real Texture Talk: Naturally Curly

When I was in California for Lucky FABB, I met the adorable Cassidy from TextureMedia.  Upon finding out I have naturally curly hair, she twisted my arm encouraged me to be a part of their Real Texture Talk series on Naturally Curly.  Since I’ve never shown this side of myself here on the blog, I decided it was about time!  And I do tend to straighten my hair much less in the summer months – mainly due to the humidity & heat, but also to give my hair a break from the blowdryer/flat iron/curling iron process.  At the risk of embarassing myself, I just had to share this picture with you:

I think I was about 10 years old here…clearly, this was before they had mastered the correct formula for anti-frizz products.  Frankly, I’m a little upset my mom let me walk around looking this way.  But, this proves that I wasn’t born with the most manageable hair to begin with.  Thankfully, after two pregnancies it has relaxed a little and I’ve learned the best way to handle my curls. 

The key for me is letting it air dry and touching it as little as possible.  For this reason, I always shower at night so that I can allow it to dry naturally & then I’m ready to go in the morning.  I should also mention that my hair looks much better when I have long layers cut into it (the curls lay nicer and my head looks less “mushroom-shaped”).  Here’s my step-by-step process:

When I get out of the shower, I spray on a leave-in conditioner & detangle with a wide tooth comb.  Next, I work anti-frizz cream through my hair and make my part.  I then take 1/2-inch sections and twirl the hair around my finger, making a ringlet & twisting away from my face (my stylist taught me this trick – it helps with curl definition & separation).  I continue until all my hair is done and then I let it air dry completely.

Once my hair is dry (usually by the time I wake up in the morning), I carefully separate the ringlets with my fingers, taking care to not “rake” through them.  Then, I fluff the hair slightly at the roots to create a little lift and use my favorite texture spray to gently scrunch my curls.  Here’s the finished product:
If I’m wanting to create looser waves, I use the same products mentioned above, but instead of twisting into ringlets, I’ll wrap all my hair (while wet) up in a high bun & secure with an elastic before bed.  Then, I just take it out in the morning & the result is more beachy-type waves.  I’d love to hear from my naturally curly readers – what items do you swear by and how do you style your curls? 
You can read the full interview & learn more about my favorite products over at Naturally Curly. 
Thanks to Cassidy & the rest of their team for having me!

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Comments

  2. Kat says

    Wow your hair is beautiful! I've always had straight hair with a semi-wave (if that counts) with non-blow dried hair. You always want what you don't have, right? I've tried to perm and it just doesn't work out :T

    kat
    aneyeforfashion.blogspot.com

  4. The Guilt Letter says

    My hair is naturally curly with an unreasonable amount of volume and my go to products are from Frederic Fekkai. I like my curls to look undone and beachy so I rarely use more than one or 2 products. And to keep it healthy I use Moroccan oil at the tips and soy tri-wheat leave-in condition. I'm in the hunt for a new shampoo and conditioner…any suggestions?

    octoberchic.com

  5. Styleclouds says

    Wow, I totally had you in for straight hair. 🙂 You look so lovely with curls. Since my hair is so staight and heavy every try to get it even wavy takes hours of preparation and it stays in for half an hour. 🙂 So I am out of the curly hair discussion. 🙂 xo, Christina

    http://www.styleclouds.de

  17. Jenny says

    I have naturally curly hair too, but don't wear it that way too often as it always turns frizzy by the end of the day! I do the same thing as you sometimes, or I will put in some mousse, scrunch the curls, and blow dry my curly hair until it is dry 🙂 Thanks for posting your tips!

  19. Christinah715 says

    I would have never guessed that you have naturally curly hair unless you posted this! Your hair always looks amazing, and I think it looks great curly. Having naturally curly hair, I've tried almost every product out there. Oddly enough, some of my favorite styling products are the inexpensive ones – Suave Captivating Curls Cream Mousse and Sleek Anti Frizz Cream, and Ulta Defining Curl Enhancer. I don't stick to one type of shampoo or conditioner, and air drying is a must! 🙂

  20. Lindsay Patrick says

    It looks great in the morning! I tend to sleep a little crazy…rubbing my head all over my pillow so I think mine would look a hot mess in the morning, haha!

    Lindsay @
    LindsayJEveryday.blogspot.com

  21. Nuha says

    aghhh curly hair! it is basically the most stressful thing ever. I use a lot of Moroccan hair oil/ leave in oil treatments to help decrease the frizz. Other then that I don't feel like much else works (product wise). But one thing I have noticed, is that if I shower at night and leave my hair to dry overnight (fanned out above my head) I have less frizz the next day. Hope that helps!

  22. Edyta says

    I have naturally straight hair and curl it almost every single day. My friends with curly hair straighten their every single day. It's a crazy world!

    Having said that, your hair looks amazing 🙂

  26. dana says

    Never would have guessed you had curly hair! Mine is very thick and curly. When i was a teen my neighbor would french braid it and could keep it that way 4 days! I no longer do that! Thanks for sharing! Btw i haved tried so many products but keep going back to aveda brillint line. Now im in my late 40's and it keepsgetting drier…..

  30. gai says

    Wow—people pay a fortune to get body/curl like you have naturally. It's gorgeous! How great that you can do the curly or straight thing, depending on weather. Enjoy your "summer hair"!

  33. Lisa says

    I have..or should I say had, naturally curly hair. It is also fine textured and prone to frizz.
    As a teen in the late 1970's, I grew up in the ear of Marcia Brady hair (Brady Bunch); pin straight and parted in the middle. I had unruly curly hair.
    I hated it! Everyday was a struggle to get my hair to behave.
    Worse yet, when I was in grade school, my Mom used to cut it short and it would stick out on the sides like curly Bozo hair!
    After three kids, my hair is now wavy, rather than curly…but still curly in places…like my bangs…
    On a rainy day…they curl into ringlets. Frizz continues to be an issue.
    Now I blow dry my bangs so they don't look like they don't belong to the rest of my hair; I used Redken curly hair products. I let the rest air dry and then use a curl iron to touch up the frizzy spots.
    I used to have a postcard that said "Life is a turbulent and frustrating struggle…but eventually you find a hairstyle you like" I'm still looking…

    http://www.waltzerl.blogspot.com

  35. My Dressy Ways says

    I don't have curly hair *pout* and just pretty recently found a 'process' that lets me have curly hair and keep it for the day. My stick straight hair can't hold a curl at all. Oh the things we wish we'd known how to do back in the day, right? There are so many tricks you learn as you get older!

  38. Jessica Howells says

    Love the curls! I have naturally curly hair but it is only curly on the bottom and straight on the top so whenever I try to make it curly, it ends up in a ponytail, but this might work for me!

  39. Rachel says

    I have naturally curly hair as well, although it's turned more "wavy" as I've gotten older. I'm amazed you can sleep on your hair and your curls are still in tact and non-frizzy- mine never turn out that way!

    Life Unsweetened

  40. smartandsavvystyle says

    Such a cool post! Hair is a sore spot for me, so I always appreciate hearing how other people style their hair. I think I may try the bun trick! Hope you're having a great week!
    – Heather

  43. Fashion By Alicia says

    I love your hair curly! You need to wear it that way more often on the blog. I wish I could style mine the night before but if I did I would have an afro by morning.

  46. miriam says

    I have naturally curly hair and throughout my entire childhood-until I reached my senior year of highschool, i tried creams and mousse and serums that neevr worked. Now, I have it down pat! I swear by the blue L.A Looks sport gel with 10+ strength. My curls always come out so defined and never crunchy!