Advice for teenagers with curly hair

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Posting for traffic. My nieces, 15 and 17, have long curly hair. Both looking very shabby although they spend HOURS on it. Lots of effort in the morning / before going out etc. They insist on it being super long. Her mum and I know nothing about curly hair. I have nice hair, spend a lot of time on it, and the girls comment on it a lot and I really want to buy them something to spoil them a bit (big birthdays coming up for them). Any advice on products or styling tools please?

My hair is straight, and dyed blonde balayage, the total opposite of theirs, I don't know where to start. Also, I don't have girls, only a boy, and I love these girls to bits so I need advice.

Their mum has short hair and zero interest in this (one of those lucky women whose hair looks great with little effort 😀) so has asked me to pitch in on this.

I have curly hair and my two favourite brands are Only Curls and Boucleme.
Only Curls have starter packs of products so that could be what you’re looking for.
I generally don’t buy shampoo and conditioner for curly hair, but it is the products that go on after that makes the difference between me looking reasonable to looking like I have spent the night in a hedge.

I bought a Dyson hairdryer with a diffuser on it and it was a bit of a game changer
Previously my hair would take up to 7 hours to dry. It looked beautiful when it did but very flat.
Now it looks I would say 25% less beautiful but it has a bit of volume to it
And the Dyson use is quite a cool setting so the damage is minimal

Whereabouts do you live? Most cities have curly hair salons nowadays, so I'd think about getting them a session at one of those where they'll teach them how to care for their curls properly.

That's a gift for life - I'd have saved so much time and hassle if someone had done that for me at their age. Buy a man a fish, etc...

Only curls is great. They do a starter kit which could be a great present, they don't need massive amounts of the product though so be sure to tell them that.
A satin pillowcase is also a good present to help reduce frizz.
Help them learn about their curly hair, i.e. do not brush curly hair when dry, it needs moisture, some people find creating a gel cast to "scrunch out" after washing is great but others just prefer mousse etc

What sort of curl type is it? And what ethnicity are they (as I understand that that can make a difference).
I got DD the curly girl method book (same as the website but easier for us to go through together) and, whilst she found it didn’t work for her, some of it was useful. The big difference for her was silk pillowcases, a silk bonnet and a silk lined beanie, all of which we got from the Only Curls website but there are other brands too. Then a lot of trial and error with different conditioners and products. Some people rave about Only Curls and Oaui but neither worked for her. She’s on a combo of Umberto Gianni & Camille Rose these days

Bautero brush, curl defining brush,

shampoo, condition, leave-in conditioner, oil of some type, curl cream or custard, gel or mousse .

Take them to a salon for a hair cut by a curly specialist.

White but Mediterranean. So not curly curly, more like a long shabby curl

They live in Spain, I'm in the UK, so I'm looking for products/tools to buy them and take with me in a month when I visit as I don't know what salons they have around them unfortunately

Curly Ellie products are great, I use those and Umberto Gianini shampoo/conditioner. It might be worth some research to see what you can get in the UK and is also available in Spain, just in case they love it!

Do your nieces want help with their hair?

I am the curly haired child of a straight haired mum. It used to p me off no end when I was younger when people (mum) assumed that I wanted help with my hair and made comments like "it's a shame you can never look tidy/smart/well dressed/pretty".

I have come to embrace my curls. Sold my straighteners because I really could not be bothered. Yes, I can smarten up for events if required, but actually, curly hair is an integral part of who I am.

My daughter has curly/wavy hair that is completely different to anything I have ever seen. Her school buddies told her to ask ChatGPT and it came up with a complete routine as well as suggestions for products and combs. Her hair looks ace now!

When my DS was 17 he used to get crushes on girls who has curly hair. He told me so! He just likes it.

If they are interested they can look at the Curly Girl Method.

I have long curly hair as does my child. I use moisturising conditioner and mousse with a low temp diffuser but lots of ideas on the webpage for Curly Girl.

K18 is expensive but a small bottle lasts me a year.

It’s a hair mask that helps to repair your hair but it repairs it in its natural shape.

I use it once a week and it makes so such difference and really helps to prevent the frizz.

They very much do. They're not trying to straighten it but find a way to tame it / look nice. For a long time their mum dismissed all complaints as frivolous but she's now realized the girls are unhappy and want help but neither of us has a clue on what products to buy.

Probably one of the best places to start

https://curlmaven.ie/
https://curlmaven.ie/curly-hair-routine-for-teens/

I have curly hair and it’s all a big kerfuffle these days but when I had it very long (waist length) in the 80s and 90s I just used standard shampoo and conditioner and mousse. My hair looked ace and I was always complemented on it by hairdressers! So I really don’t think it has to be quite the to-do some make it out to be.

Shampoo. Comb a good dollop of conditioner through with your fingers. Lightly towel dry. Big dollop of your favourite product (curl crème or whatever) and comb that through with your fingers. Air dry or hairdryer with diffuser. On non-wash days just wet it a bit in the shower to wake it after after sleeping.

My dds have curly hair and whilst their hair looks the same as each others, they both use different products as what works for one does not necessarily work for the other.

My top advice is to get them sleep bonnets. They are widely available now.