Haircut. This one word can evoke a variety of emotions in women: fear, excitement, trepidation, trauma. After all, who hasn’t gotten a bad haircut they were stuck with until their locks grew back? And who hasn’t experienced the shear (pardon the pun) joy that comes along with achieving the perfect hair?
For curly haired girls, hair is a bit more complicated. Curls are beautiful and bouncy…until they’re not. Every curly girly knows the point when she needs to make a change and that change came for me this week. As I’ve previously written, I LOVE my curls and love wearing my hair naturally, but they were getting too long for me and I knew it was time for a change!
This week, I was lucky enough to stop by one of Boston’s hottest salons, SalonCapri in the Newton Highlands, for a haircut! While there, I met up with SalonCapri’s owner and lead stylist, Nicholas Penna Jr., and got his expert advice on how to tame your curly mane. Penna did a fabulous job with my curls, and taught me a few tricks on how to make the best of what your momma gave you.
Going into the haircut, I knew I wanted my hair to be trimmed a bit because the curls were getting limp and they needed some TLC. I wanted my hair angled a bit and wanted to get some nice layering done, so my curls would bounce more. Penna did that and more, helping my curls come through really nicely!
Here’s what my hair looked like before Penna worked his magic.
And here’s the post-haircut photo! What do you think of my new look? Doesn’t it look nice?! It feels so much lighter and I can already see my curls starting to shape form more freely.
While he cut my hair, Penna and I chatted about curls, making your style last, and the hottest trends in hair right now. Here’s some of what’s on his mind!
Want to know what Penna thinks is hot right now? The pixie cut! This look, which has been popping up all over Hollywood, is super hot right now, but Nick says he hasn’t really gotten a lot of requests for it because it’s such a bold look.
Here are some of Nick’s tips for getting the most out of your curl:
1) Accept what you have. A lot of women want the best of both worlds: They want their curly hair to look immaculate when worn naturally and when they blow-dry it. But Nick says the best way to bring out your curls is to accept your natural hair. Then, he says, your stylist can really cut for your curl and make it look perfect: “With curly hair, getting hung up on a particular cut or style is dangerous because it may not work with your hair type. So, whether you have waves or ringlets, it’s important you embrace your curls and allow your stylist to capitalize on all your hair type has to offer—texture, body, and bounce.”
2) Reactivate the day after shampooing. Curly ladies are lucky because their hair has ready-made style, but we all know that your curls can get a little messy the day after showering. To make your look last through the second day, you have to take care of it, Nick says: “Ensuring great second day hair stems from regular conditioning. Because curly hair tends to dry out, it’s actually better to wash your hair every other day.”
To maintain bounce and shine, Nick recommends dusting your hair with water before using a hydrating leave in conditioner spray or a boosting spray. “You want something lightweight so it will lift your curls, not weigh them down. If your hair doesn’t look exactly how you want it to, switch it up with a new style,” Nick says. “Textured hair really lends itself to flirty up-dos, loose buns and ponytails. Headbands and headscarves can provide an elegant ‘day-two’ look.”
3) Style with a purpose. When applying styling products, have a plan. Know how much product you should apply based on the length of your hair and the consistency of the product. For instance, Nick recommends applying a quarter-sized dollop of cream products and a walnut-sized amount of mousse.
Work the product from the back to the front and then reverse. To activate the curls,Nick says he likes to twist them a bit after applying the product.
Want to know what products you can use to recreate my look? Read on!
Shampoo: Kérastase’s Bain Oléo-Curl
Conditioner: Kérastase’s Masque Oléo-Curl Intense
Styling product: Shu Uemura Kaze Wave
Got a question about curls? Want to read about something in Chrissy’s Beauty School? Leave a comment, shoot me an email at chrissy@hercampus.com or leave me a message on twitter: @chriscal57