Curly Hair Tips To Make Life Easier

Curly hair can be a pain in the butt. Trust me--I know. It never does what you want it to do. It always looks dry. And worst of all, it’s nearly impossible to get a good haircut. That is, unless you visit hairstylist Jonathan Colombini at Sally Hershberger Salon in Los Angeles. The first time I went, it felt like the heavens aligned because he’s makes it a mission to cut curly hair correct.

“Finding someone who knows what they’re doing when they cut curly hair can be hard,” he says. “Having curly hair myself, I didn’t want anyone to be subjected to what I was subjected to with haircuts over the years.”

So how do you know if you’re with the right hairstylist?

“I think the biggest warning I can give people is, if you tell them you wear your hair curly every day and they shampoo you before they cut you, run. You should always cut curly hair dry.”

Your hairstylist should also avoid that all-too-common bell shape that many curly-haired women end up after after a salon session. Instead, he or she should make sure your hair lays correctly. “What we want to do is just ‘air’ it out. With curly hair it’s all about diffusing the weight to make it even.”

At home, always wash it at night and let it air dry. Curly hair tends to be on the dry side because of how the cuticle lays, so if you shampoo it every day and blow-dry it too, you will make it even worse. To smooth out frizz, sleep with your hair in a loose bun or put it into two braids.

Colombini also recommends three hair products. The first, Sally Hershberger Elasto-Curl Daily Treatment ($13). “Creams [like this one] are good for women who have really curly, thick hair that’s on the dryer side. Creams are going to calm that down and allow just enough moisture in the hair.”

Next up is the Sally Hershberger Glam Waves Texture Spray ($13). “It’s more like a beach spray and is perfect for finer textured hair, especially if you want that beachy, been-in-the-ocean-all-day kind of look.”

And finally, Colombini recommends the Bumble and bumble curl cremes. The Defining Creme ($29) is for fine to medium hair, and the Calming Creme ($29) is for medium to thick hair. “They either help encourage the curl or help relax it.”