Over the last few years, I've finally come to
somewhat embrace not
totally hate my natural curls. After about 8 years of using the flat iron every. single. day. I decided to take advantage of the length that had grown out for our wedding and go back to the curls for a little while. (A short 'do and curls never worked for me — I always got the dreaded triangle-effect if my hair wasn't long enough.)
My hair was kind of begging for a little less heat damage, and it takes me a lot less time to get ready in the mornings now, but it did take a little while to assemble the perfect combination of products to work with my hair — a curly hair cocktail, if you will. Currently, here are my products of choice:
I alternate between
Aussie Moist and
Iden Bee Propolis Bee Balanced for shampooing and conditioning. My scalp can get pretty dry, and my hairdresser recommended the Iden products; it's also always good to alternate your shampoos and conditioners every so often to keep hair refreshed, and I've always liked Aussie products.
After I towel dry my hair, I mix together
Redken's Fresh Curls Curl Refiner with a drop of
Frizz Ease Clearly Defined Style Holding Gel. My hair is pretty soft/fine so if I use the Redken Curl Refiner on its own, my curls are
too soft and, in turn, can look frizzy (though I like this product for the moisture it adds). Adding a little bit of the Frizz Ease gel helps to give the curls a little more shape, sans frizz.
Once my product is in, I try not to really mess with my hair much. The curls look their best when they do their own thing and I haven't gone crazy trying to scrunch them. I dry my hair with a
diffuser (key for containing the frizz), and I spray
Aussie Sprunch spray when it's still a little damp, then dry some more. The Sprunch spray is great for keeping things contained without being too wet or giving me crispy curls (eww). Once I'm done drying, I go over everything with a few more sprays of the Sprunch spray, and voila — somewhat contained curls.
It may sound like a process, but it saves me about 15 minutes compared to when I was using the flat iron every day, and my hair feels healthier, to boot. I have to admit that I still like the way I look better with straight hair, but I save that long and drawn out process for special occasions now :)
Any other curly-haired ladies out there? What are your favorite products?
After a few of you mentioned how "me" it was, I caved and ordered it. And, well — hmm, how do I put this? — the girls, we'll call them Donna and Debbie (if you catch my drift), did not really fit in this suit. Not at all. It bordered between hilarious and offensive, and I was certainly not leaving my bedroom, let alone going to the beach, looking like that.
It has been a constant struggle over the last, oh, 15 years, to find swimsuits that fit right. Where do you find suits that fit your body the best?
