A Question for the Curly Haired Gals - YouLookFab Forum

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A Question for the Curly Haired Gals

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

It's all the rage in fashion to "work with your curly hair", and not to fight it. Bring out the curl with product - instead of trying to straighten it.

My question is whether working with your curly hair is any less work than straightening it. Of course, I don't have curly hair so I have no personal experience. But judging from what my clients and friends say, working WITH the curl is often just as time consuming because curls can be very temperamental, uneven and curl in a frumpy way instead of a fab way.

I guess it all depends on the density and quality of your curls - and the way your hair has been cut. No?

Dressing

33 replies

Latest reply was from Beth

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Why thanks for asking! My hair is not super curly, but my routine is put oil and something called Catwalk Curls in my hair after the shower, arrange in place for 3 seconds and that's it. I have a really good cut now for the first time in years, so that is a factor.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I do often find that working with the curl can be as much work as blow-drying my hair straight. I have the kind of hair that never seems to look the same twice. It's maddeningly inconsistent. One day I might let it air dry and it looks great, the next it's a hot mess.

The last two weeks since I had the keratin straightening done have been the most consistent, least work two weeks of hair I have ever had. Oh, and the bonus is that the color stays put much better due to the keratin treatment. Normally the red dye from my burgundy streak would be coming off on my towels for weeks, but I've seen no bleeding at all.

Anonymous

I am able to leave my hair au naturel, but for me, it is much more time consuming than a blow dry. I would have to wash my hair every day, just because I cannot take the amount of product build up needed to actually make the curl look nice and not frizzy. I cannot stand the feel of that product in my head... I would do it on a summer vacation, for example. In winter here, I would have to still use a diffuser to dry my hair before leaving the house, so I'm still using heat and products, no point. ( I'm a morning shower person, sorry if TMI).

I do not wash my hair everyday with blowdry/ styling because I don't need any product at all, to either leave it straight or recreate a soft curl with styling tools. so yes, that is less time and less strain on the hair, since I only do it about 3 times a week tops.

i can style my own hair ( everything but a haircut, I do my own color and styling) and it takes me about an hour from shower to out the door. I can deal with the time no problem.

And yes, the right cut is essential. I only go to hairdressers who are good at dealing with my type of (ethnic) hair. I find layering works best.

Kari

Veteran

I don't have curly hair, but some of my curly-locked friends have reported more uniform/shaped and less frizzy curls, and reduced maintenance time, when they stopped using shampoo (conditioner only, or one of the no-shampoo methods out there.)

rholmes27

I think a good cut by someone trained to cut curly hair goes a long way. I either cowash or use organic shampoo, leave-in conditioner, styling gel for curly hair, & air dry. That's it. I do not have the patience or the skill to do much more than this.

My attitude about my hair is the same as my attitude about my body. I take care of it the best I can without undue stress, & then just enjoy it for what it is. Interestingly, since I stopped fighting my hair & let it do its own thing, I get many compliments on it.

A.Kiernan

(website)

Working with my curls can be just as much work as straightening my hair, it just may not always take as much time.

I almost always air dry my curls, unless it is too cold out, then I use a diffuser on my hair dryer. It takes about 10 minutes for me to put some product in my hair and shape the curls. On the down side, if it is super-humid out, my hair won't fully dry until lunchtime.

On the other hand, when I blow dry my hair straight, it takes a good 30 minutes start to finish.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Oh, it absolutely takes less work to just "go with the curl". Mind you, a very good cut is essential. My current hairstylist is very adept at cutting curly and wavy hair into a manageable style -- in fact that's why I went to her in the first place. A friend of a friend had this fabulous short wavy hair, and when I asked her who did it, she said, "Oh, Emily's great -- she really knows how to cut curly hair".

I can usually just wash, blow-dry on low setting to about halfway dry, and scrunch a bit, and it looks good (or at least, I think so. I'm not bothered by a few flyaways, though. I know some people are).

If I want it straight, I need to blow dry on high until it's totally dry, then spend ten minutes with the flatiron. And then I need to apply texturizing product, and even so it may or may not frizz up halfway through the day anyway. And if it does start to frizz up, it won't be in a good way, whereas if I let the curls just happen, I get bouncy loose curls rather than frizz.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I don't have curly hair, obviously, but my curly haired friends report that in addition to the type of curls you happen to have and the quality of the cut, it also matters where they live. It is easier to manage a head of curly hair in some climates than it is in others.

Adelfa

Veteran

I have wavy hair and absolutely, blow drying it straight is less time overall. When I go natural, I am fussing all day, especially since over time my waves lose volume. When I blow dry, I'm done in under 10 minutes and my hair looks good all day.

ManidipaM

Veteran

For me, DEFINITELY the first issue, especially when going shorter than shoulder length, is finding someone who can cut to work with the direction of curls rather than vice versa --- otherwise I get horrid sticky-outy bits over my ears and behind the head!

I think it depends on the texture of your hair --- some people get more frizz, some people have hair softer than mine so that it curls differently based on how they slept on it (mine is stubborn and knows its mine, and will NOT change it). I do get more curl vs less wave depending on humidity. And trying to make it curl a certain way despite inclination and weather is so hard a task that is just. won't. work. Not for me anyway.

Curly-hair conditioner is my limit of fiddling with it. After that, I'm depending on the cut to work with it, not my own styling tricks.

Gaylene

Veteran

What Adelfa says...

I can blow dry my fine, wavy/curly hair into a straightish, layered bob in a couple of minutes that looks more or less the same for the entire day. Totally easy UNLESS I'm somewhere with high humidity where my hair wants to revert to a curly, frizzy mass.

My current stylist is a genius with curly hair and has been encouraging me to start working with the curl instead of always resorting to a blow dryer. It's been a learning process and I'm finding it to be MUCH more time consuming. Some days my curls look really good, while, on other days, they can just look weird and frumpy. Curly hair is definitely more work--and the end result can be quite unpredictable.

RunningSue

I wore my hair curly for a number of years and then decided to blow it straight. For me, when I wore it curly it was a piece of cake, no work and it always looked great. Now, I wear it shorter and prefer to straighten it. Takes a few minutes to dry and then flat iron. The right products make all the difference. Since I started using Living Proof, my hair seems to look good more often. Even after spin class or running in the humidity I can extend the blowout easily.

While I love curly hair on others I do not love it on me. It has also gotten less manageable as I have had more kids. I tried Bumble and Bumble's smoothing treatment last year. While it did reduce the time to style my hair, it took ALL the wave out so it was really flat. I would rather fight the humidity and have some body.

Deborah

Veteran

Yay, internet's working:). I have naturally curly/wavy hair and I have been blow waving it straight for years:). It is most definitely easier for me to blow wavee it straight than try to fashion the curls into some sort of "order" irrespective of product or cut. Mind you i dont like how my hair looks curly so I am not up to speed with current products for curly hair. Though every now and then, I flirt with the idea of trying it au naturel. Extreme humidity is a problem but thankfully I don't encounter that often.

Scarlet

Veteran

Working with the curl is officially my new strategy since my haircut last week. In my case this means air drying instead of blow drying. It saves me time since I have a well-behaved wave. I find my second day hair more problematic and have to either re-wet it or put it up. I didn't know this was a new trend, but that explains maybe why my trendy hairdresser encouraged me to go in this direction. Well that and it fits well with having a baby, doesn't it. The trend for high buns is really working for me too in this respect.

rute

Veteran

No way! Embracing curls is much less time consuming than trying to straighten it!!
Of course curls can be temperamental and the never seem right! It helps to go to a hairdresser who really knows how to cut curly hairs and invest in good products for curls!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Lots of opposing thoughts, and quite a few confirmations too. Weather and hair lengths seem to be factors that play an additional role here. So interesting.

Thanks, ladies!

Tina.b

Veteran

My wavy, curly hair is a nightmare, lol. It is beyond frizzy, hairdressers even remark that I have a particularly difficult hair texture. Usually I blowdry it straight and then flat iron, takes quite a while.

Sometimes I blow dry it, and then give myself the home version of a blowout with a round brush. I cannot do this nearly as effectively as the hairdresser and it takes forever. If I want to wear it with any curl at all, I have to smooth it, and this is the only thing that works. Also I need to use a ton of product when I don't flat iron.

modgrl

(website)

Veteran

My curls are very recalcitrant. I can not fight them. They always come back. I use a curl gel and cream combination that gives me perfect curls. I am never going back to the flat iron!

Janet

(website)

Veteran

In addition to weather and length, I think hair thickness and texture, and the degree of curl all have a lot to do with it.

My hair has gotten much easier to manage now that it's thinner and finer than it was when I was younger -- it takes less work to get it straight, but if there is any humidity in the air, it won't stay smooth.

Glory

Veteran

I have two daughters: one with pin straight hair and the other with extreme Curly hair. I would have to say that the curly is considerably more work from shampoo, to combing to styling. I so agree that a good cut is essential but long curly hair can be quite challenging regardless. I find the biggest challenge are the tangles for her, and this despite a huge variety of products we have tried. Her goal is to have it as long as Merida on the movie Brave. Oh dear.....

tarzy

Veteran

I have very curly hair, and it is definitely not "easy." I wear it curly, and every day is different. I never know what it's going to do, how it's going to behave. I can do the exact same thing and end up with different results. I do not fight it. I just go with it.

Yesterday, as usual, I washed it, scrunched in some product... and it was absolutely perfect. Perfect curls, no frizz, fantastic shape. WHY???? HOW??? I wish I knew! Unfortunately, I was working at home all day, so no one saw my perfect hair. Sigh.

Lisa

Veteran

I have wavy hair and I blow dry daily. It may mean more time in the bathroom because I have to stand there and dry it but the rest of the day I have flat, straight hair and don't give it a second thought. When I go au natural, I have wet hair for hours! My hair really holds water and takes a long time to dry on it's own. The wet neck can drive me batty! Plus now I have super full hair when it finally does dry and I am fussing all day with it. Usually I cheat and just put it in a clip for the day.

Anonymous

I'm having a bad hair day (week, month, year!) so right now it seems like everything takes a lot of work and then ends up looking like a hot mess (straight or curly). My hair won't curl enough in this dry air to look anything other than frumpy, but when I straighten it, it flattens out completely and plays dead, stuck to my head. I'm trying to only wash it every other day so that I won't fry it while it grows a bit, but I'm about ready to cave in and get a trim. I'd rather it look healthy than longer and tattered. *sob*

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Tarzy, I completely sympathize! Even though my hair is not as curly as yours, it's maddeningly inconsistent! I don't understand either.

lynne

Veteran

I have learned to love my curly hair, but not every day. As others have said, success with the style seems to vary. I have many more good hair days when I'm in Arizona because of the lack of humidity. When I wear it curly, it is more labor intensive however.

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

My hair is pretty wavy, maybe not truly "curly" so I'm not sure that's the same. My DH loves it "wild" as he says. I do not. I don't blow dry (I end up going to bed with it still wet or damp after I wash it most often) but I use a big 1" curling iron to "straighten" somewhat and control my waves where I want them. Takes me about 10 mins. If I let it be more wavy overall, I still work the front to control the waves of my fringe somewhat - so there's really not much time difference for me. In humid climates or after swimming I have to embrace the "wild" look. I use some really great conditioning products so it works out okay most often but if frizz is an issue I use a very thin oil to help tame it down.

rachylou

Veteran

I have odd wavy hair. It will curl up if I let it air dry and then the curl will fall out as the day goes on. Product is required. A deft haircut can give me super curls, but I've only ever found one stylist good enough to do it and going to her required travel.

Gabi

depends of the weather, on rainy, foggy or humid days i have to work with my curly hair because there is now way it would stay straight but on other days straight hair is so much easier

Astrid

Veteran

Working with the curls is much easier for me. I never straighten it, I didn't look that good the few times I've done it. It is straight after a lot of work, but it doesn't look like straight hair then, only like curly hair that has been straightened. Does that make sense? Anyway, I don't like the look at all. The curls and waves on the other hand pretty much come from alone. I just need to air dry my hair and keep brushes and combs away. Of course they aren't always perfect and frizz like mad on rainy days, but that doesn't bother me. It's part of having that type of hair, I guess. Although I imagine that it would be a lot more work if I were determined to fight the frizz.

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