Curly Girl

by Lorraine Massey and Michele Bender

Curly girls of the world unite! Sixty-five percent of women have naturally curly hair, but for too long too many of these women have either been at a loss on how to care for their hair properly or, worse, have gone through life pretending they have straight hair. No more. Curls are definitely in - "Curl Up!" says Mademoiselle - and Lorraine Massey, a professional hairstylist and passionate proponent of curly hair, celebrates the curly girl way of life, from hair care to carefree attitude. Beginning with The Curly Girl's Twelve-Step Programme (Step Three: I will accept that the scalp and hair are two different entities with completely different needs, and I will treat them accordingly) CURLY GIRL is an illustrated how-to, support group and tongue-in-cheek manifesto all in one. There are tips on shampoo (never daily), conditioners (use lots), drying, combing (only when wet and well-conditioned), styling, getting the right cut and how to Heal Thy Hair after years of strong detergents and damaging blowdryers. There are before-and-after photographs, Curly Cues, self-help tests, confessions from curly girls, advice to take to your stylist.
And for girls seeking their inner curl, compassion and encouragement to let their hair break free - and to put the fear of frizz behind them. Because from now on there's no such thing as a bad hair day.

• ISBN13: 9780761123002
• Publish Date: 1 January 2002
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 1 November 2011
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Workman Publishing
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 144
• Language: English

Reviews

[verkaskodova]

So many great informations which I can use (THE RECIPES, THANK YOU), but some of the things really irked me. First, hating and forbidding clarifying shampoos in generall, which is nonsense, you can't fight hard water and build-up with conditioner and low-poo, second not explaining the porosity which is literally hell when you're trying to figure out the right product and your washing routine and third not explaing moisture-protein balance, which is crucial for curly hair and I dare say even for curly girl method.

Most importantly, there's the attitude.

There's one story about a woman who was very upset with her hair at the funeral of her father. More so, the author talks about loss of hair at the chemo as the most important thing that's going to happen when you have a cancer. No, it's not, you will be constantly sick and the hair will be the last thing you will cry about. Plus what's wrong with those people claiming curly people (girls, women) who embrace their curls are more spontaneous and successful in their life? Like, hell yes, it's awesome when you understand your hair and manage to taim it, but it's not your whole life, for god's sake.

Otherwise, thank you for this handbook, I can imagine lots of curly people would appreciate it, maybe even most of them (I won't claim that every curly person would, since I don't believe this unlike the author) and as for me, I got some useful advice I was looking for, I can understand now why curly society claims it's better to read this and then start searching things on the internet.

[Briana @ Pages Unbound]

I requested this book from the library after someone suggested I try the Curly Girl method. There's information online, but I assumed a book would be straightforward and make it easier to process. It turns out the online resources are better. There are some funny stories and real life experiences in the book that might be fun for those who have had some awful experiences with their curly hair. In terms of actual take-aways, the book basically has two main points: Don't use shampoo and stop straightening your hair. The online resources suggest the process of caring for your curls is actually going to be more rigorous if you want great results. There's also a chapter on cutting your hair, but your best option is probably finding someone who knows how to cut curly hair, rather than trying to explain it to someone who does not.