Q: I am a 25-year-old woman who has naturally curly red hair. I have never once let anyone other than my sister cut my hair. Never short. No layers. Nothing. Now I am in a bind because I really would like to get the fullness out of my curls, but I am debating whether or not to allow anyone to put layers in my hair or whether to stick to the same routine I’ve had for the past 15 years. Is it safe to put layers in my hair or am I going to have a handful of fuzz to deal with. I am very nervous to have this done to my hair. If you could please give me some advice, I would so love it. Ouidad: It always brings a smile to my face when I see a naturally curly red head come into my salon. Not only is it beautiful, but it makes an entrance. My mom had red hair. The rest of the clients always comment on how beautiful it is. Dusty, I’d be very nervous about layering my curls. But you can definitely have it “Carved & Sliced,” — a cut that I created over 20 years ago — to allow your curls to puzzle and sit into each other. This will take away the triangle effect, and by slicing the top layer a bit and around your face, it will create a movement that looks like layers but is much more controlled. I’ve had my share of layered haircuts. That’s the reason I created Carving & Slicing. I’ve trained stylists throughout the country with this technique, so check my website to see who is in your area. Don’t be nervous — you’ll love it.
Q: Help! I have fried the bangs of my hair with my curling iron. I have naturally curly hair and used the iron to curl my bangs. It was the kind that gets very hot. I have managed to fry it and now it won’t curl at all. It is stick straight. How ironic! All I wanted all my life was straight hair. And now I like the curls and the top is stick straight. What should I do? I was trying to grow it out. I hope I don’t have to cut it now. Brenda
Ouidad: I don’t know how much damage the curling iron has caused, (all kinds of irons can be mean”>, but you can nurture your hair back with a serious program of doing the Ouidad Deep Treatment every two weeks. The proteins, amino acids, and sulfur will help to strengthen your hair. You will find that with two to three treatments the hair that is not totally damaged will be revived, and the rest of the hair will get back its pulse and shine. I would highly recommend that you use the Deep Treatment on a regular basis so your hair will always perform for you. I do see this in the salon and get great results with this intense program. Don’t worry; your hair will be fine.
Q: Please help me. I have long curly hair. Recently I spent two months in bed due to an injury and wouldn’t let anybody near my head or hair. Now I have matted hair. Is there anything I can do to get it out. I do not want to lose my hair. I have been through so much and do not want to lose it. Thank you so much. Karen.
Ouidad: Karen, I’m sorry to hear about your injury and I hope that you are on the road to a healthy recovery. About your hair, start to detangle with a wide tooth pick, starting from the bottom up. It will take lots of time. Some of the hair will fall because it’s already broken when it got matted. After you’re done with that process apply conditioner on your dry hair first, and then wet it. That will help to create more of a slip. Then add more conditioner after it’s wet and use a wide-tooth comb and start from the bottom and work your way up. After it’s all detangled, a good shampoo and the Ouidad Deep Treatment is a must to use. As a professional. I must recommend that you get a trim right away as it will definitely give your hair a jump start and follow up with another Deep Treatment. I wish you a healthy recovery to you and your hair. Q: I have super thick, wavy/curly hair. I don’t know if my hair itself is thick, but I have a lot of it. No matter how I style it or what products I use, it forms a triangle shape around my head—flat on top, and puffy on bottom. I live in Florida, so no matter what I do to it, I feel like my hair is a big frizzy mess due to humidity. Please let me know how I can get rid of the triangle shape on top of my head. I am also very self-conscious about my hair and rarely ever wear it down. How do I gain more self confidence about my hair? Ouidad: The best way to work with a triangle shape is to make sure that the hair has its own molecular connection so it will lay down by itself. You can achieve this by doing a Deep Treatment every two weeks. Two things will happen. First your hair won’t get as big, and second you’ll eliminate the frizz. Now to work with the triangle shape, you will need to get a Carve and Slice haircut. The cut will definitely eliminate the triangle and give your hair shape. I have a salon in Fort Lauderdale that is certified with this technique that will help you and teach you how to manage your hair in the Florida weather. Once your hair is controlled, you’ll find that your confidence in wearing your hair down will increase.
Q: I am a mature women of 49 years. I have very fine, naturally curly hair. When it is first washed, it is a spirally, frizzy curl. After a day, the curl is not so tight and not so frizzy when I use appropriate product. Presently, I have hair that reaches the bottom of my neck, with some long layering around my face. Although I have had very short hair at times — it seems to lay flat and not curl so much — I would like to keep it approximately this length, at least at the back. Layering in the front and top seem to be the only way I can control it. I would like to have some style or cut suggestions. They would be most appreciated.
Ouidad: You can keep your hair at the length that you wish — all you need to do is to have the back “carved”, which will allow your curls to sit into each other and manage the shape. As far as the front and top, a little “slicing” will help to frame your features and create height on top. The stylist should be able to create a beautiful style with this technique to compliment your look. The sky is the limit with curly hair.
