Curly Girl: The Handbook

by Lorraine Massey, Michele Bender (With)

Overview

Celebrate the beauty of curls in a buoyant how-to, manifesto, and curly girl support group all in one.

Say no to shampoo, unplug the dryer, and kiss frizz and bad hair days good-bye. Curly Girl is the surprising bible for those with naturally curly or wavy hair and a desire to celebrate it, from hair guru Lorraine Massey. It’s all here: Daily routines for corkscrew, Botticelli, fractal, and wavy curls. Homemade lotions and potions for locking in moisture. Expert tips on caring for African American hair. Fabulous dos for weddings and special occasions. How to trim your hair yourself, step-by-step. (Remember: It’s not what you take off; it’s what you leave on.) Recommendations for chemical-free products. And so much more: the care, the styling, the products, the remedies, the empowering, pro-curl attitude.
 
Includes:

• Ten things to do before you dye
• You are what you eat—and so are your curls
• Getting kids to love their curls
• Curly guys
• Lorraine’s 12-step recovery program
• And check out Lorraine’s video tutorials on YouTube.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761156789
Publisher:	Workman Publishing Company, Inc.
Publication date:	01/13/2011
Edition description:	Expanded Second Edition
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	133,788
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Lorraine Massey is the author of Curly Girl: The Handbook, founder of Devachan Salons, and cofounder of DevaCurl products. She now works independently, teaching the Curl by Curl™ cutting technique and leading the movement to more natural hair care products with the launch of her new company, CurlyWorld ™.

Michele Bender, co-author of Silver Hair and Curly Girl, is an award-winning freelance writer. She has co-authored best-selling books, such as Believe Me with Yolanda Hadid and The Immune System Recovery Plan with Dr. Susan Blum. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Glamour, Real Simple and Family Circle, among other national publications.

Read an Excerpt

QUIZ: Are You a Curly Girl?

If spring is not just in the air, but in your hair, you might be a curly girl. Just take the following quiz, and find out if the Curly Girl: The Handbook holds the secrets to your future hair success.

1. Do you often wear your hair tied back in a ponytail?

2. Does your hair develop volume in humid, hot, or wet weather?

3. Does your hair make you feel out of control?

4. Do you find yourself crying after every haircut?

5. Look at old photographs and recall how you felt about your hair—and yourself—on the day the picture was taken. Was there a strong correlation between your hair and your mood?

6. Do you almost always have a haze of frizz around your head?

7. Do you blow-dry your hair so often that its texture is as dry and brittle as a piece of melba toast?

8. Does your budget for products to straighten or relax your hair exceed your annual tax-deductible contributions to charity?

9. Do you live in fear of humidity, sweating, spontaneous sex, a shower with your lover—or any weather or activity that might unmask you as a curly girl?

10. Are you almost always unhappy with your hair?

11. Do you worry about your hair before any big occasion, like a wedding or an important business meeting?

If you answered yes to one or more questions, congratulations! You know who you are. You're a curly girl waiting to happen. Your hair is bristling with movement longing to break free, waves aching to curl, frizz begging for direction.

Table of Contents

Introduction (xi)

Our Curls, Ourselves: Finding Your Inner Curl (1)

Hair: The Inside Story (9)

The Three Types of Curly Girls: Which Curl Are You? (19)

The Curly Girl Program: Creating a Daily Routine (29)

Products and Home Remedies: What's a Curly Girl to Do? (47)

You Go, Curl!: African American Hair (61)

A Cutting Edge Philosophy: A Crop of Curls (69)

Color Me Curly: The Best Choices for Curls (79)

The Care and Handling of Curly Kids: Getting Kids to Like Their Curls (85)

Curly Girl Q&A: No More Bad Hair Days (91)

Looks for Special Occasions: Easy Updos (109)

A 12-Step Recovery Program for Curly Girls: One Shampoo at a Time (119)

Time Line: A Cavalcade of Curls (125)

Astrolocurls: A Horoscope (136)

Curly Diary (141)