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A review by lindsayallison
Curly Girl: The Handbook by Lorraine Massey
4.0
This was a good primer on taking care of wavy/curly hair and how to stop trying to fight it. I've gone back and forth between embracing my wavy hair and trying to keep it smooth and straight since I first got a flat iron in junior high. Several years ago I truly started embracing it more, but since becoming a mom, I decided I need to go even further. I just don't want to devote much time to styling my hair, so I wanted to find a more "wash-and-go" method that makes my hair look good. Most of the time when I haven't blow dried or straightened my hair in a while, I feel lazy or sloppy. I am hoping that giving this method a shot for a few months will help further define my waves/curves and make me feel more confident and put-together with my natural texture.
Warning: the author is snobby and a little ridiculous/judgmental about anyone who uses sulfates, brushes or heat on her hair (she calls blow driers "blow fryers..." *eyeroll*), but I think you can try her method without being as strict/extreme as she is. She's convinced even one blow dry can set your curl definition back months, but I'm more skeptical.
This is the woman who invented DevaCurl, so she probably knows what she's talking about, but I was a little skeptical of her tone that implies all her methods are proven facts. I just don't think she can be that certain without hair studies (is that even a thing? Double blind hair study?? lol)
My main goal is to be more ingredient conscious in my products and their application and hope that helps give my waves more definition so I can wear my hair wavy on purpose, rather than looking like I just ran out of time in the morning. I also appreciate the general sentiment that we should embrace our natural beauty rather than trying to conform to certain popular standards. I think it's an important message to pass down to our children. Plus I do think she's right in that people in general just do not know how to treat their curls! It's not taught or common.
This book is skimmable -- you can skip to the chapter that pertain to you (like I skipped all the chapters about super curly hair care because my hair isn't that texture). There is a decent amount of time devoted to particular up-do styles and homemade hair potions. The main chapter I found helpful was the one pertaining to the daily care and styling of my particular type of hair.
People in this community of "Curly Girl" go even more in depth online, but I found the book to be fairly straightforward and simple in it's "rules." So we'll see what happens once I keep trying it!
Warning: the author is snobby and a little ridiculous/judgmental about anyone who uses sulfates, brushes or heat on her hair (she calls blow driers "blow fryers..." *eyeroll*), but I think you can try her method without being as strict/extreme as she is. She's convinced even one blow dry can set your curl definition back months, but I'm more skeptical.
This is the woman who invented DevaCurl, so she probably knows what she's talking about, but I was a little skeptical of her tone that implies all her methods are proven facts. I just don't think she can be that certain without hair studies (is that even a thing? Double blind hair study?? lol)
My main goal is to be more ingredient conscious in my products and their application and hope that helps give my waves more definition so I can wear my hair wavy on purpose, rather than looking like I just ran out of time in the morning. I also appreciate the general sentiment that we should embrace our natural beauty rather than trying to conform to certain popular standards. I think it's an important message to pass down to our children. Plus I do think she's right in that people in general just do not know how to treat their curls! It's not taught or common.
This book is skimmable -- you can skip to the chapter that pertain to you (like I skipped all the chapters about super curly hair care because my hair isn't that texture). There is a decent amount of time devoted to particular up-do styles and homemade hair potions. The main chapter I found helpful was the one pertaining to the daily care and styling of my particular type of hair.
People in this community of "Curly Girl" go even more in depth online, but I found the book to be fairly straightforward and simple in it's "rules." So we'll see what happens once I keep trying it!