It´s a CURL thing!

by Naomi Mannino

Teaching a client to love and care for her natural hair texture is one of the greatest gifts you can give. But what if she wants to straighten? It´s an issue of trust…one she´ll return by coming back to you again and again.

To curl or not to curl? That is the question! When you see that head of wavy, curly, or kinky hair sit down in your chair you don´t know if she´ll want to wear her curls naturally or if she´s going to ask you to straighten them out permanently. “Obviously it´s human nature for everyone to want what they don´t have,” explains Jesse Briggs, hair extraordinaire and owner of the Yellow Strawberry Global Hair Salon in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. “Girls with curls want straight hair and girls with bone-straight hair want curls.” But what if her hair´s already severely damaged, colored, broken? You´ve got to think fast. You´ve got to size up her budget and her fashion sense and above all, listen when she talks. You need to answer her questions about products and processes. You´ve got to provide her with the best, most affordable solution, the healthiest solution for her looks and her hair. And that takes a lot of information and know-how.

First things, first...what type of curls?

If you´ve ever been on the Naturallycurly.com website, or read any of the popular books about curly hair, then you probably know about the four basic curl types. However, when Lorraine Massey, a curly girl herself, author of Curly Girl (WorkmanCurly Workman) and co-owner of Devachan Salon and DevaConcepts, was researching curl types for her book, she found over 200 different curl combinations! “In this country, hair type is as much a melting pot as culture. It´s not one-size-fits all...we are a multicultural race with multi-layers and beautiful new textures!” According to Naturallycurly.com´s classifications, the first type is straight hair. Period. Type 2 curls are wavy, with a definite S-pattern that sticks close to the head. They blow straight, relax and take curly direction, too. Type 3 curls show a definite loopy S-pattern and cuticle layers don´t lay flat - so curly hair is usually not shiny. Type 3 curls range from bouncy ringlets to tight corkscrews or a combination with the crown usually being the curliest part. The denser and thicker the head of curls the stronger and thicker the product needs. Type 4 curls are very tightly curled, wiry, coiled. Hair appears coarse, but if you do the hair test, you´ll find strands quite fine but densely packed together. This type of hair doesn´t shine - but it does have a soft, satiny sheen. It´s easily broken, damaged and doesn´t show its true length because it grows up or out instead of growing down. Educate curly-haired clients on moisture needs and damage control from excess shampooing, combing, brushing, styling, drying and straightening. They need styling direction to avoid fuzz at the hairline, and frizz throughout.

Curl clues: Do a hair test Pluck a piece. Stretch it out. Is it springy like a slinky? Does it break or stretch? Is it frizzy, dull, hard and dry, with a frizzled end? Or is it shiny, soft and smooth with strong elasticity. Note the curl type and look for signs of damage.

Love our curls...love ourselves

“Curly hair is like the ‘inconvenient truth´ and everyone is always trying to make them go away,” explains Lorraine Massey, “but what curly girls have is actually the best, most versatile fashion accessory...better than any bag, shoes or piece of jewelry!” Why agree with your client that her hair is not good enough to look pretty the way it is? Why advise a woman to do a thing, like straighten, that costs hundreds of dollars she won´t be able afford again? Instead, show curly clients a precision cut and use color techniques that bring out the natural beauty of a curly head of hair. Teach them simple care techniques and products that improve hair´s health.

Diffusing the situation With new ionic dryers and more efficient shapes like the Deva “hand,” diffusing curls is easier and more effective. - Always start with conditioned, detangled wet hair. - Apply styling product for curl type. - Place the diffuser with dryer on low setting at the nape of the neck and dry at scalp first. - As curls lift, move diffuser away from the scalp and push gently into curls - Srunch as you go.

“By the time they get to me, they´re bottomed out - damaged, broken,” says Lorraine Massey, who runs a training center, the Devachan Salon in New York City, where they teach women to love their curls. “As hairdressers, it´s our chance to make a difference. To practice respect for nature, ourselves. I never allow a woman to say bad things about her hair. I can work with any curly hair to look its best...its healthiest. And I do that by teaching clients to respect themselves and to have the courage to be who they are. This is especially important with younger girls who are prone to society´s pressures to be straight, thin.” Besides, she adds, “When it comes to curly hair, nature always wins. You´re fighting an uphill battle. One that can only end in ruins!” she exclaims. Mahisha Dellinger, creator of Curls care and styling products for curly hair agrees. “Think twice before suggesting straightening. before suggesting straightening. Help clients resist the urge to look like everyone else. There are so many better, safer care and styling products for a healthy head of curls now.” Instead of straightening, Susan Henry, owner of Shades Salon in Beverly Hills California says, “My staff works on lots of cutting and chemical-free high-lighting techniques that accentuate all the different types of curls.”

Curly hair “I do´s” Teach your clients healthy curl care habits. - Sleep on a satin pillowcase. - Never brush or comb dry curls. - Use a wide-toothed comb on wet hair. - Don´t rub shampoo vigorously. - Avoid drug store shampoos loaded with Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. They strip hair and leave cuticle rough. - Moisture, moisture, moisture…without moisture there is only frizz. - Avoid drug store styling products that coat curls with plastic resins - they cause breakage and crispy curls. - Don´t wash everyday, instead re-fresh. - Microfiber towels are best for curly, kinky hair. - Never rub with a terrycloth towel. - Use the diffuser.

Stylists talk straight

There´s been a lot of hype and a lot of new options in relaxing or straightening hair lately. In response there are a lot of opinions on which works on what hair, which chemicals may be dangerous, how long a process takes or how it can be cost effective or not for your clients. Aside from what it means for the client, a main concern for stylists, explains Carmine Minardi of Minardi Salon in New York City with all his years of experience, “is that we work in a suspicious environment to begin with. It is proven that hairdressers have a higher incidence of bladder and kidney cancers. Introducing something that is a known carcinogen is ignorant if I can get the same results without having to use a questionable chemical.” Educate yourself on all the options, both old and new, (see sidebar for a quick breakdown) and ask questions whenever reps and distributors call you. Of course, some stylists refuse to straighten. “Straightening out curls for a client is like giving them an anti-depressant. It´s not who they are! Plus, it´s about self-respect for stylists, too. It´s not about money. Why breathe this stuff all day long knowing it is poisoning my body, the earth? I just won´t,” concludes Lorraine Massey. Shades Salon owner Susan Henry has built a successful chemical-free salon business and created a chemical-free product line. Clients seek out her salon specifically for a chemical-free experience and they do no straightening at all. “We warn people we are a ‘green´ salon when they call!”Other stylists base their decision on the state of the client´s hair and their personality, too. Jesse Briggs, says he uses a ‘sizing-up´ technique to determine how set a client is on straightening. “I look in her eyes. I check out her clothes, her nails, her purse and shoes to see how important her appearance is to her and how she wants to represent herself. I analyze her hair and I listen to her words.” You, as a hairdresser have the power to educate this client, to help her respect her natural beauty, help her stay within her budget or help her reach her fashion goals but you want to be sure. You want to keep this client so you have to think long-term. “I won´t just do it for the money,” concludes Briggs, “there´s a lot more going on behind the chair than anyone realizes!”

Carmine Minardi, agrees with moderation and caution, but he will straighten using known chemicals and tested processes, like Briggs, once he determines his client´s needs. “The time-tested processes provide so much versatility and have been proven to work, although now we know gentler ways to use them that have a lower pH, so they won´t damage the hair as much. Nobody´s saying they aren´t toxic either, it´s just that these newer, questionable chemicals only provide the straightening miracle for a very small group of people!” explains Minardi. “It´s sort of hairdresser beware,” agrees Denise Kinglsey, an experienced hair straightening specialist from I Capelli Salon in Colorado, who uses a special fume extractor when providing a 'Brazilian' Keratin straightener. And Brazilians are limited in her salon to just two a day, but she also carefully evaluates the client´s hair and personality beforehand. The truth of the matter is that there has to be SOME chemical in a relaxer or straightener that restructures the hair strand differently which is the active chemical ingredient. “I wish the manufacturers would just tell us the truth and not hide the chemicals under umbrella terms, or switch out one toxin for another. You´ve always got to ask and learn,” remarks Kingsley. Plus, adds Jesse Briggs, “Consumers nowadays are more conscious than ever as toxins in the food and products we eat and use every day become more prevalent in the mainstream media. If they ask you what´s in a product or process you sell or use, you better know the answer!”

STRAIGHT ANSWERS TO STRAIGHTENER QUESTIONS What´s the difference between a chemical relaxer and a thermal relaxer? A chemical relaxer uses chemicals that lift up the cuticle and penetrate the hair shaft to break down and realign the bonds in the internal structure of each hair strand to take the new, straighter shape. A thermal relaxer works in almost the same way, but it uses a gentler chemical with a lower pH to break the bonds and the heat of an iron to realign them. WARNING: Never overlap or mix chemical straighteners with thermal relaxers! What are the types of chemicals used today to straighten or relax curly hair? Sodium Hydroxide Pros: Time-tested, used for decades. High pH can penetrate dense coarse hair types. Many stylists are finding new ways to mix the solution with conditioners that help counteract the damage. Affordable, good results, permanent to about 6 months. Cons: It does contain lye and other caustic elements and cannot be used on damaged or color-treated hair because it is so strong and destructive. Ammonium Thioglycolate, or “thio” as it´s termed by stylists. Pros: Lower pH, less destructive chemical. Swells the hair shaft, penetrates the core to break down hair´s bonds. The heat of the hot-iron breaks down bonds further and realigns them into their new straight position. No off-gassing during the process because it is rinsed before the iron is used on dry hair. Smooth results for thick hair types,permanent to about 6 months. Cons: Two months of re-growth necessary to repeat. Process can last five hours or more and is very expensive ranging at hundreds of dollars. “In the wrong hands, this process can be catastrophic because there are so many steps and it is so time-consuming,” reports Denise Kingsley. Cysteamine Sulfide Pros: Lowest pH, least damaging. “This is a great hair re-texturizer should a client want to simply relax curls into waves, cut out frizz, or maintain the versatility to blow it straight or wear it wavy,” reports Jesse Briggs who swears by this technique. It can be overlapped with other

processes and used on color-treated hair. Cons: Can have slight odor. The process lasts from one to three hours and can cost hundreds of dollars depending upon hair length. 'Brazilian' Keratin Straighteners Pros: Does not chemically alter the bonds inside the hair. Provides great frizz control and silky shiny, straight hair. Cons: Time-consuming, expensive. “It´s not the keratin that makes it work,” reports Kingsley, “it´s the formaldehyde, a common chemical used in adhesives and building products, that helps it adhere to the hair shaft.” The process is demi-permanent, lasting only 3-4 months. The heat of the hot-iron and the formaldehyde seal the keratin onto the hair shaft which is responsible for the chemical off-gassing concern in the news. “I use a portable fume extractor from Sentry Air systems (www.sentryair.com) to avoid this problem." How do I know what´s really in a product? Many straightener companies have responded by introducing “formaldehyde- free” varieties, but beware, advise experienced stylists, they have replaced them with other “aldehydes”, ethers, and sometimes they just conform to the allowable FDA limit of .2 percent. Remember, there´s always going to be a chemical that makes it work so ask your distributor for the ingredient list if it´s not on the container. Research the ingredients yourself by ‘Googling,´ as Jesse Briggs advises, or by searching them on the Environmental Working Group´s SkinDeep database at www.ewg.org. This way you can find a chemical´s scientific classification, the material safety data sheets on it, the OSHA standards relating to it, any toxicity recorded and tested as well as what other stylists and clients have said about it as a process. Once you know what you´re using, then you can make the educated choice for your client. How do I choose which one to use? Well, that comes with experience agree all stylists, and education. Post this list until you understand it. “Here´s the basic way I make my decision depending on the fabric, or hair type, I´m working with,” explains Carmine Minardi. “I ask myself, ‘How much damage has this hair been through already? Is it colored?´ The less color, the more room for sodium hydroxide. If I see a single process ammonia color one or two levels, then I can use a sodium hydroxide or a thio. If the hair is very fine or delicate, damaged, or has three to four levels of lightening, I´ll choose cysteamine for its lower pH. You can only expose hair to a certain amount more before breakage is an issue.” Denise Kingsley agrees, “The secret is not in the products, it´s in the hands of who is doing it.”

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