Q: I love your hair. Do you two-strand twist it to get that effect? I don’t have as much hair as you do, but I’m looking forward to growing mine out to the length you have in the picture. The top of my hair is growing much faster than the rest and I want to know how to coax it downward instead of it standing straight up all over. I’d love to know what products you use to get your look as well.
Titi: Thanks! I don’t 2-strand twist my hair. I have a Silkener which I fingerstyle. I switch off different products for different effects. Lately, I’ve been using Miss Jessie’s Stretch Silkening Creme for fingerstyling it when wet. If your hair is totally natural I would recommend Shingling the hair with Miss Jessie’s Curly Pudding when wet to get the hair to move in a downward motion.
Q: I need some advice/help. Since I have been trying to do better by my curls (i.e. natural curl-friendly products, no heat, conditioner washing, not straightening, and more moisturizing”>, it’s like I have two TOTALLY different textures of hair on my head. I haven’t straightened my hair in over a month (a long time for me”>. I know we all have a mix of different types of hair, but here is my issue. The front of my hair is getting straighter and straighter while the rest of my hair is getting more defined and curlier. What am I to do?
Titi: This is not uncommon. Straightening the hair tends to leave the front sections straighter than the rest because that area tends to get handled the most. Try to get all the hair to look more consistent. Do a twist set or a spiral rod set to make all the curls look the same. The key is that you have to wear your hair curly to “train” it to remain in that formation.
Q:: How do you achieve that “hang”, so to speak? My hair (4a”> is a decent length, and when it’s still kind of wet, I get the weight that I like. It’ll hang and looks nice overall. But once it’s completely dry, it just kind of stays in one spot. I don’t know if people achieve that “hang” with thicker hair, longer hair or specific products.
Titi: Ah, the “Hang.” What causes naturally curly hair to hang is when the individual strands are stretched out and elongated so that they are free to move about. This can be accomplished chemically with a Silkener or thermally with heat. If you are doing it by heat fingerstyling your naturally curly hair, when the hair is completely dry, take the nozzle tip of a blow dryer and blast heat to the root area, halfway down the hair shaft. This minimizes the tightly compacted nature of curly hair that it tends to adopt after the hair is dried. This stretching-out technique will create the movement that you are looking for!
Q: My hair (3c”> is about shoulder-length and I’m having trouble with frizz (mainly the top part, which is weird”>. Ever since my hair got damaged when I was younger, from chemically straightening it, it’s become really frizzy. I’m currently using stuff to get it healthy again; however, everyone tells me using gels defeats the purpose of using products to get my hair normal again. How do I battle this frizz?
Titi: Frizzy hair is generally damaged hair. Deep conditioning treatments like Miss Jessie’s Rapid Recovery Treatment are really helpful in plumping and filling the hair shaft so that the strand appears consistent from root to end. You should also avoid gels that contain alcohol, which can be very drying to the hair.
Q: How is it possible that I have tiny little knots on individual strands of hair (3c”>. Is there a way to stop it? It looks like someone purposely took one strand of hair and tied it into a knot at the bottom. I guess my hair is just that curly. I’ve noticed several and there is no way for me to undo them.
Titi: I’ve seen this phenomenon before, and although it’s very annoying, there is a way to minimize the knotting. Knotting occurs when the strands tangle unto themselves and form a knot at the end. By keeping the hair fully moisturized and making the strands of the hair “slippery,” this can really cut down on the amount of knotting that tends to occur in a dry hair environment.
Q:: I’m confused about the best way to deep condition. Should I apply it to dry or wet hair? What’s the best way to get the most out of my deep conditioner?
Titi: Apply deep conditioner to wet hair. Wet hair is in its most pliable state. Heat really amplifies the effect of a deep-conditioning treatment because heat causes the cuticle of hair to swell, thereby allowing the treatment to penetrate the shaft more deeply. Apply your treatment to wet hair. If you are in the shower, apply the treatment to your hair and allow the steam from the shower to penetrate each strand for about 15 minutes. Rinse with warm water and then finish with a “cold shot” rinse to close the cuticle down. If you have an hood dryer, apply the treatment to wet hair and sit under an overhead dryer with a high heat for approximately 15-20 minutes. Follow the rinsing instructions above!
