Mall Curls

Cute curly girl photograph in the storefront of Fleece (Brooks Brothers for Kids) at the Natick Mall in Natick, MA. There is a kids version for every store these days, American Eagle, Gap, Abercrombie, Brooks Brothers- kids are super stylish and apparently have extremely defined curls too. Wish I had known what to do with my hair in middle school...

"I like my hair BIG"

My sister Jackie met these beauties while teaching at The Paint Bar. Each time another woman came to join their group, there were more and more curls. It was a curl blogger's dream. All different textures and routines too. While it's been quite the journey for these curly girls to go all natural- they are now and super proud! I edited their interviews into a short video because I love what they said so much- take a minute and check it out.

Cones, Cups, Ice Cream, and Curls

Spotted Alana's curls at JP Licks ice cream shop in Jamaica Plain. Amazing! She gave me a few good recommendations...and admitted that she, "straightened until I was 18, it's been a long liberatory process." I'm sure it has been, been there. 

If there are any New York City readers or if you have curly hair friends in New York, or if you are going to New York any time soon, Alana shared the name of her go to Salon: 

Fox & Jane
154 Orchard Street, Store B
New York, NY 10002

*ask for Maria

seems like they know what to do with curly hair- Alana's hair looks super springy. 

When I checked out the website- I also saw that they serve drinks too! Yum. How fun is that?

Here is their drink menu:

Also, take a second to check out Sephora's Anti-Frizz section. Alana said she uses their products too but only for very special occasions. 

Sephora Frizzy Hair Treatments

Northeastern Curls

Loved meeting Angela on the Northeastern campus while walking around with my friend Molly who just started there as a grad student a few days ago. 

Angela's curls are super funky. She shampoos once a month to keep her hair from getting dry and uses a leave in conditioner called cream of nature but she warns that it's sort of tricky to find. I checked out the website for cream of nature and it looks like they also have Moroccan Oil which I've been hearing all sorts of good things about. Angela also shared that she uses protective measures for her curls by putting it in braids at night- good advice. 

When I asked if she had any horror stories she explained that "just growing up with it, I would break combs and brushes."

She followed that up with, 

"Been curly ever since I was born- came out with a fro. It's just been this way!"

Amen. 

myproduct

Thought I would take a second and share what I've been using in my curls for the past 5ish years. Anyone who I've lived with knows that my bathroom is always fully stocked with LA LOOKS nutra curl (not sold everywhere- and my friend Emily loves to call this stuff "so 90s") and göt2b glued spiking glue. I will pay the extra $25 on an airplane to put my bag under with liquids just to guarantee access to these products. They are not sold in Texas- I found out the hard way...

I am aware that it's a whack combination- but it works for me. Stick with whatever works for you. I discovered göt2be glued completely by accident. It used to be sold in an orange tube and when I was in high school (yes I've been using it since high school!) my Mom bought it for me thinking it was a temporary orange hair dye to take part in our tiger team spirit so I could make my hair orange for the day. It wasn't a hair dye but I found a perfect curl definer. I am always careful to only use about the size of a grape of this stuff. If I put too much of it in my hair it can have a negative crunch effect. 

I have to say I am very faithful to these products. Nothin' too fancy. I put them in my hair when it's completely wet (not dried with a towel- use a tshirt or something that won't suck up all the moisture out of your hair) and scrunch. Then I blow dry after that.

However to be honest lately I've been tempted by Deva products and have started using some coconut oil (thank you Marissa for the recommendation). Will keep you all posted. Please feel free to share your products too!

The Dilbert Chick

I usually know when it's time to get my hair cut when I start to look like the lady in Dilbert. I think her name is Alice. Anyway, I use her as an example with any hairdresser I visit of what I do not want my curls to look like. Heavy on the bottom with no layers. This is an excellent visual to throw out there and every hairdresser will understand what you mean. Feel free to use her as en example whenever necessary.

Actually when I think about it, I am happy that Alice is reppin' for the curly girls in the work place but she could use some product or something so could the curlymale sitting next to her...

Rap Geniuses on Curls

This is only audio not a movie- still just as entertaining to listen to it!

Meet these curlymales, Tom and Ilan. These guys were sitting in the Kendall Square Starbucks today in town from New York for work. First I noticed Tom's hair in line for coffee but it was a double bonus when he was sitting with Ilan- who has curly hair too. Needless to say, you all needed to hear from them immediately. Pro-curl men with great hair and personalities. 

Instead of transcribing their interview I thought I would just include the audio because it was such a passion filled conversation on curly hair and the day to day upkeep. Thanks guys. 

So press play on the movie above to hear from Ilan and Tom. Enjoy!

Also check out their website: www.rapgenius.com 
I spent a little while on it earlier today and it was really cool. Their website serves "as a guide to the meaning of rap lyrics." A mix of rap lyrics, wikipedia, and urban dictionary. Definitely something to see. I'm hooked. 

Curls on Newbury

I met Rachel when checking out some funky mugs at the Jonathan Adler store on Newbury St- she works there as a Store Leader. I almost left without asking her to be on mycurlture but then I turned around because she had such unique curls. Her color and layers are so cool!

When I asked Rachel for a tip she shared that after you put product in your hair try not to touch it. Once it's dry, give it a good scrunch. I know, I know It's hard to leave your curls alone but the less you touch them, the better they will turn out. It's true. 

Her horror story was she once felt that her hair wasn't curly enough so she got a perm. Curly hair with a perm on top of it, I can only imagine how intensely curly that would be. 

Hoping to get back to Jonathan Adler soon- love that store. Thanks for your sharing your curlture Rachel.

Real men have curls

The time has come to write a little about men and their curls. So far, I have only been examining the curlture of women. But, man curls are everywhere! I'm going to try to make that my focus for the next few days. Look out for them (man curls) today when you walk down the street and see if you can spot any. Feel free to send pictures my way. 

Doesn't Alan have sweet curls? They are amazing and so boingy. I know Alan or Pendo (his nickname) from a summer camp we all have worked at throughout the years. Saw him out last night and we got into talking about his hair routine, etc. I asked him how it feels to be a man with curly hair and he said, "I like it because everyone else likes it." He expressed his loyalty to Herbal Essences "It's a Curl Thing" shampoo and conditioner- sounds like he won't stray from it, ever. Also it wasn't until recently that he embraced his curls. Alan confessed that he used to shave his head every two weeks. Nooooooo. Glad he is embracing his curly hair now. Gotta love a man with curls. 

You never really hear about men straightening their curls or getting Keratin treatment, relaxers, or perms. You also don't hear about them struggling to keep their frizz under control either. I wonder if they ever really consider hair product or if it's just something they don't really think about. They take a shower and let it dry- and it always looks good. Hmmm something to think about. 

Thanks Pendo for being my first curlymale. More to come.