Search Results: Michelle Breyer

Go to any drugstore or supermarket these days and the aisles are filled with the hottest salon products.

It is estimated that as much as 15 percent of all salon haircare products now are being sold through unapproved retail channels.

But even though technically not illegal for them to be selling these products, haircare companies are fighting what they see as the growing problem of a diversion — a controversial and contetious issue that has gotten worse in recent years.

The implications for consumers include higher prices and poor product quality, not to mention the purchase of products not suited for their hair. It costs manfuacturers and salons millions of dollars per year in lost sales.

“It’s confusing to the customer,” said Vikki Bresnahan, product security manager for John Paul Mitchell Systems, which has been on the forefront of fighting diversion.

The bottom line, she said, is that “we don’t do business with any drug, grocery or discount stores or any retail Web sites — not EBay, not Amazon.com, not Drugstore.com. All of that product is diverted. We only do business with salons.”

Companies say their reputations are on the line.

Redken believes that only trained and licensed professional stylists can prescribe the best products for their customers.

“If you go to a Target and buy one of our products and it doesn’t work properly, you may never purchase a product from John Paul Mitchell again,” Bresnahan said.

So where did the product come from?

The industry calls it the “gray market.” In some cases, a distributor might order a larger amount than it legitimately is selling to a salon, selling the rest “out the back door” to others. In other cases, wholesale companies employ collectors who approach salons, paying them more than their cost for the product. In some cases, salons start ordering more products to have adequate supply for diverters. There could be several steps between the wholesaler and the consumer, and many retailers may not know where the products come from.

There also are counterfeiters who may knock off salon products, filling the bottles with fake products that might not be clean or safe.

“It’s hugely frustrating,” Bresnahan said. “It causes problems for our salons, which are our No. 1 supporters. Without them, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

And a lot of salons make most of their money off product sales.

Bresnahan believes it is unfair for drug, grocery and discount retailers to get into the professional haircare business.

“Salons aren’t carrying canned goods or pharmaceutical products,” she said. “Why compete with a salon that’s not competing with them?”

Most companies have statements on their bottles that warn consumers that products can only be guaranteed when sold at professional salons. But companies such as John Paul Mitchell, Graham Webb International and Sebastian International have begun taking more drastic measures to fight diversion, spending millions of dollars.

Since it’s not illegal, it’s up to the manufacturer to catch the wholesalers, distributors and salons that are selling products on the side — a difficult endeavor.

Redken, for example, hired a former FBI agent to develop its strategy and to oversee its anti-diversion program.

Redken codes its products to track their movement, and conducts followup audits of distributorships to find violators. Redken representatives also conduct regular shelf sweeps at unauthorized retail outlets in the United States and some foreign countries. The products are “decoded” in an effort to identify diverters. Redken also offers monetary rewards for supportable information that leads to the identification of diverters of Redken products.

In its newest distributor contracts, L’Oreal Professionel has included a segment specifically addressing diversion and requiring all distributors to put a secondary code on the products to help it track diverted products.

Paul Mitchell even tried to get a law passed that would make diversioin illegal. But the company was unsuccessful in its effort.

Kenra has done a better job than most at fighting diversion. When salon owner Kenneth Anders told Kenra that some of its products were being sold at an Ohio drugstore, Kenra told him to buy out the store’s stock. Seven carfuls and $2,200 later, the problem was fixed.

Ultimately, the consumer is the key to anti-diversion efforts. John Paul Mitchell now runs national television and print ads to get the anti-diversion effort out to consumers. The company is encouraging stylists to talk about the subject with customers while they’re in the chair.

But even when the consumer is fully educated, it’s still a tough battle.

“It’s hard to overcome the convenience,” Bresnahan said.

(NaturallyCurly.com’s CurlMart does not participate in diversion in any way.  We wish we could bring you more of the products we know you’d like to buy from us, but to do so would be unethical.”>

In a strange way, Kissa Thompson can credit her grandmother for the success of her company.

When she went natural a decade ago, the response from her Southern grandmother was less than positive.

‘She didn’t like my hair,’ Thompson recalls. ‘To her, it was frizzy and unruly. She said ‘Do something with your hair.”

Thompson did do something, but not to her hair. Five years ago, she launched ButtaFly Unlimited, a line of inspiring t-shirts, hats and more. One of the company’s most popular shirts boasts ‘I Love My Hair.’ Other hot sellers are emblazoned with the words ‘Free Your Soul,’ ‘Be a Leader’ and Be Unlimited.’

‘It speaks to a lot of people,’ Thompson says.

In a world where clothes scream out company logos, Thompson believes that ‘if you’re going to wear something, it should mean something.’ The company’s entire philosophy is about loving who you are.

‘That’s what our shirts are about,’ she says. ‘Buttafly Unlimited wants to inspire those who wear the designs to love themselves and be proud of who they are. Everyone has some issue. We want to encourage people to love who they are.’

The 30-year-old Brooklyn entrepreneur hasn’t always felt comfortable with her own look. Her mother didn’t know how to work with her hair and she did a lot of experimenting. She began seeing people with natural hair and began cutting her relaxed hair shorter and shorter. She says she loves her natural hair now.

‘There’s nothing like the versatility of natural hair,’ she says. ‘Once you go straight, it’s straight.’

Her t-shirts aren’t trendy, and have a simple, old-fashioned feel to them. She believes they are the type of t-shirts you can wear forever. She regularly changes the colors and designs.

The response to the t-shirts has been overwhelmingly positive, says Thompson, who also designs jewelry. She has gotten orders from around the world.

When she wears her shirts, ‘People will say ‘I love your hair too,” she says. Thompson plans to expand into films, a newsletter and children’s books.

‘Our philosophy is to wear stuff that represents your soul,’ Thompson says. ‘Buttafly is the metamorphosis of the individual. And Unlimited represents the unlimited possibilities of life.’ ‘It’s not about clothes,’ she says. ‘It’s about having a voice.’.

When Kim Etheredge walked into a beauty store, she never knew in which direction to head.

The stores were segregated, with ethnic products in one place and other products for curly hair in another. There was no in between.

‘I never knew what would work for my curls,’ says Etheredge, the daughter of an Irish mother and an African-American father. ‘I had to search from one end of the store to the other to concoct a combination for my unruly, kinky, wild hair.’

Wendi Levy, the daughter of an African-American mother and a Jewish father, had long shared her frustration.

‘When Kim and I met, we were laughing about our common problem,’ says Levy.

So Etheredge and Levy decided to create their own hair product line — products that would appeal to women of all ethnicities. Two years later, they launched Mixed Chicks. Their tag line is ‘Are you tired of defining our race rather than our curls?’

‘We don’t want to exclude anybody from using it,’ Levy says. The first product in their line is a leave-in conditioner. The alcohol-free conditioner, which they launched in April, contains ingredients such as primrose oil, jojoba oil and a little bit of emulsifying wax. It has a pH of between 4 and 5, which Levy says is ideal for curly, kinky hair.

They plan to add other products to the line and currently are working on a shampoo.

Both women have traveled a long path to their current venture. Levy, 36, grew up in Atlantic City.

‘It was very segregated there,’ she says. ‘You either lived in one neighborhood or another.’

She has been doing hair since she was 7, learning about ethnic products from her mother.

‘I did my mother’s highlights and relaxers,’ she recalls.

Levy began combining products, mixing hairdressing grease with mousse, leave-in conditioner, ‘with a touch of Dippity Do.’ She was changing the mixture all the time.

Etheredge, 34, was born in New York and raised in Culver City, Calif.. She recalls growing up in a condominium complex with many multiracial neighbors.

‘All my friends had curly, crazy, kinky hair,’ Etheredge says. ‘Nobody knew which products to put in their hair.’

She spent years straightening her hair with a blowdryer. She keep her hair under control using a combination of Aqua Net and Dippity Do.

‘My hair was hard, crunchy and nasty,’ she says. ‘I used to slick it back on the top and wear the back curly.’

Now a public relations consultant for NFL player Terrell Owens and R&B artist Keith Sweat, she spent many years as a television production coordinator, working on numerous sitcoms, talk shows and pilots.

After moving to California four years ago to pursue a career in the music industry, she met Etheredge.

‘Wendi always had the best curls,’ recalls Etheredge. ‘We always compared curls.’

The two women began experimenting with products.

‘We thought that if we put together products we liked, there probably a ton of people out there looking for something like it,’ Levy says.

So they did some research, found a good chemist and brought some of their favorite products. It took five trips back to the lab before they found the perfect concoction — ‘a little of this, a little of that.’ Their curly friends served as guinea pigs. But even their straight-haired friends have become fans.

‘The feedback has been phenomenal,’ Etheredge says.

During her 10 years as a hairdresser, Nicole Siri has heard the same complaint from her curly clients.

‘What do I do with my hair?’

Many believed their only option was a ponytail. So Siri decided to put together a book to help people with curly hair how to stylishly put their hair up.

Hot off the press, ‘Strictly Curls’ is a 90-page, spiral bound, hard cover book with detailed step-by-step instructions on how to create 14 styles. The styles range from easy to moderate to more experienced. The book also includes detailed sections on the correct technique for using bobby pins and how to use other accessories to get different looks. ‘If you already put up your hair, these styles will be easy for you,’ she says. ‘But some people only know how to do a ponytail.’

The 29-year-old hairdresser originally planned to be a fashion designer. But when her college eliminated its fashion design program, she decided to go to cosmetology school instead.

‘Now I don’t want to do anything else,’ Siri says.

Siri, who works at Salon Nordine & Day Spa in Reston, Va., says she has developed a passion for curly hair, and many of her clients have curly or wavy hair. Often, she says, she would create a beautiful style for them. But when they got home, they couldn’t recreate it. ‘I said ‘I’m going to put it all in a book so they’ll have it as a resource,’ ‘ Siri says. ‘The timing was right.’

Siri says she benefited from her photographer sister who worked with her on the book. Strictly Curls, which retails for $19.95, is available on CurlMart. ‘It doesn’t matter what products you use,’ Siri says. ‘If you’re wearing your hair up, it can look good.’

Shelley Campbell was a self-described product junkie.

When she decided to go natural a few years ago, she became frustrated by the constant revolving door of products. Each time she would find a product that would work for her, the formula would change or it would disappear from the shelves altogether.

So Campbell decided to make her own line of products and realize a life-long dream.

“I said ‘These are the ingredients I like,” Campbell said. “I wanted to know how I could mix them together to make them better.”

With the help of a chemist at a lab, she launched Kinky-Curly.com, a line of styling products for curly, kinky, frizzy textured hair, in 2003.

They sat down together and tested products. She wanted the products to be as natural as possible, with hair-friendly ingredients such as aloe vera, jojoba oil and wild cherry bark.

“It was a learning experience for both of us,” Campbell says of the product development process.

Her first product was the popular Jojoba Jelly, followed by the Gloss Pomade and the Spiral Spritz. As her knowledge grew and she learned more about natural products — and got more feedback from customers — she came out with her Curling Custard and Knot Today, a leave-in conditioner. All of the products are water- based, without the heavy, greasy ingredients found in some ethnic hair products.

“I want to keep my focus on styling,” Campbell said.

Kinky-Curly is a natural evolution for Campbell. She grew up in Far Rockaway, N.Y. where every other shop was a beauty supply store. She was always telling her friends about the latest, hottest products. “I’ve been reading ingredients as long as I can remember,” Campbell says.

Growing up, her thick curly hair was relaxed for most of her life. After letting her hair grow long, she decided to go natural, growing out the relaxed hair rather than opting for ‘the big chop.’ The entire process took a year and a half, during which she wore her hair in twist-out styles to blend the natural and relaxed textures.

Because of her own experience, she says she can relate to the goals of other women with highly textured hair. She believes natural hair is beautiful hair, and with the right products and styling techniques, it can flourish and grow to great lengths.

‘As my knowledge has grown, I wanted something that would truly benefit the hair,’ Campbell said. ‘I wanted to create a system that gave people specific results.’

	Angela deJoseph

Advertising exec Venus Johnston was tired of her long, straightened hair. So one day, on impulse, she cuts it short.

But she is unprepared for the reactions of her friends and co-workers, who all have an opinion about her new ‘do.

Trisha Thomas’ book ‘Nappily Ever After‘ may sound like a familiar story for many African-American women who have decided to go natural. The book—and its protagonist Johnston—especially resonated with curly hair expert Angela De Joseph, creator of product lines such as African Wonders and Naturalaxer.

‘I could relate to it so much,’ says De Joseph. ‘As a child, I felt that if I was able to have perfection on the outside, everything else would work. You were taught you have to get rid of your natural curl. It creates a certain type of insecurity for people without straight hair. You live in fear that your hair will revert back to its natural state. Your hair becomes your enemy. It also becomes your barometer of your self esteem.’

‘What you discover is that self esteem is not based on looks and what your hair is doing,’ De Joseph says. ‘Venus’ journey is a universal journey.’

So De Joseph is helping to bring tale to the silver screen. Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry has signed on to play Venus, and Marc Platt, producer of such films as ‘Philadelphia’ and ‘Legally Blonde,’ will be the film’s lead producer. Patricia Cordosa will direct it. It will be put out by Universal Studios. De Joseph is a producer and also is working on the script.

‘It’s really a remarkable project,’ De Joseph says.

The book, which has been called a cross between ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ and ‘Waiting to Exhale,’ is about a black woman’s journey to self-discovery.

‘It’s the kind of movie that will make people laugh and cry,’ De Joseph says. ‘People will really cheer for her and respect the woman she becomes.’

De Joseph’s involvement with ‘Nappily Ever After’ is a natural for a woman who has spent her life working in the entertainment and hair care industries.

Her mother, Pearl, was a cosmetologist and beauty school owner on the island of Trinidad in the West Indies. She didn’t believe in damaging hair in the name of style. The De Joseph family moved to America in 1958. De Joseph grew up in Los Angeles, where her family worked as a hairdresser.

After dabbling in acting and modeling, she pursued writing. Her first article was an 8-page pull-out guide in the January 1979 issue of ESSENCE called ‘Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Hair.” In addition to working at such publications as ESSENCE and Sophisticate’s Black Hair Styles, De Joseph’s extensive resume includes jobs as creative director of Johnson Products Co. (Ultra Sheen, Afro Sheen, Classy Curl”> and as a fashion and beauty reporter for such television shows as ‘Live with Regis and Kathie Lee’ and ‘AM Los Angeles.’

In 1993, she completed film school, writing, producing and directing an award-winning film called ‘It’s in the Bag,’ a movie about a homeless woman who finds a coupon for a free beauty makeover at a Beverly Hills salon. It was in film school that she met Halle Berry.

In 1996, De Joseph launched the African Wonders Botanical Treatment line. Four years later, she launched Naturalaxer, a hair relaxer that combines African shea butter and Amazonia nut oil with an alkaline mineral relaxer to loosen curl – not straighten it. She opened the fist African Wonders hair Care Store in Inglewood, Calif. in 2002. This summer, she will launch The Curl Shop, a line for all ethnicities and hair types.

De Joseph’s involvement in ‘Nappily Ever After‘ began when Thomas contacted her about African Wonders sponsoring her book deal. She read the book and loved it.

‘I was in tears,’ De Joseph recalls. ‘The journey so closely paralleled my own personal life.’

It wasn’t difficult to get Berry interested in the film, De Joseph says. In addition to acting in the lead role, she also will be a producer.

‘She comes to this from a biracial background,’ De Joseph says. ‘She has dealt with a lot of issues about where you fit into society. And dealing with her hair has always been a big issue.’

The film currently is in the pre-production phase. After the script is completed, casting will begin for the other actors. It potentially could hit the theaters in 2006.

‘When Venus goes all natural, her world is completely different,’ De Joseph says. ‘Her world goes through this shift. She begins to develop that inner woman. That’s a strong, positive lesson for young women.’

NaturallyCurly is celebrating its 15th Anniversary this year. To show you how far we’ve come, we’re highlighting a few of your favorite articles from the NaturallyCurly archives!

Salons say they’re doing more perms than they have done since the 1980s — the decade of Dynasty and big hair.

Many curlies now are wondering whether a perm might help make their hair more manageable, giving them looser curls or more uniform ringlets? The answer, say curl experts, is yes and no.

“The theory works on paper,” says Jonathan Torch, who recently opened the Curly Hair Institute in Toronto. “But technically speaking, it doesn’t work as well as it should work. The idea of perming the hair to loosen the curl is a fallacy. I haven’t seen it work in all the years I’ve done perms.”

The chemistry of permanent waves is pretty straightforward. Hair is largely made of keratin, a protein that contains a lot of the amino acid cystine. Typically ammonium thioglycolate is used as a reducing agent to break down the hairshaft and reshape it. The oxidizing agent in the neutralizer halts the chemical process when the hair has taken the desired shape.

Hairdressers stress that a perm swells the hairshaft, which can cause already-porous curly hair to become dry and frizzy, the opposite effect of what a curly intended.

“You need to decide if you want to get rid of frizz or you want to get rid of curl,” says long-time hairdresser Jane Carter, creator of The Jane Carter Solution line of natural products for curly hair. “If you want to get rid of frizz, wash and wet your hair every day. If you want to get rid of curl, you really have to relax it.”

While a whole-head perm might not be the solution for somebody with curly hair, spot perms serve an important purpose for those with straight or wavy areas. A perm can deepen the ‘S’ formation of wavy hair, giving more bounce, especially in the winter months, Torch says.

Christo of Christo Fifth Avenue and Curlisto line of curly hair products says he has a client who has consistent curls everywhere except on the top of her head, which is flat and wavy. He does a spot perm to blend the top layer with the bottom layer.

“A likely candidate for a perm at Ouidad would be someone with curly and straight hair,” says Ouidad. “Most heads of hair have three to four different textures. The benefit of a spot perm is that you can achieve a uniform curl pattern on a head of hair that naturally has three or four curl patterns.”

For spot perms, Torch says he uses different-sized rods to get a more natural look that will blend more naturally with the rest of the curls.

“It blends like normal, healthy curly hair would,” Torch says. “If it’s the same, it looks like a wig.”

NaturallyCurly.com Curl Master Amie Zimmerman of Dirty Little Secret Salon in Portland, Ore., said she has only permed a curly’s hair once to match the curl pattern on the rest of the head. She wasn’t thrilled with the results.

“The curls turned out great, but the texture of the hair left something to be desired because it was extremely tangly and dare I say, damaged by the end of it,” Zimmerman says. “It’s an option, but one I only choose if the client has been highly educated about the compromise in integrity that the hair will have.”

In many cases, a relaxer or softener is the solution to loosening curls, not a perm. When talking to a stylist, the client must be clear about exactly what it is they want to achieve.

“You need to evaluate the hair to detremine what they need to do,” Christo says. “If they have tighter curls, it can be handled with a Biosoftener, which takes out frizziness and dryness.”

For those who want straight hair, a thermal reconditioning treatment may be the best choice.

For those with straight hair who want a curly look, perms are an ideal option — especially with new perm technology that provides a more natural look and is gentler to the hair. Perms now are available that automatically ‘shut off’ so that the perm cannot be overprocessed.

In many cases, different-sized rods are used to mimic the look of naturally curly hair.

Perm diva Dawn Ramsay-Hiller of the Cutler Salon in New York alternates between larger and smaller rods, sometimes leaving pieces unrolled altogether. This ensures the hair doesn’t have the stereotypical poodle perm look.

For those with straight or wavy hair planning to get a perm, there are some important things to consider before undergoing the process. First of all, make sure there’s no silicone buildup on the hair, which can act as a barrier to the perm solution. It is good to use a clarifying shampoo before perming to get rid of any chemicals or buildup that may interfere with the perm.

And the client must be prepared for the realities of having curly hair. With their straight hair, they might have been able to pop out of bed, brush their hair and head out the door. Curly hair takes a few extra steps.

“All of a sudden, they have curly hair and don’t know how to deal with it,” Christo says. “People with a perm have to do everything a person with curly hair does. They need to learn the rules. It’s all news to them.”

Those rules include applying styling products when the hair is wet, never brushing the hair when it’s dry and using a diffuser on the dryer. Never shampoo every day and make sure to deep condition on a regular basis. The cuticle protecting the cortex has been altered, causing the hair to be dryer.

“You need to educate the clients on how to deal with it,” Christo says. “Not only will they love it, they’ll love it so much they’ll bring in more people.”

After any perm, the hair must be left alone for at least two days until the hydrogen bonds readjust themselves — no shampooing, brushing or braiding.

“Even though you’ve neutralized it, the air will help restructure those bonds,” Torch said.

Always wait at least two weeks before cutting it.

“When you first perm the hair, it is so curly and tight,” Torch said. “It’s not exactly how your hair will fall. Wait two weeks for the hair to calm down. Then you’re dealing with reality.”

A typical perm lasts three months.

Ultimately, Torch says, the success of a perm lies with the person doing the perming. The way the rods are rolled, how long the perm solution is left in and how the neutralizer is rinsed out all affect the outcome. If the hair is wrapped too tight it can cause breakage when the hair shaft expands. The ends of the hair must be protected from the solution or they can get dry and damaged. The ph of the perm must be matched to an individual’s hair type.

“These are all the difference between failure and success,” Torch says. “I love perms. You can get a lot of wonderful results if they’re done properly.”

How to take care of a perm

• Never shampoo everyday. Always use perm-friendly shampoos and conditioners.
• When you dry hair, use a diffuser or air dry it.
• Product application is key. Make sure to apply in sections. Gels create a tighter curls, while lotions and mousses tend to produce a looser curl.
• Never brush your hair when it it’s dry. Comb it with a wide-toothed comb.
• When you go to sleep, clip up the hair so it doesn’t get messed up.
• Wrap hair VERY LOOSELY in a towel to remove excess water before styling but DO NOT RUB.

Perm Survival Kit: For the newly curly, it can be confusing to know which products to use on new ringlets and spirals. Here are a few faves of veteran curlies.

Shampoos

• Devacurl No-Poo
• Jessicurl Hair Cleansing Cream
• Elucence Moisture Benefits Shampoo
• AG XtraMoist Shampoo
• Curly Hair Solutions Treatment Shampoo
• Redken All-Soft Shampoo
• Aveda Sap Moss Shampoo
• Neutrogena Triple Moisture Cream Lather Shampoo

Conditioners

• CURLS Coconut Sublime Moisturizing Conditioner
• Elucence Moisture Balancing Conditioner
• Curly Hair Solutions Silk Leave-In Conditioner
• AG UltraMoist
• CurlFriends Replenish Leave-in Conditioner
• Curlisto Deep Therapy Masque
• Ojon Restorative Hair Treatment
• Curlisto Repair Styling Cream
• Suave Milk ‘n’ Honey Conditioner

Stylers

• Paul Mitchell Sculpting Foam
• Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper
• Curlisto Structura Lotion
• Beyond The Zone Noodle Head
• MOP C-Curl Curl Defining Cream
• Tigi Curls Rock Curl Amplifier
• AG re:coil
• Jessicurl Rockin Ringlets
• Devacurl Angell
• Batia & Aleeza Bio-Herbal Mineral Sculpting Gel
• ISO Bouncy Creme
• Frederic Fekkai Luscious Curls Curl Enhancing Lotion
• ABBA Weightless Gel

Curl Refreshers

• CurlFriends Rejuvenate
• Jessicurl Awe Inspiraling Gel
• Tai Texture Lavender Mist
• ABBA Instant Recall

Pomades

• Curlisto Unruly Paste
• CurlFriends Seduce
• Jane Carter Solution Hair Nourishing Cream

Other must-haves

• A diffuser for your dryer
• A satin pillowcase
• A microfiber towel

Jonathan Torch’s fascination with curls began 15 years ago when a client came in with a head of bulky, unmanageable frizz.

The veteran Canadian hairdresser admits that the layered cut he gave her looked terrible. But after that mistep, he made it his mission to figure out how to work with curly hair.

Over the years, he has become a student of everything curly. He has studied how curly hair looks when it’s wet and dry, how it shrinks and what makes it frizz. He has discovered the best ways to reduce bulk. He has watched how it changes from season to season. And he has learned that no two people have exactly the same curl types.

Torch even developed his own curly hair care line, Curly Hair Solutions, to address the needs of this special hair type.

‘It’s the closet thing to sculpting I’ve found in hair cutting,’ he says of working with curls.

Thousands of curly clients later, Torch says he’s taking the biggest leap of his career. This month, he’ll be closing his Cutting Crew Salon and opening the new 2,000-square-foot Jonathan Torch Curly Hair Institute in the North York area of Toronto. While the Cutting Crew worked with all hair types, the new salon will focus on curly hair.

‘I’ve come to accept that curly hair is my expertise,’ Torch says. ‘Everybody says I’m taking a big risk by specializing in curls. I believe it’s my destiny, and it’s what I know and what I do the best. I just love it.’

The Institute also will serve as a training facility for other hairdressers to learn how to work with curly hair. It will have 10 stations, a classroom and a photo studio.

‘We’ll be able to educate them on all the different options for curly hair — whether they want to color it or style it different ways,’ Torch says. ‘That will help hairdressers feel comfortable with curly hair. And that will help people with curly hair everywhere.’

Torch says he doesn’t advocate one method of cutting curly hair, but likes to use a combination of techniques, depending on the hair type. For example, he might use the tunnel cut to remove bulk. He has techniques that frame the face without cutting short pieces.

‘I like to create openings you can see through, which allow the individual ringlets to frame the face,’ Torch says.

He has learned how to teach his clients to to create perfect ringlets with the ‘skip curl’ technique, which involves taking section of hair, twisting it around the finger and spinning it like a jump rope.

Since Torch believes the right products are essential to maximizing the potential of curly hair, the Institute will have a laboratory where he can develop new products for Curly Hair Solutions, which includes the popular Curl Keeper styling product. Torch says he’s currently working on five new products.

Torch says he plans to add a spa to the facility next spring. Torch is confident in his decision to focus on curls. ‘You see how it changes lives,’ Torch says.

Six years ago, a relative of a Canadian ad executive brought him a baby jar filled with brown paste she had purchased from an Indian on a Honduras street.

‘I almost threw it in the garbage,’ Denis Simioni admits. ‘It didn’t look very appetizing.’

Despite more than a decade of working in the beauty industry for some of the biggest names in haircare, he never thought the contents of that jar were something you would use on hair. So he stashed it away in a bathroom cupboard, where it remained for two years.

Then one day his wife, Silvana, went searching the bathroom for a product to repair her overprocessed tresses. She found the forgotten bottle of paste and cautiously applied it to her hair.

‘We could not believe the results,’ Simioni said. ‘It totally revived it. I couldn’t believe how shiny and soft her hair was.’

Simioni became determined to find more of this miraculous paste made from Ojon palm nut oil. Before long, he was on a plane to Honduras on an adventure that would rival something out of an ‘Indiana Jones’ movie, complete with spiders, snakes and sharks.

A few years and nine trips to to Honduras later, Simioni heads up Ojon Corp., one of the world’s hottest and most unique new haircare companies.

Launched in December 2003 with the popular Ojon Restorative Hair Treatment, the company now sells shampoo, conditioner, styling cream, shine serum and volumizing foam made with Ojon oil. Ojon will expand into skincare in late 2005 and 2006.

Bazaar dubbed Ojon ‘our new favorite,’ while Oprah magazine called it ‘one of the summer’s best.’ During a sale of Ojon products in December on home shopping network QVC, the company sold out of 20,025 of assorted products in just 34 minutes, not including the wait list.

‘I never thought I’d have my own haircare line,’ Simioni said of the line, which grossed $4 million in sales in 2004. ‘It was a fluke. I guess I was in the right place at the right time.’

The veteran ad man said he couldn’t have made up such a unique marketing pitch if he tried.

‘You spend your life manipulating the truth, trying to make it sound better, trying to give it a story,’ he said. ‘In this case, the story came first.’

Denis laughs when he recalls that first trip to Honduras to find the Miskito tribe that sold his wife’s grandmother the Ojon paste. With his Spanish-speaking father-in-law and brother-in-law, he embarked on a five-hour ride in a rundown single-propeller plane that landed on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. From there they hiked for two hours before chancing upon the Mopawi, a local non-profit organization dedicated to helping the Indians of the Misquitia.

Armed with vague directions, they headed out on a five-hour small hand-carved boat ride into the rainforest.

‘They told me we had to cross a lagoon and a river and that we should look for the Indians without hats,’ Simioni said. ‘We still didn’t know where we were going. There was no treasure map with an ‘X.’

Finally they came upon some children playing — children with glossy, gorgeous, hatless heads. In fact, the Miskito Indians are referred to as Tawira, or ‘the people with beautiful hair.’

The kids brought them into the village and showed them the Ojon tree, which is unique to the rainforest of the Misquitia region of Central America. They showed him how the Ojon nuts, which resemble small coconuts, are chopped out of the trees, boiled to loosen the peel and smashed in wooden bowls.

Although the Miskito Indians had been using Ojon palm nut oil for centuries to clean, condition and protect their hair, it never had been exported beyond the region.

That was about to change, but it would require significant time, effort and money on the part of Simioni to make it happen.

‘At first I thought, ‘I don’t speak their language and it takes 8,000 nuts to make 3.5 cups of pure Ojon,” he said.

He also would have to organize the tribe to make the paste and find a way to ship it from the middle of the rainforest to Italy where it could be purified.

Simioni spent the next three years developing and testing Ojon formulations while he built a relationship with the people of the Miskito tribe. In cooperation with the Mopawi, he developed a partnership with 895 Miskito families — 15,000 people. The company obtained exclusive worldwide distribution rights to the Ojon oil. In addition to getting paid for the ingredients, they also receive a portion of the profits form the sale of Ojon to help preserve their traditional lifestyle and the region’s rainforests.

‘As opposed to negotiating the price down, we negotiated up,’ he said. ‘I wanted them to trust me.’

The company limits the annual harvest in order to protect the natural resource, and to ensure that authentic Ojon continues to be harvested and extracted by hand in the traditional way as a guarantee of purity. The tribes are consulted on all aspects of the business, from product development to marketing.

Even after he set up a production facility, it took a year to go to market so they produce enough of the oil. He also partnered with a manufacturer to help them take the natural product and build a line.

‘That’s why the price is so high,’ he said. ‘It’s not that we’re trying to make more money. But the cost of the products is huge.’

They launched the treatment on QVC in December 2003. Ojon was on for six minutes at 10 p.m.

‘Not only did we sell out, but we had a waiting list of 2,500 units,’ Simioni said. ‘It exploded.’

Ojon expanded into other haircare products in March on QVC, getting an equally enthusiastic response. In December, the company launched the Hydrating Styling Cream and Volumizing Foam. The Shine Serum will be introduced this month, available only at a limited number of outlets including NaturallyCurly.com’s CurlMart.

Simioni said one thing has become clear about the market for his products.

‘Through our market research, we’ve found that the No. 1 user of Ojon are people with curly hair,’ he said. ‘Curly hair is dry hair. To maintain curl, you want to put moisture back in the hair. Ojon does that without weighing it down.’

He said the products can be used to either enhance or smooth curly hair. To straighten, he recommends mixing the Styling Cream with the Volumizing Mousse. For thicker hair, he mixes a little Styling Cream with the Serum. Some even use a small dab of the treatment can as a leave-in conditioner.

All the products contain various concentrations of pure Ojon oil. The treatment is 100 percent Ojon, while the other products contain between 15 percent and 25 percent oil.

As for the products’ unique smell, which some compare to incense, Simioni said he initially toyed with processing it in a way that would eliminate the fragrance. But he opted to leave it as it is.

‘I didn’t want to change a thing,’ he said. ‘I wanted people to experience the real thing.’

Simioni claims clinical tests prove that the products restore the hair, repairing the cuticle without weighing down the hair. Some people even say it makes their hair grow faster, he said.

Despite the long journey and the hazards he encountered along the way, Simioni says it’s all been worth it.

‘When people say it’s the best product they’ve ever used, it was worth it that I risked my life,’ he said.

Jamyla Bennu has always been a creative person, whether it be dancing, designing clothing or developing Web sites. This same creativity can be seen with Oyin Handmade, Bennu’s line of hair and body products.The line includes botanical styling products, fragrant lotion bars and shampoo bars as well as hand-mixed tinted lip balm and luscious styling products that have become a cult hit among women with curly and textured hair.

It was only natural that Bennu would get into the haircare business.

With two ‘very pro-Black hippy parents,’ Bennu said she wore her hair natural most of her life.

‘Home was the only place natural hair was affirmed,’ she says. ‘I always had a positive attitude toward natural hair. But I spent much of my life trying to figure it out.’

Bowing to peer pressure during high school, she relaxed her hair with a perm. But when she headed off to Spelman College in Atlanta, one of the nation’s top black universities, she saw natural hair all around her, from locs to afro puffs to braids.

‘I thought ‘That’s what you’re supposed to do with it,” she says ‘I was awakened to all the possibilities.’

So Bennu cut off the remainder of her perm, and started experimenting with her natural hair. She tried all kinds of hair products, carefully reading the ingredients and making natural recipes with ingredients like shea butter and honey. She shared recipes online and concocted her own, creating products for her friends and family.

‘I’ve always been a very crafty person,’ she says, adding that both her husband and she are independent artists.

Two years ago, she launched her product line on her Web site. The company gets its name from the Yoruban word for honey.

‘It’s always been my favorite word since I was a little girl,’ Bennu says. ‘At a naming ceremony in Yoruban culture, oyin represents joy and sweetness and pleasure. And with my haircare line, it has another connotation because honey is in so many products and it’s so good for the hair.’

Oyin Handmade started with four products. Today, the line includes six bath and body products and five haircare products loaded with such natural ingredients as unrefined shea butter, Vitamin E, honey, pure aloe vera juice and herbal infusions.

Her haircare offerings include Shine & Define Styling Serum, Whipped Pudding, Honey-Hemp Conditioner, Grand Poo Bar and Greg Juice. Each product is hand made from scratch in small batches to ensure freshness. NaturallyCurly.com is the first retailer to offer Oyin Handmade products. Go to CurlMart to buy a variety of Oyin Handmade products.

When F. Butler became frustrated with the lack of quality products for highly textured hair, she turned to age-old traditions from Africa, India and the Mediterranean. ‘I wanted to take advantage of the rich, cultural haircare traditions native to those regions,’ said Butler, the founder of Qhemet Biologics. ‘I wanted the products to have high therapeutic and functional value. In other words, I wanted them to work as intended.’

The result of her efforts is a line of five products rich in high-quality natural ingredients.

Her first product was the Olive & Honey Intense Hydration Balm, which she created to provide lasting hydration to thick, coarse or dense hair. The balm contains virgin sesame oil and pure olive oil, which was referred to as ‘liquid gold’ in ancient Egypt because of its high levels of oleic acids and antioxidants.

‘I felt that a product with natural emollients and moisturizers would provide nourishment, impart sheen and shine and keep the hair touchably soft, no matter the environmental conditions,’ she said.

After developing that product, which turned her into a lay cosmetic chemist, she decided to create an entire line of products. Some were intended as natural alternatives to existing products and others were designed to address needs she didn’t think were bering met. She wanted to avoid the petrochemicals, animal fats, proteins and irritants found in many of the products aimed at the ethnic market.

The line includes the Amla Oil Nourishing Pomade, Olive Cream Conditioning Instant Detangler, Honeybrush Hair Tea Soft Hold Gel and Herbal Henna Botanical Softening Oil.

With each product, special attention was paid to each ingredient. For example, the pomade includes Amla oil and virgin sesame oil because of their Ayurvedic tradition. The formula is traditionally prescribed to encourage hair growth, prevent dandruff, maintain hair pigment and soften hair. She said it’s gentle enough to use for babies and children.

The Herbal Henna Botanical Softening Oil was the result of her efforts to create a light conditioning oil for finer, thinner-textured hair. The product contains beneficial plants such as neutral henna, alfalfa, aloe vera, hops, horsetail and kelp extracts, which have long traditions of use in regional, native haircare.

Textured hair that is rich in sulfur tends to be soft and supple. While still kinky, coily and curly, it is softer and less brittle. But chemical use and harsh stripping agents can interfere with the normal production and uptake of sulfur by cysteine and methionine, two of the amino acids responsible for the strength and texture of hair.

‘This is an issue that my products address,’ Butler said. ‘The inclusion of natural actives like organic sulfur, concentrated seaweed extracts, herbal blends and nourishing emollients are key to the prevention structural anomalies, repairing scalp and follicular damage, restoring the natural water and lipid balance and encouraging and retaining growth.’

She said all Qhemet Biologics products work synergistically to counter the ravages of physical and chemical abuse. Hair is returned to its original, natural condition — is soft, supple and resilient.

‘My company’s approach is four-fold yet simple: nurture, soften, protect and replenish through quality, plant based products,’ Butler said. ‘All Qhemet Biologics products work synergistically to counter the damage left by chemical relaxers, severe styling methods and harsh additives.’

On any given day, Jessica Martinez may have long braids, wild waves or a hot pink bob.

That’s one of the benefits of being the company trainer at Wigs.com. Her clothes are on one side of her closet, while her 30 hairpieces — from hair wraps to a fall, and everything in between — are on the other.

“I’m like a kid in a candy store,” said Martinez. Martinez, whose natural curls fall to her shoulders, knows first hand how hair pieces, extensions and wigs can be used to instantly give curlyheads a different look. Whether you desire straight hair, highlights or a long curly ponytail, there’s a product for you.

‘Wigs are becoming more and more popular as a fashion accessory,’ Martinez said. ‘People aren’t wearing them out of necessity. They’re wearing them for fun.’ ‘A lot of women don’t know how easy it is,’ she said. ‘If I had them for five minutes, they’d be sold. If you have enough hair to bring to a point at the top of your head, you have enough hair for a hairpiece.’

Diva in a Box Jessica Siimpson wearing wavy HairDo extensions. Look of Love Clip-in Curly Extensions

Hairpieces once were considered something only for old ladies or people with medical conditions. But with new technology and a wide variety of options, they have gone mainstream.

“What’s old is new again,” said Karen Barrett, manager of Wigs Unlimited in Beaverton, Oregon, which has been selling wigs since the 1970s. “Things have come full circle in this business.”

Barrett said the customers she sees now are much younger. They buy up the clip-on ponytails and extensions.

“Let’s face it. If you want want fun, long hair to go out clubbing, you can’t grow it in a week,” she said.

There’s a wig or hairpiece for every need and every budget. A hair wrap — hair on a ponytail holder — can run $20, while a fall of human hair can cost upward of $250. They are available in a wide variety of colors and textures — from kinky to bone straight, from platinum blonde to midnight black.

Curlyheads can especially benefit from these products because they instantly create a different look they want without the damage often associated with chemical straightening. And often, the chemical process may not provide the desired results or flexibility.

“These provide a way to have the straight hair you want very easily without damaging your hair and you have the flexibility of having it curly if you want it curly,’ Martinez said.

For some, a hair wrap may be the answer. The added hair can provide length and fullness quickly and easily. The claw clips and drawstring attachments also are easy to use.The claw clips — available in short, medium and long lengths — can be attached to hair that has been gelled back and twisted up.

“It takes five mintues to do it, and you’ve got a totally different look,’ Barrett said. ‘You don’t have to straighten your hair at all.’

Three-quarter inch caps and falls are wigs that cover almost the complete head for a completely different look — from a smooth, classic bob to waist-length ringlets. Then there are clip-in extensions — sections of hair that can be added to add thickness, change the texture of the hair, change the color, add highlights or add length. In many cases they are human hair and can be dyed to match a person’s hair. They also can be curled, flatironed, permed, blowdried, shampooed and colored like natural hair.

Unlike semi-permanent extensions, which are attached to the hair professionally and stay in for roughly three months, the clip-in extensions can be removed instantaneously.

“What makes them really versatile is you just clip them in yourself and you can change your style literally everyday by ordering different colors, textures and different lengths,” said Bevla Reeves, owner of Hair Conspiracy, which does made-to-order clip-in extensions. “You’re not stuck with them. You can take them out every night.”

In addition to a wide variety of straight extensions, Reeves offers a full combo extension package with curly hair with enough hair to cover the entire head. It is available in wavy, tight or loose curls and sells for $250. It consists of seven pieces, ranging from 7-inches wide to 12-inches wide, with filler pieces for the front of the hair.
‘I even have clients with straight hair who order curly extensions because they want curls so badly,’ Reeves said.

Hair extensions are popular with all ages and ethnicities, said Michelle Allen, who sells extensions to customers from Scandinavia to Latin America through her company Nature Girl.

“All ethnic groups are wearing them now,” said Allen, who sells premium quality virgin hair that is customized for each client.
Christo of Christo Fifth Avenue this summer launched a line of color extensions for curly hair to add highlights without the damage that color and bleach can cause. They last two to four months and enable people to get colors different than what they could get with their own hair.
“Everytime you want to change your color or look, there is a risk of damage,” Christo said. “With highlight extensions, there’s no risk at all.”
And if they don’t like the blond streaks or the red highlights, they can take them out.
“Instead of using color with a brush, we put colored hair into their hair,” Christo explained.
Clients come in for a consultation to match the texture of the hair. It takes about a week to get the extensions from a company in California that customize the 100 percent natural hair to each individual.

“I don’t want people to know it’s an extension,” Christo said. ‘I want them to think it’s their natural hair. It makes the client happy and it makes us happy.’

The extensions are connected at the roots. The highlights can be combed and blowdried, as long as the client stays away from their roots. All clients are given a lesson in how to work for their new extensions and how to care for them.

‘It’s not about creating length,’ Christo stressed. ‘It’s about creating a fashion look for our clients without the damage. It’s an opportunity to give the curly world more options.’

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Styling tips for wigs and hair pieces from Jessica Martinez
Don’t try to get every hair in place. This can end up making the finest wig look ‘wiggy.’If the style you’ve chosen offers flexibility, don’t be afraid to try different looks using a good styling comb.If you have a round or square shaped face, try to add height at the top while keeping the sides closer to your head.If you have a longer face, try to minimize the height at the top and fluff up the sides.

Tackling the tangled tresses of her six-year-old daughter’s curly locks have always been a challenge for New Yorker Judy Antell.

“Our problem was finding a conditioner, and you need something gentle for kids,” Antell says. “There are plenty of kids products, but not for curly kids.”

There is now. Christo, founder and creator of Curlisto Systems and creative director of Christo Fifth Avenue Salon in New York City, has launched a Curlisto Kids line of hair products consisting of a shampoo, detangle/rinse, leave-in conditioner and a spray mousse. He invited dozens of curly-haired kids and their parents to Dylan’s Candy Bar store in New York City for the Curlisto Kids launch party on June 21.

“My clients who come into the salon often tell me of their frustrations when it comes to washing and styling their kids’ curly hair,” Christo says. “I created a special formula for children that incorporates natural ingredients that make curly hair healthy, soft and more manageable yet don’t aggravate delicate skin and eyes.”

Antell tried the products on her daughter Nora, who quickly approved. “I used to hate my hair because I couldn’t really do anything with it, but now I can,” says 6-year-old Nora, who joined in the launch-party festivities. Each child at the party also received a Camp Survival Kit, complete with samples of the new Curlisto Kids products and a few sweet treats tucked in from Dylan’s Candy Bar. Magicians, music and candy-making activities kept the kids entertained, while their curly-haired parents indulged in wine and refreshments as they perused the new product line.

Curlisto Kids Tearless Shampoo (8 ounces, $12″> contains botanical extracts such as aloe, angelica chamomile, comfrey and cornflower. It’s complemented by Curlisto Kids Detangle Rinse (8 ounces, $12″>, which contains vitamins A and E, and is ideal for normal to dry or fine curly hair. Curlisto Kids Leave-In Conditioner, which is protein-based, fights frizz and flyaways (8-ounce, $15″>. The Curlisto Kids Spray Mousse is an alcohol-free product that contains aloe and wheat proteins (8 ounces, $18″>. The spray mousse is designed as a lighter alternative to the adult gels that kids like 8-year-old Zachary Mellado says he once used because he really had no other choice.

“Gel is too heavy in my hair and it makes it go down,” says Zachary Mellado, whose wavy locks used to get in the way of play. “At school, when I play outside, my hair gets sticky and sticks to my head because I’m sweating. The old gels give off a bad smell too. But Curlisto Kids smells good and it’s a spray-in mousse so it doesn’t get sticky. It makes it easier to comb.”

For parents who want to test the products on their kids, there is a Curlisto Kids starter kit, which features smaller, 4-ounce bottles of all four products for $37. Curlisto Kids and other Curlisto brand products are available at Christo Fifth Avenue Salon located at 574 Fifth Ave. in New York, NY. Products can also be purchased online at CurlMart.

Curl stylist Christo says he hears the question all the time from his over-40 clients.

“They ask ‘Christo, should I cut it short or keep it long?’ ” says Christo of Christo Fifth Avenue. “They feel like they’ll look silly if they keep their hair long. I feel like it’s an old cliché that’s totally wrong.”

In fact, Christo, like many stylists, believe there should be no rules when it comes to hair length and age. What is important, they say, is to find a cut and color that flatter the face shape — whether it be a short silver pixie or caramel ringlets that cascade down the back.

“That’s a big advantage of curly hair,” Christo says. “If they look bad with long hair as they’re aging, maybe we’ll suggest they go shorter. But if they look sexier and younger with longer hair, we’ll keep it long. You can choose to go short when you want to go short — not just because you turn 40.”

Ouidad says she has older clients who run major corporations who wear their hair long and curly, while many younger curlies might prefer short curly hair.

“I don’t believe in age and length,” says curl stylist Ouidad. “We need to shake it out of our heads.”

“It’s about who you are and what you are and what works for you,” Ouidad says.

Hair does tend to change as people age. It may become thinner and the curl pattern may become different. Gray hair can have a wiry texture and can be more porous.

As women and men get older, their hair can become dryer, especially if they’re coloring their hair more often. That is why it’s more important than ever to condition the hair.

Deep conditioning every week or two is highly recommended, and the hair should be cleansed only every three to four days. Leave-in conditioners also are recommended rather than holding gels, which can be more drying.

Stylist Diane Da Costa, who recently wrote ‘Textured Tresses: The Ultimate Guide to Maintaining and Styling Natural Hair,” says a lot of women over 40 have been relaxing their hair for so long that they’re now looking for a more natural, textured look.

“Their confusion is how to achieve it, grow it out and still maintain their look,” Da Costa says.

She recommends starting the process by texturizing the hair to soften the curl pattern. That can provide versatility and help with the transition from straight to natural.

For older women who work, Da Costa likes to keep the hair long enough so they can pull it back if needed. She likes chin-length and shoulder-length styles because they provide that kind of versatily.

Lorraine Massey of Devachan calls her mature curlies her “silver sirens.” Like other stylists, she doesn’t hold to any rules when it comes to curl length. But if it is longer, she believes it should have a fun shape.

Christo likes to cut longer layers — with face framing angles — while keeping the length.

“By strategically cutting the hair to contour around the face, giving good movement, it allows you to look sexy with it long,” Christo says.

Color — whether to do it and what shade to choose if you do — can be an important decision for older curlies.

“As you become more salt and pepper, you can evaluate where you go with that,” says Rodney Cutler of Cutler/Redken Salon. “There’s no critical rule.”

For some women, silver hair can look fantastic with their skin tone. For others, especially those with darker hair, it can make them look older than they truly are. Sometimes coloring it their natural hair color may make them look ashy.

To prevent a harsh look, Christo uses a technique called Smart Lights, where he takes individual strands of highlights and lowlights. He says it creates a natural look without a demarcation of color.

“The curl looks more defined and has more shine,” he says. “The overall look is warmer.”

Massey uses a technique called “pintura,” where she paints the hair curl by curl with warmer shades like toffee and auburn. Often she might use four or five different colors to achieve a natural look.

“If it’s all one color, it’s a block not a shape,” she says. “By highlighting them, we’re individualizing the curls.”

And the color will need to be re-evaluated on a regular basis.

“Often, what worked 10 years ago isn’t working for them anymore,” Cutler says. “It may be that they’re getting more gray. That’s something people don’t think about because they never allow their natural hair to come in to see whether they’re now 70 percent gray rather than 20 percent gray.”

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Christo’s client Anne is in her mid 40s. He keep her curls long, and color plays a big role for her style. The hair is cut in irregular layers to avoid a pyramid look and is contoured according to her face structure so it can give her a lift. A one-length haircut would not work for her because it would pull down her face, aging her. Her color is a combination of earthy tones and sun-kissed highlights that sparkles her face. ‘I call it Chromavision,’ says Christo. ‘The key for being able to wear long hair and still look good is the right combination of cut and color. It is best to always consult with your hair designer and the color director of the salon prior to your appointment.’

Your curls look less curly, the shine less shiny, the bounce less bouncy. Your Holy Grail products stop working. Dandruff-like particles appear on your hair and scalp.

You’re probably a victim of buildup — a common affliction for product-junkie curlyheads who may use cocktails of three or four products at a time to define curls, combat frizz and soften dry hair.

“Buildup suffocates and dehydrates the hair,” says Ouidad, the Queen of Curl.

Sometimes the products that feel the best on the hair may be the worst buildup culprits, says stylist Jonathan Torch, creator of the Curly Hair Solutions line of products.

“You have to understand the difference between feel good and do good,” he says.

Some heavy silicones may initially make the hair shiny and soft. But they could coat the hair, preventing products from penetrating the hair. The hair may get dryer and duller.

“When you get product buildup, you can’t get the ingredients that work into the hair,” Torch says. “Products just sit on the surface. You can have the best moisturizers in the world and they won’t make any difference.

The best solution for buildup is to prevent it in the first place.

“Less is more,” Ouidad says. “Try not to get to the point where you need to use anything to get rid of buildup.”

That means avoiding products with high resin contents, heavy oils and non-water soluble silicones, opting instead for water soluble ingredients, proteins, amino acids, essential oils and moisturizers.

“(Heavy waxes, silicones and oils”> are quick fixes,” says Christo of Christo Fifth Avenue, who created the Curlisto line of products. “My best advice is to study it before you buy it to see if it will work for your hair’s texture. Sometimes less is more. Sometimes more is less.”

Strong hairsprays also can cause buildup, especially when people spray them too close to their head.

“People tend to blast the roots to get more hold,” says Rodney Cutler of NYC’s Cutler Salon-Redken. “It just weighs the hair down.”

The distribution of a product also is important. Many people may just put a blob of gel in their hair without spreading it out. The result can be flakiness on top of the hair. Cutler suggests applying the product first underneath and then using a large-tooth comb to distribute it evenly.

What to do if you already have buildup?

Deep cleanse the hair once a week with a shampoo specially designed for that purpose. Or do more frequent washings.

“Often people don’t shampoo their hair enough,” Christo says. Those who swim or exercise often should use a clarifying shampoo at least once a week.

But don’t overdo it with the clarifying shampoos because they can strip the hair.

Stylist Philip Pelusi, who created the Phyto-Life line of products, suggests sudsing with a clarifying shampoo and following that with a more moisturizing shampoo.

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Tips for preventing buildup

• Always apply product at hair ends and work up to the root. This will help to make sure that your scalp does not get coated with product. The scalp will create oils to lift product away.
• Spray hairsprays at least 12 inches away from the scalp.
• Style with a gel, mousse or cream. Hairsprays should always be the last step. Keep your hands out of your hair after using a spray.
• Use less product. If you properly emulsify a product in your palms before you apply it to your hair, you will use less product and get more even distribution.
• Look for products that offer both conditioning and hold. Many offer both conditioning and styling. You will not need to use as many products and will save time and money.
• Beware of conditioners with wax as the main ingredient. The hair will look beautiful at first, but eventually a dull coating will build up. If you doubt this, run the blade of a pair of scissors over fresh-washed and conditioned hair. If you get a film on your blade then your conditioner contains too much wax.
• Use a product that controls humidity. This will help you resist the temptation to reapply hairspray throughout the day to “fix” your hair.
• Be sure to rinse shampoos and conditioners out of your hair. The biggest cause of buildup is failure to properly rinse out their hair. If you wash your hair in the sink, make sure that you rinse the product out of the ends. Long hair resting at the bottom of the basin may never get thoroughly rinsed.

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Suggested products for removing buildup

• Philip Pelusi Phyto-Life Exfoliate and Refresh HAir
• Biosilk Shampoo Out and PreTreat (salon treatment”>
• Redken Cleansing Shampoo
• Curlisto Aquilizer
• Ouidad Water Works
• Biolage Normalizing Shampoo
• Elucence Volume Clarifying Shampoo
• Matrix Essentials Alternative Action Clarifying Shampoo
• Nucleic A Botanicals Daily Gentle Cleanse Shampoo
• Joico Resolve Chelating/Clarifying Shampoo and Phine Chelating Treatment
• KMS Daily Fixx Clarifying Shampoo and Turnstylr Cleansing Spray
• Pantene Purity Clarifying Shampoo
• Herbal Essences Fruit Fusions Purifying Shampoo
• Suave Daily Clarifying Shampoo

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Christo’s Exfoliating Treatment

• Black Karrad grapes
• Kiwi
• Strawberries
• Egg shell

Combine ingredients and then mix three teaspoons of the mixture with your daily conditioner or rinse. Comb it through the hair with a wide-tooth comb continuously for 10 minutes. The seeds from the grapes, strawberry and kiwi along with the eggshell act as an exfoliant. Do the treatment once a month.

NaturallyCurly is celebrating its 15th Anniversary this year. To show you how far we’ve come, we’re highlighting a few of your favorite articles from the NaturallyCurly archives!

Toronto stylist Jonathan Torch, founder of the Curly Hair Solutions line of products, says he never thought he’d become an expert on cutting curly hair. But he had one curly-headed customer with bulky, unmanageable hair and he made it his mission to find a cut that could help her get the haircut she desired.

What Torch discovered was that he didn’t need to cut every strand of hair. He needed to cut the pieces that could reduce the bulk, but cut them in a way that was invisible to the eye. And he needed to be able to cut these same pieces every time she came in

“You have to look at each curl as an individual,” Torch says. “I worked on a system I could customize for each person.”

So Torch began to study curly hair. He studied the way it looked wet and dry; he worked with tight curls and loose waves. He learned about shrinkage and frizz and curl formation. He learned how to create different layers of ringlets. He learned to play with the hair to see what it wanted to do. And he learned to throw some old ideas out the window — ideas that were the holy grail for cutting straight hair.

“You can’t cut curly hair accurately,” Torch says. “Learning to break the rules and to cut hair unevenly is foreign to hairdressers. You have to change your whole thought process.”

It has happened to all of us curlyheads at least once. We encounter a stylist who swears she can cut curly hair, only to have our hair end up too short, too uneven, too puffy or just altogether an unmanageable mess.

In too many cases, the problem stems from bad training or a lack of training altogether. Most beauty schools don’t have the time to teach stylists how to work with curly hair. So many stylists attempt to cut curls just as they would straight hair or wavy hair. And they learn the hard way that it just doesn’t work.

“Schools don’t teach how to cut curly hair,” says Ouidad, the “Queen of Curl,” who developed a carve-and-slice technique to cut curly hair.

But a growing number of stylists have developed their own techniques for cutting curls — techniques learned through years of studying and working with hundreds of curlyheads. What they have found is that to cut curly hair well is as much an art as it is a science.

“There’s a period of illumination that happens when people realize they can cut curly hair,” says Chris Baran, global artistic director for design at Redken International. “They discover the beauty that goes on with it.”

Baran says the key to cutting curls is to think of the head of hair as positive and negative space. With positive, you can’t see through it. With negative, you can.

“That’s what gives the hair the degree of sensuality — that edge that people with straight hair don’t have,” Baran he says. “The trick is figuring out how to cut it to put it in.”

Austin stylist David Moreno, who has developed a large and loyal following of curlyheaded clients, says he likes to cut curly hair dry because wet hair can be deceiving. As he cuts, he creates an imaginary shape, cutting the hair outside of that shape, creating invisible layers. He likes to cut the hair on an angle to encourage the curl to wrap around itself. He’s a firm believer that every hair doesn’t need to be cut every time — a philosophy he calls his “Bonsai Theory.”

“What we’re trying to do is get texture,” Moreno says.

Stylists well versed in ringlets have learned about shrinkage and have developed their own techniques to adjust for it.

John Blaine, a stylist at Yutaka Salon in West Hollywood, says likes to start cutting with the hair wet, but finishes with it dry. He only cuts half as much as he would with straight hair.

“You can really see how much shrinkage there is with the hair,” he says.

Some techniques absolutely don’t work with curls. Layers may turn into ledges. A texturizing razor may create a dreadful headful of frizz if used on tight curls. Without the right shape, a head of curls can look like a pyramid.

“You can’t cut curly hair blunt,” Ouidad says. “You have to cut it in angles.”

Not every stylist is well suited to cutting curls, Torch says.

“They become frustrated by tangles, by the dryness, by the unpredictability,” he says. “With straight hair, they can get that one bang to fall into that same position every single day. But that curly hair may never go into that position again. For people with curly hair, control is never going to happen.”

“I can’t train a stylist until they develop a passion for curly hair,” Torch says.

Younger hairdressers, he says, seem more eager and less fearful of working with curls. They have also grown up at a time when curls are more prevalent in Hollywood and on the fashion runways. They see them as something to play up rather than something to fight, he says.

“The next generation of hairdressers may not be afraid of curly hair,” he says.

Kelli McClain, a stylist with INNU in Austin, has developed just such a passion for curly hair.

“In school we learned the bare minimum,” McClain says. “The mannequins in school all have straight hair.”

So the curlyhead has taught herself how to work with curls.

“It’s like sculpting — like trimming shrubbery,” McClain says. “You have to cut it and see where it falls. You have to cut the right hairs and look at it from all different angles.”

Even those considered the best at cutting curls say they are continually learning new things.

“The past 10 years, I’ve learned how to control the bulk and create a perfect canvas,” Torch says. “The next few years, I want to start playing around with design to come up with fresh styles for curly hair.”

Jane Carter didn’t intend to develop a line of natural haircare products for curly hair.

But when the New Jersey hairdresser developed severe asthma in response to the chemicals she was using, her doctor told her she’d had to get out of the business — a business that was grossing $1 million a year. Instead, she decided to learn about what went into haircare products.

‘That was the beginning,’ Carter said.. ‘I went to a bunch of beauty supply stores and sat down and ready every label on thousands of products. And every label had the exact same ingredients. I was intrigued by the whole thing.’

So a decade ago, she cleared the products out of her salon and started from scratch. She wanted to get away from the heavy, greasy products that were so common in lines for ethnic hair.

The first product she developed was the Hair Nourishing Serum — a totally natural blend of essential oils and vtiamins that can be used on all kinds of hair. Her goal was to create something that was nourishing, without the greasy feel.

‘For a lot of women of color or with curly hair, they’ve never found something that works that’s not greasy,’ she said.

That one product has grown into a line of a nearly a dozen products collectively called The Jane Carter Solution: the Hair Nourishing Serum, Scalp Nourishing Serum, Nourish and Shine, Scalp Renew, Revitalizing Leave-In Conditioner, Nutrient Replenishing Conditioner, Wrap and Roll, Condition & Sculpt, Twist and Lock, Natural Hold Spray Gel and Moisture Nourishing Shampoo. The products range in price from $7 to $20.

The Jane Carter Solution specifically designed is for dry hair, curly hair, relaxed hair, permed hair, or color-treated hair.

She said too many of the people who develop haircare products don’t understand how they’re used. She cited a chemist friend who has developed 40 percent of the best-known ethnic products but had never gone into a salon.

‘I was dumbfounded,’ Carter said.

Carter has owned her salon for 20 years and understands the needs of women with curly hair. For example, she said a lot of women with curls and kinks are afraid to wet their hair. But a lot of women who twist and lock their hair develop dry, flaky scalp because they never shampoo. So she developed Scalp Renew as a pre-shampoo treatment to cleanse the follice, getting rid of sludge and toxins.

‘ I really didn’t plan on it,’ Carter said of her product line. ‘But once you use one product that really works, you start coming up with others. I looked at what was missing from the market and create it. I really evolved.’

Carter said she uses pure essential oils such as Citrius — a great anti-fungal, anti-bacterial. Her products also are loaded with such ingredients as shea butter and illippe butter — really moisturizing.

Like some others, Carter is not a big fan of silicones, glycerin or petroleum, which she said have huge molecules that can’t penetrate the hairshaft.

‘We don’t use any of it,’ she said.

The products have gained loyal customers around the world — from Mozambique to India. And the thing that has amazed her is how much these customers have in common.

‘They all have the same questions: ‘How do I deal with my hair? How do I prevent my hair from being dry?” she said. ‘It’s the same dialogue.’

Carter admits she didn’t always feel so good about her own curly hair and relaxed it for years.

‘Then I eventually just said ‘forget it’,’ Carter said.

Carter believes too many stylists are unable to deal with different hair textures. Carter, on the other hand, found it easy.

‘I had had bad experiences and I had a family full of people who had had bad experiences,’ she said. ‘I started fixing really bad haircuts when I was 15.’

She said too many stylists think of hair as hair, lumping all people into one category. But Carter said that we have an increasingly multicultural society.

‘We should be able to work with anybody that comes through the door,’ she said. ‘That’s my orientation.’

The products are available at CurlMart.

When haircare company Bumble and bumble launched its Curl Conscious line of products last fall, it wanted to do more than sell shampoos, conditioners and styling products. ‘It was about shifting the culture,’ said Dan Langer, director of marketing for Bumble and bumble. ‘Instead of clients coming in and asking for blowouts, we wanted them to know that curly hair is sexy and fun and beautiful. It’s something to be embraced, to be relished.’

To help accomplish this, the New York-based company asked its 2,000 network salons to participate in its Curl Culture campaign to come up with unique ways to spread the gospel of curl pride.

To motivate them, the company held a contest. The salon that came up with the most creative campaign would win a day of training with Bumble and bumble’s top educator — ‘our rock star teacher’ — Howard McLaren, vice president of technical development. It’s a prize worth $50,000.

During the five months of the contest, which ended in mid-January, the majority of salons did something to support the line, whether it be wearing their hair curly, wearing Curl Conscious T-shirts and buttons or displaying collages and look books of curly hair.

But for many salons, that was just the beginning. One salon had a special book where customers with curly hair could leave their thoughts about curly hair. Another hosted a poetry slam about curly hair. A California salon launched Curlculture.com, a Web site devoted to curly hair and the Bumble and bumble Curl Conscious line.

Many salons hosted special curl education events for clients. Some shot their own videos or burned CDs to give out to clients. Some salons went on their local news stations to do segments focused on curly hair.

Detour and 2nd Street Salons in Encinitas, Calif., for example, participated in a street fair where they picketed straight hair, created a documentary called ‘Give Curl a Chance,’ and even had media at several of their events. Industry, a salon in Syracuse, New York, submitted photos of their fabulous merchandising of Curl Conscious and included chalk drawings on the walls of the salon to promote curly hair and a curlier culture. Goldwaves Salon in Fort Worth, Texas held a Kick-Off Party, complete with a curly menu of curly pasta, spiral cut veggies, a chocolate roll cake, and spiral cut sugar cookies. They even had ‘curly trash’ where clients came in with their old curl products and tossed them in the trash!

‘There were a lot of interesting and innovative ideas,’ Langer said.

The winner of the contest will be disclosed this month (March”>.

The biggest reward hasn’t just been product sales, which have been strong. It’s seeing more people putting away their blowdryers and flatirons, letting their curls do their thing. Company spokeswoman Julia Sloan said she’s one such person. In the past, she never wore her hair curly. Now, she said, she wears it curly most of the time.

‘I love it,’ Sloan said.

Although the official contest has ended, Langer stressed that the company’s efforts to promote curly hair have not.

‘It’s not something we’re stopping,’ he said, ‘It’s something which we will continue to focus on in images and ongoing campaigns, regardless of this product.’