Julia Rizzo
CurlyTeen Scene is a column especially for curly teens. Julia Rizzo is a teenager living in Central New York. When not writing, she enjoys acting, reading and snow skiing. She has loved writing as long as she can remember, and plans to pursue a career in English. She hopes her column will provide encouragement and inspire girls to love their curly hair.
Getting out of the shower, with a spritz of leave-in-conditioner, I detangle my long hair with my fingers.
From barely brushing my shoulders to half way down my back, my curly hair has been a variety of lengths. One thing is for sure though: for curly girls, cut and length is important! One of the key questions to ask when looking for a new hairstyle or contemplating a cut is definitely “How long do I want my hair?”
There’s a lot to consider when trying to choose what length to wear your hair. In my experience, I’ve noticed that two lengths work well: very short and past the shoulders. Curly hair generally has a lot of volume, so usually one or the other works best, depending on your preference and face shape. Usually shorter hair (above the shoulders”> requires less time to detangle and can be easier day-to-day. It feels lighter, and is more likely to give you cute little defined curls. This is great for a girl on the move who doesn’t have a ton of time to detangle and dry before she leaves the house. However, since it’s shorter, it may require a styling product to keep it in line, even if you didn’t use one before.
Longer hair can be harder to wash and detangle. But it tends to weigh itself down, which minimizes the volume. It also provides versatility when it comes to styling. Braids, twists, buns and coils all look great and are fairly easy to create with long hair.
All of this, of course, depends on your hair texture and your lifestyle. My hair is too frizzy to wear short. When the picture that accompanies this column was taken, my hair was the shortest it’s ever been. I prefer to wear it long with a little leave-in conditioner instead of weighing it down with a lot of gels or spray. On the other hand, my little sister Lilly has very coarse hair and she’s a swimmer, so she loves her super-short look. Her hair dries quickly after she gets out of the pool, and keeping it conditioned and undamaged by the chlorine is a lot easier than if it were long.
When looking for a new cut, it can be helpful to look through magazines or visit a site like TheHairStyler.com for inspiration. At TheHairStyler.com, I found a guide that helps you determine the shape of your face. For example, I have a heart shaped face while my sister has a round face. Then they suggest lengths and cuts for your particular face structure. While this may not be the deciding factor in a new hairstyle, it was fun to look at and offered some good ideas.
No matter how you wear you hair, if you blend your life and personality into your style, you’re sure to wear your curls in a way you love!
Email your questions/comments to Julia.
