Swirls and Twirls for my Curly Haired Girls

Curls...we love to hate them and hate to love them.  I think I speak for all of my naturally curly & wavy haired beautistas when I say that all we want is soooo simple: gorgeous, frizz free, springy, defined, smooth, shiny curls.  It doesn't have to be so difficult, you just need the right product!

So let me introduce you to a product that I absolutely love - Joico Joiwhip.  This is a product that I have been using for years and I absolutely can't live without it.  I've come a long way since using tubs of Dep gel - and as my curls have evolved from tight ringlets to looser curls, my product choice has evolved as well.  Joico Joiwhip is available anywhere Joico is sold, including salons, Shoppers Drug Mart, or your local Walmart.  

Now some tips on how to use this product...and how to get yourself out of a hair rut! With curly hair, you need to experiment to find a method that works best for you.  To give you some context on what my hair is like, I am close to a 3A (Curly Twirly) - find your hair type here: http://www.naturallycurly.com/hair-types. Below are a few different options on styling curly hair. There are so many more ways to work with curly hair but these methods are what I use most often! 

Dry It Naturally: Shampoo & condition your hair.  When conditioner is in your hair, detangle it with your fingers.  This should be the only time that you comb your hair! You want to let the natural curls clump together and form as they most naturally do - when you comb your hair after it is washed I find that it effects the quality of the curls.  Wrap your hair in a towel until excess moisture is absorbed.  Your hair should be 30% dry when you remove the towel.  Then, take a dallop of Joiwhip (you will need to experiment on the right amount depending on the length and thickness of your hair and the hold that you want) and scrunch it all over your hair.  Try to avoid putting too much product into your roots.  Then, clip up the top half of your hair.  It doesn't have to look good, this is just so that when it dries, it dries with volume.  When your hair is around 90% dry, take your hair out of the clip.  

Diffuse Your Curls: All the same steps as above but don't towel dry your hair too much - keep it a little wetter than the method above.  Scrunch your hair with a dallop of joiwhip.  Then, use the diffuser attachment on your hair dryer.  How to do this? Flip your hair over, and work with it in sections.  Take a section of curls and pile them on the diffuser, then lightly massage the diffuser fingers on your scalp.  You don't have to dry each section completely, you can diffuse until around 85-90% dry.  When you have gone through each section, you should be ready to rock.  The diffuser method will make your hair much more voluminous and probably make your curls a bit curlier and your whirls a bit whirlier.  

Sleep On It:  When I'm super lazy I take the easy way out.  I basically follow the first method but instead of putting my hair in a clip I go to sleep! Somehow, when I wake up in the morning the pillow has done all of the scrunching work for me and my hair is springy and voluminous. Other times, I'll wake up and have a mutated monstrosity of curls because I slept on them wrong.  Usually I get it right 50% of the time so its a gamble, but if I wake up with a mess I'll just fix my hair up in a quick sock bun (more on that in another post).  Either way, its worth a try!

Hope you enjoyed this curly post and wishing you lots and lots of whirls and twirls and springy swirls!