To NC.com members, Thank you. Answering your questions over the past year has been an educational process for me and a refresher course for all that I have learned and taught over the years. I want to thank each and every one of you for your questions, the ones that I have answered and the ones I couldn’t get to because of time constraints. I want to wish you all very happy and healthy holidays! Vive Le Curl, Ouidad

Q: Hi, I have naturally curly hair. It’s 3b, I think. It is just past my shoulders with a little bit of layering. I am having a hard time with it. I get halo frizz all the time which drives me crazy. The bottom is shaped in a curve and the sides, which frame my face, get much curlier than anywhere else. The rest is long, thin curls. But the underside in back gets big soft curls. It used to be very curly all over with lots of lift, but now it always looks kind of flat on top and bigger as it goes down. On top of that, the hair on the back of my head in the center always looks straight and frizzy. By the end of the day my hair is frizzed out. I can’t figure out what products to use, mostly because it seems like anything heavy enough to control frizz weighs the curl down. I like to diffuse my hair (on low”> because otherwise it takes forever to dry and I have a 3-month-old baby. I noticed if I don’t rinse out the conditioner I get nicer curls, which makes me think my hair is dry. I’m using Aveda leave-in, gel, and pomade but I’m still not satisfied. I want something that is going to give me shiny, soft curls without this frizz. Please help. Theresa Ouidad: Theresa, your description of your hair is a common conversation in my salon. You see, it’s natural to have all types of curls in one head of hair. But in caring for them they should be addressed individually. The problem of the frizz can be solved with a Deep Treatment every two weeks and a lightweight gel — like Climate Control Gel — that works with humidity . I would carve the underneath of your upper layer to support it and give it height at the roots, and carve the sides to loosen your curls. I would slice around the rest of your hair where you have loose curls to give them more of a boost and that will give you a visual of even curls. I think Deep Treatment and lightweight products will give you the shiny soft curls you’re looking for. Q: My mother is Asian and has very thick wavy hair. My father has coarse kinky hair. This makes me a girl with very thick hair and a lot of curls. I think I’m a 3C. I love my curls nevertheless, but to make my curls a bit more manageable I want to loosen them up with a texturizer. But I’m afraid to do so. I’ve been told that a texturizer makes your natural hair come out even curlier and coarser. Is this true? I don’t want to get rid of my curls, but I don’t want my hair to become unmanageable as a result of the texturizer either. Have you got a suggestion what I should do? Cheryl Ouidad: Cheryl, the reason I formulated my own Softening System is because texturizers swell the hair shaft and make curls unmanageable. A Ouidad Softening will soften your tight S’s causing your hair to loosen into a manageable desired curl.The softener is 50 percent the strength of a professional relaxer and contains my Deep Treatment to rebuild the hair — it’s customized to the hair that is being treated. Your softener should be done three times a year. Make sure you do your Deep Treatment regularly. Q:I have wavy and curly hair and I flat ironed it with a ceramic flat iron. I set it on the highest temperature because I was trying to get my hair straight much faster. Afterwards when I wanted it natural again, I washed it (many times”>. It’s been over two months and then it didn’t curl up. Could you tell me if it go back to i’s natural state again? Thank you..Mariah Chicago, Illinois Ouidad: Mariah, Every time you used your flat iron, you are baking the life out of your hair as you singe your hair over and over. That’s why it lost its curl now. I recommend that you do my Deep Treatment every two weeks and within three treatments you will see your curls coming back. Not to say you won’t see it from the first treatment, but it will take at least three treatments for your molecules to bond so your hair will perform. If you can stop using your flat iron and feed your hair every two weeks, your curls will come back. Q: I have two types of hair and it drives me crazy! Other than the top of my head, I have lovely, thick, soft twirly curls. Then there’s the top and a few wiry pieces right up against my head that scream at me when I look in the mirror. That area is more like a loose wave. If I can wait until it’s almost dry to style it, I can keep it a little curly. If I dry it loosely right away as I do the rest of my head, it comes out like two different hairstyles. The top is straight and the rest is soft and curly. Is there a product or cut that can help me pump up the wave a little to meet the curl I have everywhere else? My stylist said I could do a top-only perm if it really bothers me, but I really don’t think I need to. There’s got to be a better way! Joyce Ouidad: Joyce, It’s natural to have different textures of curls in one head of hair. My PlayCurl Mousse is designed for the front section of your hair. It’s designed to help boost your curls where its needed, at the roots. You’ll find that it will work well for you. So, if the roots of your hair are straight and the rest of your hair is curly, use the PlayCurl line. It will boost your hair!
Q: I am 41-year-old female with medium-length curly, coarse, thick hair. I have worn it past my shoulders my entire life and wear it up most days because I live in a very humid climate and it does nothing but frizz when I leave it down. I am tired of having big, long hair at my age. I want to cut it above my shoulders, but am afraid it will go wild and I won’t be able to pull it up. Any suggestions? I desperately need a change! thanks.
Ouidad: You have several options. But first I should tell you that I don’t believe in age and length being an issue. You can have any length hair at any age. Now, the reason your hair frizzes is because it’s dehydrated. You need to put the moisture back into your hair by doing your Deep Treatments every two weeks. Think of your curly hair as being like a dry sponge. If you put a dry sponge in water it will expand, but if you put a wet sponge in water, already plump with internal moisture, it won’t have any reaction. So if your hair is properly moisturized your hair won’t be prone to frizz when you wear it down. Now you can also have it carved and sliced to lighten it up and make it manageable at the length that it is. Your second option would be to soften your hair, which means loosen the curls and cut it shorter. That could be fun also. Just make sure you deep treat every two weeks and that will definitely give you a change.