Ok, so here’s the deal – just go the 411 from Naturally Curly.com that Lorraine Massey – author of Curly Girl is in the process of writing a follow up to Curly  Girl – called Curly Girl 2.  Well for this new book, she is searching for 3 more curlies to feature – so no matter if you are young or old – male or female as long as you have curly, wavy or kinky hair and a great story – Lorraine Massey might be looking for you. Enter the Deva Curly Girl Challenge on Naturally Curly.com and you can win a trip to NYC for a 2 night stay and a day of total beauty at Devachan Salon where you will be styled by Lorraine Massey and featured in her new book.

After the jump, find out how to enter and what you win… Read the rest of this entry

Just read this really great article posted by Amy Graff of  The Mommy Files where Lorraine Massey – author of  Curly Girl – dishes on all things curly.  In the article Lorraine reveals how she came up with her popular ‘no poo’ routine and confesses her mane has never looked better since.

Here’s Lorraine’s 7 tips to going “No Poo”:

1) Pick the right conditioner. Massey says that reading the labels of conditioners is key, but this can be confusing since so many ingredients just add to the thickness, fragrance, or look of the product itself and have no benefit for the hair. “I suggest that you avoid conditioners with silicones–this means no products with ingredients whose names end in -one,” Massey says. “Although they do add temporary shine, I find they weigh down hair.” So what ingredients should you look for? Massey says every conditioner should contain at least one ingredient from the following four categories:

• Emmollients–shea butter, vegetable oils, wheat germ, olive or walnut oils.
• Proteins–Wheat, wheat germ, soy protein.
• Humectants–Panthenol, vegetable glycerine, sorbitol.
• Moisturizers–Amino acids and aloe vera.

2) Remove buildup with lemon. “More clarifying and cleansing than any shampoo, this moisturizing and neutralizing tonic adds shine to your hair and removes buildup,” Massey says. “It’s especially good for very dry or damaged hair. Combine juice of large lemon with your usual amount of conditioner, then rinse through hair thoroughly.” Baking soda also does the trick. Use 1 tablespoon baking soda and mix it with 1 cup warm water; wash your hair with the mixture in the shower.

3) Exfoliate your scalp. If you’re recovering from a longtime addiction to shampoo, your scalp will probably feel itchy a couple of days after you stop using it. Massey says an exfoliating mixture scrubbed on the scalp in the shower can help. Recipe: 1 tablespoon brown sugar or quinoa and 3 tablespoons conditioner. “We know that exfoliating is good for improving the condition of your skin,” she says. “Since your scalp is also skin, give it a special exfoliating treatment once a week or so. Exfoliating will slough off any dead skin cells or conditioner buildup, making your scalp healthier and reviving any itchiness.” Also Massey says, “Don’t always think an itch means your dirty; it’s your skins way of talking and telling you to ‘move me.’”

4) Revive hair with a spritz of lavender. If you decide to skip a shower one morning, you can spritz your hair with a combination of water and lavender essential oil. Recipe: 1/2 gallon water, 5 drops pure–not synthetic–lavender essential oil; three spray bottles. “Lavender has cleansing properties,” Massey says. “This quick mist not only makes your hair smell like a lavender field in Provence, it’s also indispensible for cleansing and reviving your curls.”

5) Don’t overbrush. “Give up the myth that brushing one hundred strokes a night is good for your hair and donate your hairbrush to someone who needs it, maybe your cat or dog,” Massey says. “Brushing can damage the cuticle of curly hair and rob it of its sheen.”

6) Avoid blow-drying. “A daily blow-dry damages hair, but if the weather is frigid, and you’re in a rush to leave the house, you can use a blow-dryer with a diffuser, a travel hair dryer, on the “low” setting, or the DevaFuser,” Massey says. “Dry slowly to protect your hair from frizzing, singeing or getting blow-fried.”

7) Keep your hands out of your hair.  Is your hair greasy? Massey says that a lot of that grease is coming from your hands. Also, if you’ve got a lot of frizz it’s probably because you are twirling your curls too much. “Do not disturb curls!” Massey says.

*thanks to Amy Graff for the post

Last month I outlined some of the principals of Lorraine Massey’s Curly Girl routine  and  I have to say that I have really embraced the CG regimen and really enjoy the results.  I don’t follow CG routine to a tee – however I have come up with my own modified version and I suggest you do the same – do what works for you. 

Here’s what I do…

Beginning

To begin the routine they suggest to cleanse hair as normal to remove non-water soluble products like cones from your hair.  I think I used something from the Mizani line.  It also suggest getting a trim – I didn’t (but my cuz Cher ended up giving me a mini-chop last night). 

Implementing

Brushing –  CG says not too – but I do.  I love my Denman brush – I not only love the way it sounds when it goes through my hair but I also think it creates the best clumps of curls.  I don’t think I will be giving it up anytime soon. 

No Poo – I’ve given up shampoo.  I do miss the lather but its harmful, so I don’t want any part of it.  But, it is important to clarify once or twice a month so I’m on the look out for sulfate-free lines or everyday kitchen items like Apple Cider Vinegar, etc

Co-wash – Love it.  I co-wash weekly and my hair totally drinks up the conditioner.  My hair is more manageable and is so much softer.  I really think its starting to change my hair for the better.  I look forward to experiment with different conditioning products and see which ones I love best.  So far I’ve tried Aussie Moist, L’Oreal Everpure, Tresemme for Curls, Pantene Curl, Ojon, Mizani, and Herbal Essence.  I also make sure to deep condition weekly – my faves include Wen DT, Kerastase (my fave), and Jessicurl WDT.

Products – I’m a prod junkie so this is my favorite part.  There’s a lot of great lines on the market, unfortunately most are only available in the States.  Hopefully that will change soon.  Current faves include Kinky Curly Custard in combination with Knot Today and Miss Jessie’s Meringue and Quick Curls.  I’m looking forward to trying so much more…

Plopping - I haven’t used this method yet.  I scrunch using paper towels or t-shirts to remove the drippies.  I either air dry, diffuse or sit under a hooded dryer.  I wish I had the Deva Sun Dryer and diffuser or one of those hooded dryers I used to sit under when I lived back at home.

Okay, so I’m talking about shampoo here ladies.  I’ve previously posted about the CG method (Curly Girl) and how its said to be a great hair regime for naturally curlies, but I think it would probably benefit a lot of different hair types including relaxed ladies.  I started doing CG at the beginning of the year, and have seen tremendous results – even after modifing the regime to suit my hair needs.  I will post my modified CG in a separate post.

Ok – so CG suggest giving up shampoo and I have.  I’ve only shampoo’d my hair twice this year to clarify (I used Giovanni 50:50 Balancing because its free of laurel sulfates)  Since going no ‘poo my hair has never felt softer.  Normal shampoos contain harsh ingredients like ammonium laureth sulfate, ammonium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate, etc – that are popular in dish washing detergents for lathering and cutting grease.  And they do the same for hair – stripping the hair of its essential oils.

Have you ever washed your hair and felt the need to add a cocktail of products (ie. conditioners, grease, leave-ins, hair polishers, silicones, etc,) to restore the natural moisture?  Ever since going no ‘poo, I’m no longer fighting to put the moisture back in – its already there.  Here’s what I do – since conditioner is capable of cleansing my hair – I conditioner wash (co-wash).  I load my hair up with conditioner, then using the pads of my fingers I scrub my scalp, then detangle with a wide tooth comb and rince with cool water and voila – the best hair I have ever had.  I know it may be a hard concept to grasp but try it out for a week or two and see if you see and feel a difference.

CLEANSE NOMRALLY

Begin by cleansing hair with a sulfate shampoo – most shampoos that lather contain ingredients like lauryl sulfates (or a derivative) that will strip your hair of any non soluble hair products like silicones.

TRIM

Get you hair trimmed to remove damaged or split ends.

BRUSHING

The CG method suggest stop using a brush when hair is wet or dry because it causes frizz and tangles.  They suggest using a wide tooth comb or fingers.  However, a lot of curlies do swear by the Denman brush to get the perfect clump of curls.  Do what works for you.

NO POO

No more poo.  Many shampoos contain harsh ingredients that can damage and dry out hair.  Lathering chemicals like ammonium laureth sulfate, ammonium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate are not only found in shampoos but are also present in dish washer detergents, etc are known for cutting the grease.  The use of these products causes frizzy unruly hair and strip the hair of its natural oils.  Note, there are shampoos that are now on the market that are laurel sulfate free – they maybe worth a try or used occasionally.

CO-WASH

Instead, use conditioner.  Massage conditioner into the scalp and use the pads of your fingers to remove dirt and dandruff.  Conditioner is capable of both cleansing the hair and adding necessary moisture – but avoid silicone based products because they need to be washed with shampoo.  Use wide tooth comb to detangle and rinse with cold water to seal cuticle, reduce frizz and add shine.

GETTING USED TO NO POO

It will take approximately 2-4 weeks for your hair to adjust to the new no-poo routine. 

PRODUCTS

Apply products to soaking wet hair by raking product through hair.  Scrunch, finger shape or do what works best for your curls.

PLOPPING

Plop to dry.  Use old t-shirt, microfiber towel to dry hair quicker.  Lean over towel, positioning curls so they are on top of the head and wrap the towel around your hair.  Leave for 15 minutes to remove drippies.

DRYING

Air dry or use a diffuser attachment to complete drying process.

Special thanks to Waterlily WikiHow who inspired this article.