Curly Girl: The Handbook

by Lorraine Massey and Michele Bender

Say no to shampoo, unplug the dryer, and kiss frizz and bad hair days good-bye. Curly Girl is the surprising bible for those with naturally curly or wavy hair and a desire to celebrate it, from Lorraine Massey, owner of the Devachan salons and products. It's all here: Daily routines for corkscrew, Botticelli, fractal, and wavy curls. Homemade lotions and potions for locking in moisture. Expert tips on caring for African American hair. Fabulous dos for weddings and special occasions. How to trim your hair yourself, step-by-step. (Remember: It's not what you take off; it's what you leave on.) Recommendations for chemical-free products. And so much more: the care, the styling, the products, the remedies, the empowering, pro-curl attitude.

Includes:

Ten things to do before you dye
You are what you eat-and so are your curls
Getting kids to love their curls
Curly guys
Lorraine's 12-step recovery program
And check out Lorraine's video tutorials on YouTube.

• ISBN13: 9780761156789
• Publish Date: 12 January 2011 (first published 1 January 2002)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Workman Publishing
• Edition: 2nd Revised edition
• Format: Paperback
• 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.