Spin off ... polish with curls ...

On Debbie's thread, several of us with curls compared the challenge of looking polished with curls. I'm curious what other curly-girls are thinking, or even what those with straight hair could recommend to us. It would be nice to know!

I find when I dress up, I like to pull my curls back into a loose twist. Currently, my hair is too short to do that. I had my hair relaxed a few years ago, and I missed the volume, even the wildness of it! So I'm sticking with my curls, even though they are different every day. I get asked if I've had a hair cut months after actually cutting it, since the curls vary with the weather.

I'm also not very skilled with make-up. I do wear a light layer of neutral eye shadow, sometimes some eyeliner, and always mascara. I take care of my skin, moisturizing daily with coconut oil. I groom my brows myself. At one point, I almost over-plucked so the outside ends of my brows are borderline sparse. Fortunately, the main shape of my brows was not overplucked. I sometimes wear gloss, but my lips are thin so I don't like to highlight them. I noticed on Maya's make-up thread that some people are having good results with blush, so I could try that.

15 years ago

Lynne

Veteran

I wouldn't say my wavy hair always looks polished, but it does look better if I spend some time scrunching serum into the ends in the mornings....not sure if this helps?

Christie

Active Member

Hmmm, I think its something beyond if you use hair product or not. I do, so my curls are soft and clumpy, but not "crispy/crunchy."

I think curls look more natural or earthy or boho?

April

Yes, using some sort of product is key. More likely, using a cocktail of products is key. It's really hard to get curly hair to look shiny and under control without applying some sort of stuff to it -- just about as hard as looking completely polished with no makeup whatsoever.

I don't use shampoo anymore, so I mostly avoid hair products that are silicone-based, which are supposedly to be avoided if you go the no-shampoo route. I "shampoo" daily with conditioner only and it keeps my hair from being unbearably dry and frizzy.

What I use is Potion 9 (Sebastien) and a generous amount of Deva Curl Arcangel. The Potion 9 does have some silicones in it, but I haven't noticed a problem with build-up. This combination works better for me than any of the (many, many, many) others I've tried.

DanaLynn

I haven't been brave enough to go the no poo route yet. I'm addicted to my silicone based products. I find that keeping my hair shorter keeps me looking a little more "polished". That's just my curls though. I use a leave in conditioner, mousse and shining hairspray to finish. I wash every other day and luckily mine look just as good- if not better- on day 2. My husband has similar curls and his are a mess the day two.

Curls really do have a lot of odd associations with them. SO lots of times for interviews I will straighten them. After that though I am curly almost every day.

I love hair accessories to add the polish. It really plays up the hair as something I am emphasizing not hiding. I love head bands, clips, flowers, anything I can stick in there! One of my favorite styles is tucking one side behind my ear with a pretty barrette.

When my hair is longer my "go to" style is loosely french braiding it. Sometimes I'll do it straight down the back and other times I will start behind one ear and brand around the back of my head. I wrap the ends in a loose side chignon. Finish it with something sparkley or statement earrings. I get compliments on that style all the time. Right now my hair is too short though.

I think another important thing is getting a proper haircut for curls. Working with a stylist that knows your curls is so important. Curls can definitely hide a bad haircut- but the right haircut can make them shine!

I've heard a lot of curly friends rave about the Brazilian blowout. It is some sort of chemical. Once it is done and you wet your curls they are supposedly softer, looser and shinier for weeks. I've never tried it but some people swear by it. It doesn't grow out thou- it just washes out so you won't have a line in your hair where the texture is different.

In the end though I feel like my curls are clean, soft and shiny. I think they look polished even if someone else disagrees. I always recommend curly girls check out http://www.naturallycurly.com

MsMary

I have reached a compromise with my curls: I generally straighten the top layer of my hair and let the bottom part curl as it wants to. Some days I only straighten my bangs, other days I straighten the whole top layer. I find it gives me the polished look I like while still having the curls and fullness I like around my chin.

And when I go to the salon I always have them flat-iron it straight because they do a much better job than I can do! LOL

(website)

Mine are basically a tousled mess most the time. but I don't mind. I couldn't imagine what it would take to properly tame them in FL humidity. What I don't like is how they curl a lot more in the back and much less so near the front and face. I really would like to lessen the rear curls and have them spring up more in front. Anyway, I think it's okay that my hair isn't necessarily polished. It adds a softness to my look - kind of like ruffles with a biker jacket, you know?

Aida

Glad you started this! I hope some of the resident hair gurus will chime in with some tips. I think starting with a good cut is the best thing for a polished curly look.

I'm the same as Mo, usually leaving them a "tousled mess" as she put it (though mine curl way more up front than the back, it's not really a good thing Mo hehe!); it adds a little boho/girly vibe to my otherwise neither-of-those-things look.

I don't do the no-poo (my hair is way too thin), but I wash it every 3-4 days which gives it a natural softness and a little shine to combat its usual frizzy state; I use a powder dry shampoo on the 3rd day, when necessary. I rarely blow dry nor use products, sometimes I use mousse and blow the roots only for a little volume, but usually I'm too lazy and just do a little teasing around the crown.

As far as styling, I am just starting to venture into this. On the few days where I don't just leave it wild, I'll wear it in a ponytail or put half of it up in a bar clip, with varying degrees of messiness. I used to wear silk scarves in my hair but not recently, though I think I may go back to that this spring.

I certainly wouldn't call my hair look "polished" by any means, but I've come to accept that I'm just not willing to put in the effort to make it look so

Beth

This is an issue I've struggled with for years. My hair is quite curly...think Mariah Carey or Julia Roberts in their natural states. And to be honest, when I wore it curly, it was shiny and non-frizzy. But the texture and volume made me nuts. It started wavy at the root and got curlier all the way down. For a while I used a curling iron to get the roots to match the rest of my hair. Then I gave up and started straightening it. Straight hair fits my personality MUCH better:)

Naturallycurly.com is a great resource and I lived over there when the site was new back in the mid-90s. One thing that seemed to be a common thread is that everyone has their own product/styling routines and finding yours could take a lot of trial and error.

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