At loose ends with your locks? Let the “Queen of Curl” show you how to bring out the best in your hair. The lengths that women go to in order to tame their curls! If you’ve been blessed with curly hair, chances are that you’ve thought of it as a curse, complaining, “It’s uncontrollable!” “It’s a mess!” or “It’s so frizzy and tangly!” Out of frustration, you may have mistakenly resorted to methods (straighteners, irons, blow-dryers) that only cause more damage to your hair. Now renowned New York City stylist Ouidad sets the record straight on curly hair and shows you how to start loving the waves, kinks, and curls you were born with. In Curl Talk , Ouidad reveals the secrets to bringing out your natural beauty, including: * Finding the right cut * How often to shampoo (and why you never wrap your wet hair in a towel) * Why brushes and mousses should be outlawed * The best conditioning and styling treatments * Blow-drying, coloring, and straightening the safe way Based on Ouidad’s experience catering solely to curly-haired clients at her exclusive Manhattan salon, Curl Talk is a straight-talking guide for your daily struggle with the frizzies, offering simple, step-by-step solutions for getting a gorgeous head of curls. It will revolutionize the way you treat your hair. Ouidad is known throughout the beauty industry as the “Queen of Curl.” With a “curly hair only” salon and her own exclusive line of hair care products, she is the expert on how to cut, style, and treat curly locks. Jennifer Schonbrunn Hinkle is a freelance beauty writer living in Connecticut. Chapter 1 Understanding Your Hair Curly Hair Categories (The Nine Lives of Curly Hair) All curls are not created equal, which means there is no universal regimen that works for every type of wave. Therefore, it's essential to identify your hair's texture correctly in order to treat it right. After all, you wouldn't wash your face with dishwashing liquid or polish your nails with housepaint. Knowledge is power, so get to know your curls. Once you're familiar with your hair's personality, you'll know how to anticipate its mood swings and be able to control and prevent outbursts. A curl's best friend is awareness. The following section outlines the various curl widths, textures, and conditions. Most manes contain a combination of each category-for example, one person may have fine, loose waves in the back with medium, coarser curls in the front-and each section needs slightly different care. Most of the time, we are so focused on its overall appearance that we don't take time to examine our hair in sections. If you study your own hair carefully, you'll be able to spot the various curl patterns and understand its unique language. As I always tell my clients, "Listen to your hair. It speaks to you." It may seem like a lot of work, but the payoff is huge. A healthy, well-tended head of curls is what turns straight-haired people green with envy. Need I say more? So scan the following section for the characteristics that best describe your hair. As you read the book, mix and match the advice about styling products, cleansing, conditioning, and cuts to determine the best routine for your unique set of curls. Curl Patterns * LOOSE: This soft, less defined curl features big, shiny waves approximately two inches wide. Sarah Jessica Parker, Julia Roberts, Heather Graham, and Ananda Lewis are the poster children for this category. When loose waves are cut short, they tend to look straighter, and they become curlier with length. But longer styles may weigh down a small face or diminish natural body, so keep this in mind when choosing a cut. While this curl pattern is easiest to straighten, don't be tempted to do it daily-even gentle waves are vulnerable to dehydration and heat damage. * CURLY: Your "classic" curls fall into tendrils one to one and a half inches wide. Your mane boasts lots of volume that may fool you into thinking your hair is coarse. Don't slip into this trap! Chances are, your tresses are fine and delicate and require tender care. The spiraled position forces the cuticle (the outer, protective layer of hair) to stay open and vulnerable to dehydrating forces that penetrate and rob the hair of its necessary moisture. This type of curl is tighter when cut short, and it transforms into looser spirals when worn longer. Many people who fall into this category bemoan the fact that they always look "too cute" or childish. Actresses such as Debra Messing, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Julianna Margulies, Keri Russell, and Melina Kanakaredes remind us that this type of curl can in fact look sexy and sophisticated. * KINKY: These tiny ringlets of an inch or less in diameter are probably the most fragile of all three categories. Like medium curls, the tightly coiled shape leaves the cuticle susceptible to dryness and damage from heat styling, chemical processes, the sun, pollution, and artificial air. Tight curls fall into several patterns. When stretche