Authors: Lorraine Massey,Michele Bender
B003YL4KS0 EBOK (6 page)
CURL CONFESSIONKaren Ferleger
stay-at-home momWhat was it like growing up with curly hair? In one word: HELL! I looked like Little Orphan Annie until the age of fourteen, when my hair was cut off completely—practically shaved on the sides and back, with little curls on top.
When I was a freshman in college, I was growing my hair out and waiting for my curls to fall. My then-boyfriend’s friends called me Ronald McDonald and wanted to know how he could date a person with that hair. (We are now married.)
One of my worst curly hair experiences was when I was a sophomore in college and going to a fraternity formal dance. My hair had finally grown to a little below my ears. I wanted straight hair for the formal, so I went to a salon at a very fancy hotel, where instead of straight hair, I got the puffiest hairdo ever. I was miserable the entire night.>
When I moved to New York City after college, I would get my hair blown out once a year on a cold winter day with only good weather predicted. It would take two hours and the hairline around my face would be burnt from the straightener. To top it off, it would only last a day or two—not worth the pain!
After spending literally thousands of dollars on hair products, I found something that worked, and finally learned to love my curls. Still, I do have a monthly nightmare that I am in a salon chair and the stylist cuts off all of my hair again like when I was a kid. I wake up in a panic and quickly reach for my hair to make sure that my long, beautiful curls are still there. I guess that trauma will never be erased from my memory—even all these years later.
Curl Confessions: A Curly Girlhood (2:45)
Curls are like snowflakes or fingerprints. No two are alike, making it difficult to generalize about curly hair. Some of us are born with tightly coiled corkscrew curls so relentless that not even Superman could stretch them out, or so brittle that they break with the least resistance. Some of us have soft Botticelli curls that frame our face with ringlets, making us look like angels in Renaissance paintings. And millions of us have varying degrees of curls and waves and more than one type on one head. Some of us don’t even know what our curl potential is. Your hair really will evolve once you know how to care for and style it. Waves turn into spirals, ringlets into corkscrews, and undefined fractal Afros into well-hydrated, shiny coils.
Curls are like a box of chocolates. You never know which type you’re going to get.
There are many, many types of curl in this world (see
page 30
.) But to guide you in caring for your curls, I’ve categorized them into seven curl types: Corkscrew, Botticelli, and Corkicelli, Cherub, Wavy, S’wavy, and Fractal or Zigzag. To help you identify which curl type best matches your hair, I’ve used recognizable celebrities who represent each curl type along with that type’s features and behaviors. Decide which celebrity and characteristics best match your hair, then go to the particular routine for your curl type in chapters 4 through 6 to learn how to nurture and encourage your curls.
The tightness of your curls (or spring factor) is a good way to determine which type of curly girl you are. (It’s also something your hairdresser should know or be told because it tells him or her how much to cut.) The spring factor is the difference between the length of a curl when it falls naturally and when it’s pulled out to its full length. Here’s how to check yours: Pull a strand of dry curls down against your shoulder or neck to its full length. Leave your finger at the point where the strand touches. Now let go. With a ruler, measure the distance between your finger and where your curl naturally ends. The measurement is your personal spring factor:
9- to 16-inch spring:
Fractal
or
Zigzag
9- to 12-inch spring:
Corkscrew
5- to 10-inch spring:
Corkicelli
and
Cherub
5- to 8-inch spring:
Botticelli
2- to 4-inch spring:
Wavy
1- to 2-inch spring:
S’wavy
If you have short hair, your spring factor will be about half as long as the figures above.
These fractal curls have about a 9-inch spring factor or more. Measure your spring factor to help determine which hair-care routine to follow.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF CURLS
Corkscrew Curls
Sophia, Curly Girl Model
Corkscrew Sample
Beyoncé Knowles, Singer
You know you have corkscrew curls if you have:•
Curls that contract as tightly as a French poodle’s if cut too short.•
Lots of small spirals.•
A high frizz factor.•
Hair that appears thickly textured when you look at it all together, but is actually baby-fine and delicate when you look at a single strand. (This is why your hair breaks so easily.)•
Hair that soaks up as much conditioner as you feed it.•
Tangles and snarls under the top layer of hair at the nape of the neck. (This is caused by the natural movement of the head throughout the day.)•
A spring factor of 9 to 12 inches.
