Help needed with curly hair

[Lovaal]

My hair is a mess! I've been seeing the same stylist for years, and have just recently realised she's not actually doing a great job with it, and I think it's mostly because she doesn't really know how to cut it. I've been wearing it straight-ish but I think I actually look younger better when it's left curly.

I need a bit of help please.
Firstly, it's quite dry because I colour it regularly (am covering grey) so I need some conditioner/treatment recommendations.
Secondly, can anyone recommend a good style for shorter curly hair? I'm happy to let it grow for two or three months though.
Finally, does anyone know a stylist in the north west who can cut curly hair? I'm in south Cheshire but will travel south as far as Stafford, north as far as Preston, east would go to Sheffield or Leeds area.

I have shoulder length naturally curly hair and always wear it curly as I love it! I'm also in Leeds however I'm not sure I'll be much help to you...

I used to use Frizz Ease conditioner which I loved but moved onto Argan shampoo/conditioner from Home Bargains (only 99p each!)

I dye my hair at home and use whatever colour is on offer at the time

And I go to the local hairdressers once a year to put my layers back in, the rest of the time OH trims it in our kitchen! The good thing about having curly hair and not having to worry about the length being too straight!

Try Matthew James at Puro Hair in Birmingham, he specialises in curly hair and gave me a great cut when I went to see him about six weeks ago.

Can't help with hairdresser but can help with hair!

Shoulder length layers, side parted if it suits you.

Mix together argan oil and curl serum and carefully scrunch in before drying (my own secret recipe)

ALWAYS diffuser dry hair upside down, and slowly and carefully.

If you can afford it, AVEDA Be Curly is the best thing you can ever do for your curly hair, but it costs an arm and a leg. L'Oreal sulphate free shampoos are good too.

Localeditor, that's now the third recommendation I've had for Matthew James. I've dismissed him so far because Birmingham is a bit further than I want to travel, but I know that if I can get it cut properly to wear curly I'll probably only need to go for a maintenance trim every 3 months. So the distance wouldn't really matter if I wasn't having to go every 5 weeks. I'll give him a try, but think I probably need to grow it for another month or two first.

I've never tried argan oil, so will start using that too. The condition of my hair is awful, it definitely needs something, so I'll get hold of the shampoo and conditioner as well as the actual oil.

Another vote for Matthew, he did a very good job of trimming my hair, but Birmingham is a bit far for me and I do have a local (Cambs) hairdresser who understands how to layer curly hair. In fact he trimmed it yesterday.
I suggest you go for low sulphate shampoos, and just every 5-7 days, and condition wash in between with non silicone conditioners.
Also use an ionic diffuser hairdryer for frizz free curls.
I use Body Shop rainforest moisture shampoo and hair butter, both fab! Also Garnier conditioner (for in between low sulphate shampoo washes) Ultimate Blends the sleek restorer (in brown bottle) is silicone free and leaves hair silky.
I have naturally dry hair and have it coloured (semi permanent) to cover greys (by hairdresser) twice a year, as my curls are very porous they seem to hang on to colour and no roots as it fades over time.
BTW Matthew will not colour your hair on the first visit, seems very careful about doing allergy test first.

For styling I like U.Giannini pink curly hair gel (silicone free) on very wet curls out of shower, and a little blob of Boots curl cream (pink pot and dirt cheap) to define curls and minimise frizz.
Then GENTLY pat curls with old tshirt/microfibre towels, because normal towels rough up the hair cuticle giving you frizz. And then leave to dry naturally or with diffuser hairdryer with head upside down for volume at the crown...this works for me because I have long curly hair and sometimes the curls weigh it down. This routine always gives me really lovely ringlets and curls.

Finally check out this link, lots of excellent tips from other curlies:
www.britishcurlies.co.uk/

Hope this helps you embrace your curls, and keep them glossy and healthy. TBH it is quite easy and hassle free, compared to the tyranny of straightening irons, ending up with straightened hair that never looks right anyway.
Good Luck!

I find that using a leave in conditioner makes a big difference. I use a leave in cream, I think it is Charles Worthington, because my hair is very thick, and I find the spray on ones difficult to distribute through my hair. But you need to try different ones and find the right fit for you, as curly hair comes in such a range of textures.

Morrocan Oil is great, not cheap but lasts for ages as you only need a tiny bit. I haven't tried the matching shampoo or conditioner, I find generally that I need to mix ranges to get the right product for me. So I use an Aussie shampoo, the Charles Worthington conditioner, Morrocan oil, and boots curl cream, or a mousse. I'm yet to find the perfect styling product.

The thing if find makes the biggest difference is avoiding a brush. The only time I ever use a brush is immediately before I wash my hair. Once it is wet, I use my fingers to work product through and to detangle, never a brush or a comb.

While drying, try to touch the hair as little as possible. I find this is a mistake hairdressers often make, they keep moving my hair about to get it to dry quicker, and I end up with a head full of frizz. Just rest hair in the defuser and wait.

You are right Altogether on the no brushing/handling too much tips! I thought it was so obvious that is a no no but so many hairdressers just mess it up.
In fact, mine has learnt to look after mine so well, now he just trims and lets me go home with a head full of damp hair. Has given up trying to style it for me!
And also right depends on your curls texture, thickness, etc what products suit it best.

Another recommendation for Matthew. Put it this way, I travelled from the other side of London to see him (buy train tickets in advance and it's fairly cheap) and it was the first time I've ever left a hairdresser happy. So many compliments at work the next day!

My routine is similar to what Matthew did for me, which is wash (I condition wash with Tresemme naturals), then I plop (which sounds gross, but basically I flip my wet hair upside down, scrunch it to get the ringlets going and some of the excess water out and then whilst still upside down, lower it into a microfibre head towl so it kinda squishes the curls onto my head), then I go off and get dressed, faff around etc, then I take out my hair, scrunch the UG Curl Friends pink gel through until everywhere feels saturated and squishy. I then blow dry with a diffuser. I start upside down as the idea of having all that wet hair down my back makes my cringe, but once I've taken some of the wet out of it then I'll flip back over (carefully), set my parting to whever my hair decides best (!) and then continue blow drying til it's almost dry. You're meant to leave the last bit of drying to happen naturally as it stops your hair frizzing as much.

If you have the time, google "curly girl method" and do some reading. The british curlies website is good and the curltalk forums on the Naturally Curly website have loads of info, maybe verging on too much!

I would say that starting the curly girl method and accepting my hair as it is (ie huge and mad and curly!) is the best thing I ever did for my hair, followed very closely by going to Matthew. I get compliments and the routine is fairly low hassle. I only wash and blowdry twice a week and just go with the flow in between. If it rains it just reactivates the gel in my hair and if i frizz slightly it's not as obvious as straight hair.

Sorry, this is a looong message, but hopefully it helps a little bit, even if it just encourages you to take the plunge and go to Matthew! :P x

Oh and I agree on the no brushing. I can't remember when I last brushed my hair. In fact I can't remember when i last combed it I just finger-comb mine when in the shower.

Captain every thing you say it's just what I do!
I really struggled with my curly hair in my teens, and a disastrous chemical straightening burnt my hair so I had to have it all cut off and very mortifying for a young girl...at least it taught me at a very early age not to fight nature and my curls recovered and grew long.
I love them now - consider I am now early 50's- and the products and advice out there for curlies has come a long way.
I do find I have to use a wide tooth comb for disentangling in the shower though, as mine does have a tendency to go birds nest style underneath and the reason I need to con wash every couple of days or so. Still, not really a hassle and I often get compliments so I say go for it. Just don't expect it to always look the same...it has a life of its own!

Just another thought Lovall. Are you using a permanent colour? I was using John Frieda which I loved and the colour and condition seemed great. Then, almost overnight, it seemed to change to the texture of straw. My then hairdresser told me that the more you put a permanent colour on, the more damage it does by opening the cuticle. It then sheds the colour quicker and you have to colour more frequently and then cause more damage. I've now switched to a semi, (Casting), and although my grey shows through much quicker the condition is miles better.