Curly-Ass Hair

Hi!

Curly, crazy, frizzy, and a complete hassle to deal with. That is basically what my hair's been like forever. Ok, aside from when it was short and cute and easily tame-able, my hair has been a bit of a thorn in my side. And deciding to grow it out makes it a bit more so.

So a brief history of my hair (trust me, this is brief):

Stage 1: Braids.
Growing up in an Indian household, you grew your hair long and you got it braided - not matter what. Which meant that when I tried to style my hair without braids later on, well let's just say that I didn't really know what the hell to do with all that curl. Needless to say it didn't help that my hair was a bit schizophrenic - wavy at the scalp, curly in the middle, and super tight curls at the end. So ultimately, parting my hair down the middle and braiding it were my go to-s.

Stage 2: A bit shorter.
Towards the start of college, I realized I needed to change something - which resulted in the first cut. Trimming off the super curly ends and a non-center parting changed things up a bit. Sure it was still frizzy and unmanageable, but it was no longer more than half way down my back.

Stage 3: Shorter and layered.
Sometime around 2010 I decided that a straight A-cut wasn't going to cut it no more. In fact my hair often resembled a triangle in profile. Considering this, I decided it would be prudent to visit a hair salon for an actual adult cut to employ some of the ideas I had. The length went down to just below the shoulder when straight and to test it out, a couple of layers thrown in. I was starting to get a hang of my hair.

Stage 4: Chop it off.
After about a year of getting consistent curling through my hair, I realized it was time for another visit to the salon. Sitting in the chair I made a sudden decision: I chopped it all off. Ok let me clarify, I wasn't sporting a pixie cut of any kind - just layered hair that sat around my face, that ended near my chin. I learned 2 things: 1) short hair is awesome and light and really easy to style and 2) if I get my hair cut - never leave it curly...

Stage 5 (current): Growing it out.
After settling into an above the shoulder (but not super short) layered hair style, I was ready for the next step: getting my hair back to the length where it all started. I guess I figured that I knew what my hair did, how it curled, and how it worked short. The last step was only logical - get it long and see if I could handle it. But of course, it's not that easy.

So let's get to the focus of this post: my trials and victories growing out my hair.

Trial #1: Hard to judge if curly hair grows longer. Seriously. Really Hard.
Until I purposefully straighten my hair I literally have no clue how long it is. I can go for 6-8 months without really realizing my hair is getting longer. I may have an inclination that my hair reaches a bit further, but really it feels like it's just my imagination. Usually I hit the point where I start to notice the split ends and I think I should get a hair cut. Length doesn't even come into the picture.

Trial #2: Long hair goes EVERYWHERE.
I think my time having shorter hair made me forget one crucial point - long hair gets stuck under and in most everything. I have to watch my jacket buttons/zippers or my bag handles and it still takes 5 tries to get my hair out of the way. And pulling my hair back into a pony tail doesn't help - not only does the weight make the hair tie sag lower, the tied back hair still goes all over. And living in the windy city? Well I pretty much walk around with my hair in my face like a curly "Mr. It" (from the Addams family). Oh and don't forget that your head will feel like a furnace. It's like my face and neck are permanently fevered. Great when it's cold out - not so great otherwise.

Victory #1: It's actually long!
Haha ok, well not as long as I'm shooting for just yet, but hey, almost 2.5 years of effort and there is a difference. Just before my last hair cut, the hair in the center of my back was past the bra strap line! I am getting a hand on the length and I have an idea of what style I'm aiming for. Keeping layers with length, shorter layers and side bangs (similar to the lengths when my hair was shorter) to frame the face and give my hair body.

Half and Half #1: I kinda know what I'm doing and I kinda don't.
Recently I came across a stylist that has created a full hair care and regimen line specifically for curly hair. Of course, she is not the first person to do so - but the first I've looked into. Honestly, I never thought to look into how to take care of my hair, so in a way it's a novel thing to me. I learned that I was correct to use conditioner (to also untangle out the knots) and use a gel to hold in the curls followed with an air dry to finish it off.

However, I did learn that instead of washing my hair thoroughly with shampoo, I should stick to washing my hair near the scalp and wash out the rest of my hair when I rinse out the shampoo - so as not to strip all the oils away from my hair. To reduce the "frizz" factor of my hair, I should leave in the conditioner (or not rinse all of it out). By providing my hair with moisture, the hair will be less likely to try to find it from the atmosphere. This of course leads into Victory #2...

Victory #2: A hair care regimen to last
By following the above routine, I found that my hair is much softer and less frizzy than before.

In addition to the routine, the stylist came up with a product line called DevaCurl. Now, I'm not here to advertise her product line, but I do like some of the products and how they work. The "one condition" conditioner is a light leave in conditioner that doesn't leave an oily residue in my hair.

There is a "no poo" shampoo that I've tried. It doesn't create a lather and feels great while using in the shower. The only down side is that my hair gets an oily feeling after only 2 days. There is a "low poo" version of the shampoo that creates a mild lather which might work better, but I think I'll stick to my usual Head&Shoulders for now.

And crucially, instead of rubbing my hair dry - I should use a scrunching technique. Scrunch the hair in the towel to squeeze out the excess water. And after I apply the gel to hold the curls, it doesn't hurt to scrunch up the curls once more. That takes me to Trial #3...

Trial #3: Cause brushing won't fix it...
I still don't know how to keep the curls awesome after a night's sleep. Sure there's no weird frizzing, but the integrity of each curl - especially the ones on top - gets interrupted. A curl works because several strands of hair come together to curl as one (this is where a gel to style damp hair is essential). But in the course of the night, between my head and the pillow, strands get pulled out of the curls. Which means unless I want to re-wet and re-gel my hair (which doesn't always work) I get to walk around with a basically messy hairdo.

Victory #3: Braids again!
With my new found soft hair, there are a few things I can actually attempt. For example, I can braid my hair without brushing it out. Because the hair is less chaotic, I can divide the hair more easily - without yanking something out. And since there is less frizz, the hair doesn't poof quite so much, which leads to smoother hair styles.

Half and Half #2: Working the layers
I have a style that works with my hair: layered with shorter layers to frame the face. It's awesome and works even with the changing character of my hair. But with the softer hair, somehow I've lost the volume I'm used to seeing. The layers don't separate out in the same way they used to, and part of me is afraid that I may lose my characteristically awesome curliness with the new hair regimen. So either I'll have to work out how to reintroduce that volume, or I take my next appointment at the hair salon to better situate the layers. Future will only tell.


My hair is a crazy, curly mess and an integral part of my character or personality. So knowing how to deal with it makes my life more convenient. So let's see how long I can get it to grow.