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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.

Tonja Chagaris always specialized in cutting curly hair. But the Arizona stylist saw a real void in her market for a salon that specialized in working with all types of curly hair.

“With all the different cultures here, there was no place to go if you had curly hair,” says Chagaris, who three months ago opened Spirals Salon in Tucson, a salon dedicated to curly hair. “Having naturally curly hair myself, I know it’s so hard to find someone who understands it — how to touch it, how to style it, how to cut it. It is very much an untapped market.”

Thanks to stylists like Chagaris, it has become a growing market.

“The vast majority of the population doesn’t have straight hair,” says Titi of Curve Salon in Brooklyn, which specializes in curly hair. “I don’t know how we’ve gotten along this long without more people specializing in curly hair.”

Although New York has several salons focusing on curly hair, curlyheaded men and women in other parts of the country often found it more difficult to find a stylist versed in the ways of ringlets and coils. But that is changing, with salons popping up around the country that have made curly hair their priority.

In some cases, it may be one stylist within a salon who specializes in curly hair. In others, the salon may choose to be trained and certified by well-known curl experts like Ouidad, Lorraine Massey or Christo, and to carry their product lines. And in some cases, stylists are opening their own curl-centric salons, using their own experience and techniques and carrying a range of curly hair products.

These include salons like Spirals in Arizona, Batia & Aleeza in Beverly Hills, Calif. and Curl Jam in Bethesda, Md. Jonathan Torch is in the process of opening his Curly Hair Institute in Toronto. While his other salon cuts hair of all types, the Institute will concentrate on curly hair.

“With this new salon, I’m putting my name on the door and saying “This is who I am.” says Torch, creator of Curly Hair Solutions. ‘I’m a curly hair hairdresser and I’m going for it.”

Californian Barbra Taber, who has gained a reputation as a curl guru, plans to open a salon called Ringlets in the Los Angeles area. As it is, she says, 90 percent of her clients have curly hair, some coming from far away as Chicago and New York to get one of her haircuts.

“I’ve always done curly hair,” says curly-headed Taber, who currently works at salons in Beverly Hills and Woodland Hills.

Diane Wirono, who has naturally curly hair herself, opened Curl Jam seven years ago with another stylist.

“We both have curly hair, and have both been through every trial and tribulation of working with and against our hair,” she says. “Curly hair motivated us to open our shop.”

Christo of Christo Fifth Avenue in New York said he is getting a growing number of requests for training and his Curlisto product line from salons around the country interested in growing their curly clientele.

“The reason all these salons are specializing in curly hair is because of demand from their clients,” Christo said. “In the past, people were paranoid to wear their hair curly because they thought it was out of fashion or unprofessional.”

But these days, with more curls in magazines and the movies, curls have gained popularity. People want to work with their natural texture.

“Over the past five to 10 years, there’s been a movement toward texture,” Titi says. “People are letting their hair do what it wants to do. Before it was all about getting your hair to look stick straight. Now, it’s all about encouraging the curl.”

Salon owners also can see the success that curly salons have had in New York, and the popularity of curly product lines. And with a large population of people with curly or wavy hair — people willing to spend money to make their hair look its best — many see huge market potential.

“I think that more people have a minimum of natural wave, if not curls,” says Wirona, who believes her shop’s name and expertise with curls set it apart from other salons in the Bethesda area.

Jacqueline Early of J. Earleys Salon on Beacon Street in Boston got training from Ouidad and Christo, and says 50 percent of her clients have curly hair.

“I am so grateful I’ve had the opportunity to look at another dimension of hair,” she says. “It’s definitely been worth it to invest in a specialty area.”

Early believes curlyheaded clients are very loyal clients when they’re happy with a hairdresser. Her clients come from all around New England and the New York area.

Taber, and others who specialize in curly hair, say people with curly hair have different needs than their straight-haired counterparts.

“Cutting curly hair is a different animal than cutting straight hair,” says Titi.

Titi, who is half Black and half Japanese, decided to open the salon in 1997 with her sister, Miko, because of their own traumatic experiences with their curly, kinky hair.

“Going to a Japanese salon was not an option,” Titi says. “And Black salons wanted to weigh it down with grease. There were no choices. Most people with curly hair just got what they could get. They’d throw a dart and hope for the best. It was always an ordeal.”

She considers Curve to be a place where people can talk to people who truly understand their hair and can help provide solutions to help it look its best and offer options.

In many cases, curly clients may be leery of hairdressers. In many cases, they may have shunned salons altogether because of bad experiences.

“They’re paranoid and nervous,” Taber says. “Most of them are scared to death.”

In many cases, they have been fighting their hair most of their life and may need to be educated in how to wear it curly. Taber recalled getting a call form a 75-year-old woman who had worn her hair in a bun most of her life. She was able to give her a curly style that worked with her hair’s texture.

“When I do consultations with clients who are wavy or curly, they often don’t know how to work with it,” Wirona says. “They are under the misconception that if they let it dry naturally and it doesn’t look good, they should blow it out. But fighting natural texture goes so much against nature.”

And these salons and stylists are in it for the long term, says Diane Bailey of Tendrils Salon, a natural hair salon in Brooklyn. Bailey says people initially thought she was crazy when she decided not to use chemicals any longer in her salon since most black women wanted to straighten their hair. But as more people became aware of the options, she says her business has continued to grow.

“This isn’t a trend,” Bailey says. “Trends come and go. This is a life choice — an option people are choosing.”

Christo believes this proliferation of curly stylists and salons is good for everyone.

“These salons help maintain the trends of curly hair,” he says. “They help people accept their hair.”

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.’

In January, it is customary to make resolutions for the coming year — lose weight, be nicer to people, stop smoking, etc. At NaturallyCurly.com, we decided to gather curly resolutions from the some of the nation’s top curl experts. And as for our own resolutions, Gretchen and I are working hard to continue to make this the best place for curlies of all ages, hair types, sexes and ethnities. We want to offer the best advice, a growing assortment of quality curly products, lots of fun giveaways and other exciting enhancements to the site. But as we grow, we don’t want to lose the incredible sense of community that makes NaturallyCurly.com so unique and special. So let’s toast to an incredible 2005, full of unlimited possibilities for us all. From our other experts: Jason Yates, Farouk Systems, creative director of Farouk Systems: ‘Do make sure you are using the very latest in technology. New for March 2005, we’ll be offering CHI Quick-Smooth, a one-hour salon service that will permanently smooth down hair.

Christo of Christo Fifth Avenue and the Curlisto line of products:Your hair is serious business. Take charge of it this year. Take good care of your hair. Most of all, wear it anyway you prefer to maximize the potential and get the best possible hair for you.

Amie Zimmerman, NaturallyCurly.com Curl Master from Dirty Little Secret in Portland, Ore:Don’t be afraid to try a fun, curly style — a straw set, a pipe set, a roller set, something different. Break the routine!

Jessica McGuinty of Jessicurl: Get regular trims! It seems like so many problems could be fixed by just getting a trim.

Dana Kaplan, NaturallyCurly.com Curl Master from M Salon in Cambridge, Mass.:’After the new year, go for a new color, a new cut and a new you.’

Rodney Cutler, Cutler Salon: Moisture, moisture, moisture — is absolutely the most important thing to do. And products have become even more important than a good haircut or a good color with curly hair. And throw away your brushes.

Frederic Fekkai, stylist and the creator of the popular haircare line: Treat hair weekly using a deep conditioning hair mask.(Try one formulated with shea butter like Frederic Fekkai Shea Butter Hair Mask.”> Also use products that fight frizz like Frederic Fekkai Smooth Hair hydrating cream. Never brush curly hair when it is dry. This distributes air through strands, which creates more frizz.

Lorraine Massey of ‘Curly Girl’ and Devacurl fame: ‘A new YOU resolution has got to be completely eliminating sodiums, sulfates, and plastic resin from your gorgeous organic crop. It is truly the only way to preserve curls (or any hair for that matter — and color too”>.’

Ouidad, the Queen of Curl: Be nice to your curls by feeding them; do a deep treatment every two weeks.

Diane Da Costa: Do remember to moisturize your ends with a light pomade or gloss.

“I have naturally curly hair, and when I arrived at kindergarten my hair was short, with curls. All of the other curls had long, pretty, straight hair. So I decided to grow my hair out so I’d fit in. Three years later, I’d actually managed to grow it long. But then that year everyone cut their hair short. Even trying to be in, I was out, so I never tried again. It’s been long ever since.”

—Broadway actress Emmy Rossum

December 2004 In Style

Every year when the mercury plummets, stylist Jonathan Torch starts getting the calls from unhappy clients.

Almost overnight, their curls become droopy and dry, flat and flyaway. Holy grail products and tried-and-true styling techniques stop working as well.
‘When it turns cold, it’s like a switch turns on,’ says Torch of Toronto, Canada-based Curly Hair Solutions. ‘Everyone says ‘I can’t do anything with my hair.’ Their routine changes overnight.’

Curlies spend most of the summer griping about heat and humidity. But whether they know it or not, they actually rely on that moisture for body and bounce.

To counteract the climate changes, stylists recommend extra conditioning, using less product and tweaking the cut to bring life back to limp ringlets.’I always like to change my clients’ color, cuts and products with the seasons,’ says Jason Yates, creative director of Houston-based Farouk Systems, manufacturer of the Biosilk line as well as CHI heat-styling products.’Their hair texture changes, their skin tone changes and their mood changes. As a hairdresser, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity if you don’t respond to that.’

Christo says his clients seem to know that they have to condition in the summer months, with the heat and the sun. But in the winter, many forget about it.’From December through February, the heat is pumping everywhere,’ Christo said. ‘The heat can totally dehydrate the hair.’

Deep conditioning is vital for parched winter locks. Most stylists recommend deep conditioning at least once a week. Choose a moisturizer rich in humectants and natural oils.

‘I see a drastic change in the dryness of the scalp and the hair immediately when the climate changes,’ said stylist Diane Da Costa, author of ‘Textured Tresses.’

Da Costa recommends massaging the scalp with light oils like jojoba or shea butter.Don’t shampoo as often since that can deplete natural oils. If you normally shampoo every three days, shampoo once a week during the winter. To freshen the curls, spritz them with a lavender mist.

A humidifier can help by adding moisture to the air, which cuts down on static. Da Costa also recommends drinking a lot of water for internal hydration.

Regular trims every eight to 10 weeks are important in the winter to get rid of parched ends and give the curls more bounce.

As the weather gets dryer, the ends get dryer and fuzzier,’ said Dona Polston, a member of ABBA Pure & Natural Hair Care’s artistic team.’There’s nothing worse than frizzy, flyaway ends.’

Stylists agree that winter is the time to get creative with your curls. The styles can be shorter and edgier. Texturizing the hair can add volume and movement.’This is the time you can do anything with curly hair,’ Ouidad says. ‘You don’t have to worry about shrinkage. People come in and cut it short and cut in lots of movement.’

Christo says he changes the way he cuts hair in the winter, using ‘a little more angles, long layers and a little more framing of the face.’

‘It’s not the same cut I give in the summer,’ he said. ‘In the winter, I push people to make changes. I say ‘Let’s do something fun.’ It can brighten things up.’

Curlies should also adjust the way they style their hair in the colder months.

When at all possible, avoid excessive heat styling with appliances such as blowdryers or straightening irons. If you do have to use a dryer, Ouidad suggests diffusing it on low heat, concentrating on the roots.

Air dry as often as you can, but make sure that hair isn’t wet when leaving the house. In cold weather, it can freeze, causing breakage, said Mahisha Dellinger, creator of the CURLS haircare line.

‘The less you deal with styling tools, the better off you’ll be,’ Polston says.
With styling products, less is more in the winter months. Christo says many of his clients keep doing exactly what they were doing for the summer and wonder why their hair responds different. ‘The curls don’t have bounce and don’t move as freely,’ he says. ‘What they’re using may be too much for the hair.’

Christo says he uses light products from his Curlisto line during the winter months, adding a dab of leave-in conditioner to the mix to add extra moisture.

‘It doesn’t take much to style curly hair in the winter,’ he says. ‘If you usually use a quarter-size, use a nickel-size.’Antonio Soddu, creator of the CurlFriends line of products, suggests using products that enhance volume rather than those that weigh the hair down — a practice that may run counter to what curlies usually do.

Always make sure to apply the product in sections when the hair is wet for best results.With the change in climate, tweaking hair color also is important. Stylists recommend deeper more vibrant shades with more dimension, such as caramels, butterscotches, auburns, coppers and rich browns. Curly hair looks shinier and richer when it’s darker, Soddu said.lighter hair tends to show more damage.
‘Now is the time for a little drama,’ Soddu said.

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Winter tips from the experts

Ouidad: ‘Don’t rinse your conditioner out completely. Leave in about 25 percent of the conditioner.’
Christo of Christo Fifth Avenue: ‘Condition hair before and after you color it. Your hair won’t feel so dry.’
Mahisha Dellinger of CURLS: ‘Massage a quarter teaspoon of warm natural oil – olive, avocado, jojoba, etc. – through your hair once a week at night, starting at the end and working up to the roots. Leave on overnight.
Diane Da Costa, author of ‘Textured Tresses’: At night, to preserve curls, put it up in pin curls. For kinkier, tighter hair, twist it with pomade.
Dona Polston, member of the artistic team for ABBA Pure & Natural Haircare: Before you put on a hat, put on some Nourishing conditioner. It’s like giving yourself a conditioning treatment.
Jane Carter of the Jane Carter Solution: Leave a little conditioner in the ends.
Jason Yates, creative director of Farouk Systems: ‘When it’s battered by wind and rain, curly hair tends to be more brittle and fragile.Use more strengthening, more moisturizing products.’
Jonathan Torch, creator of Curly Hair Solutions: ‘I encourage using products with a little more hold. People who don’t need gel in the summer may start using it in the winter to keep their curls looking fresh.’
Jess McGuinty of Jessicurl: If the hair is healthy and not color treated, it’s better to stay away from a product high in protein because excess protein can make healthy hair dry and brittle.
Antonio Soddu, creator of the CurlFriends line: Be careful not to saturate the hair too much with products.

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Some winter product suggestions

Herbal Mists

Da Costa Beauty Texture Lavendar Mist

Devacurl Mist-er Right

Shampoos

Devacurl No-Poo

Jessicurl Hair Cleansing Cream

Curly Hair Solutions Silk Shampoo

ABBA Creme-Moist

Leave-in Conditioners

Redken Anti-Snap

Curly Hair Solutions Silk Leave-in Conditioner

CurlFriends Replenish Leave-in conditioner

ABBA Nourishing Conditioner

Curlisto Repair Styling Cream

Daily Conditioners

CurlFriends Nourish

Jessicurl Too Shea! Extra Moisturizing Conditioner

Biosilk Silk Therapy Smoothing Conditioner

The Jane Carter Solution Hair Nourishing Cream

Deep Conditioners

Ouidad Deep Treatment

Curlisto Deep Therapy Masque

Redken Extreme Deep Fuel

ABBA Creme-Masque

Jessicurl Weekly Deep Treatment

Biosilk Recovery Treatment

Oils

Giacomo Forbes Creme Reconstructor

Da Costa Beauty Texture Scalp Serum

The Jane Carter Solution Nourish & Shine

Styling products

Redken Heat Glide

Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper

ABBA Botz

Curlisto Bio-Gel Mousse and Structura Lotion

Ouidad Curl Quencher Gel

Jessicurl Confident Coils Styling Solution

Batia & Aleeza Bio-Herbal Styling Gel

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.’

Curly stylist Bianca Castillo recalls growing up as a child with ringlets in a straight-haired world.

Her mother had straight hair and stuck her daughter’s hair in pigtails to control it. Young Castillo, trying to emulate the looks of her straight-haired friends, would cover her hair in mousse, sprtiz and gel.

‘Had I only known what I know now,’ says Castillo, who now has a large clientele of curly kids at Jackson-Ruiz Salon in Austin, Texas.

Castillo believes curly kids have an advantage these days, with greater acceptance of curls, a variety of styling options and a number of products that help kids love their hair’s texture early on..

Ò’A lot of it is whether they’re taught how to work with their hair from a young age,’ says stylist Lisa Garcia, owner of the The Color Salon in Austin.

It all starts with a positive attitude from the parents. Rather than viewing the hair as a problem that must be solved, they should make an effort to talk in positive terms about their child’s curls.

In many cases, especially with biracial children, the mother or father may not know how to work with textured hair. They might be cutting it in a style that doesn’t work well with curls or using products not designed for a child’s hair.

‘If you’re saying to them ‘Oh my God, your hair is so frizzy and difficult,’ it really affects them,’ said Diane Da Costa, author of ‘Textured Tresses: The Ultimate Guide to Maintaining and Styling Natural Hair.’ ÒIf you say their hair is tightly coiled, it sounds more positive then if you call it kinky. Let them know there are different types of textures and all are beautiful.’

Stylist Rodney Cutler, who owns N.Y.-based Cutler/Redken Salon, likes to see curls do their thing on children.

‘There’s a real innocence about curly hair,’ says Cutler, who has two sons with wild curly hair. ‘I don’t think it should be controlled. It should be loose and disheveled.’

Proper care of the hair is crucial. Curly kids have virgin hair that hasn’t experienced years of abuse. To keep it soft and shiny, don’t shampoo it more than every second or third day.

Lorraine Massey of Devachan advocates forgetting the shampoo altogether.

‘It creates more knots and dehydration if you use shampoo,’ says Massey, who has children with curls. ‘We’re a no-poo household.’

She stresses that not shampooing isn’t the same as not cleaning the hair. She suggests cleansing the hair with conditioner or a cleansing product like her No Poo or Low Poo, using the hands to clean the scalp.

In between cleansings, she recommends using a lavender mist. In addition to perking up the curls, she says it has natural medicinal qualities to keep the lice away — a common problem for school-age children. Massey also advocates using a natural detangler, such as lavender or rosemary oil mixed with water.

If you need to get some knots out, use a wide-toothed comb and start at the ends of the hair and work your way up to the roots to reduce the discomfort and chance of breakage. Never overbrush or overcomb the hair, Garcia says. She always uses a detangler on children’s hair and only combs it when it’s wet.

For longer, more knotty hair, she likes to use a combination of conditioner, water and lavender mist in a spray bottle to create a leave-in conditioner that keeps the hair hydrated.

The cut depends on the unique needs of the child. In some cases, it works best for them to have a short curly cut or an afro. Others may prefer to grow their hair long. In that case, long layers can help make the hair more manageable. Castillo said a bob that’s angled toward the chin can work well.

For some children with tightly coiled hair, twists or corn rows may work well. Just make sure they are not pulled too tight, which can cause the hairline to recede.

A light styling product can help reduce frizz and define curls. Castillo teaches her young clients how to take small sections of hair and twist them to give their curls a more controlled look. Some haircare lines, including Curlisto Kids, Ouidad’s KRLY Kids and Curls Curly Q’s, have special styling products designed for young curlies — products that help define and defrizz without being heavy or crunchy.

Da Costa cautions against straightening a child’s hair because of the damage it can cause. If you do want to texturize it to provide more manageability – allowing them to wear it both straight and curly – go to a professional, she says. She believes a child should be able to care for their hair on their own before they have texturized or relaxed.

Ouidad, who has styled curly hair for 20 years, says she’s seen a definite change in attitude among her young curly clients, with less frustration and discomfort about their hair. She believes the best tool you can give a curly kid is empowerment – giving them the tools and techniques they need to style their own hair.

‘They’re letting it go and jumping for joy,’ says Ouidad, who recently launched her KRLY Kids line to address the unique needs of curly kids. ‘It’s phenomenal.’

Castillo says she has many clients in their late 20s and early 30s who only now are learning how to let their hair go natural after a lifetime of straightening it.

‘They say ‘All this time I could have been loving my curls rather than hating them and relaxing them,’ ‘ she says. ‘It’s because they never learned what to do.’

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Products for curly kids

• Curlisto Kids line
• Ouidad KRLY Kids line
• Curls Curly Q’s line
• Devacurl No Poo, Low Poo and Mist-er Right
• Philip Pelusi Kidz line
• Biosilk Bubble Gum Kids line

Lorraine’s Lavendar Mist

(Indispensable for cleansing and reviving your curls”>

• 1/2 gallon water
• 5 drops pure lavender essential oil
• 3 empty spray bottles

Fill a large pot with the water

Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer for an hour to get rid impurities (Check occasionally to make sure water isn’t boiling away.”>

Remove from heat, add lavender oil, stir and replace lid.

Let steep until cool, then pour into empty spritz bottles.

‘Curly is beautiful, and children need to be proud of who they are and how they look.’ —John Sturgill, KMS

Most curlyheads grew up fighting their hair as children. Often, a parent is no help.

“If a parent doesn’t have curly hair, they have no idea what to do with it,” says Irene Meikle, international creative director for Graham Webb.

“But with the proper care, kids can learn to love their curls,” Miekle said.

“Curly hair is great hair,” she said. “It’s so much easier than straight hair if it’s looked after correctly.” Products should be kept to a minimum. Since curly, frizzy hair tends to be drier, a good moisturizing shampoo is essential. An anti-frizz serum also can be helpful because it controls the hair without a lot of goop or crunch. A parent can form ringlets as the hair dries to give it more control. For coarser hair, a forming gel can be helpful because it adds weight and controls the texture. Stay away from spray gels, which can get into their eyes.

Curly hair does not need to be washed every day. If it’s clean, leave it alone. If the child takes a bath, put her hair up.

Any length is suitable, as long as you control the texture. Some parents let their children’s hair grow longer because the weight pulls out some of the curl. But barrettes, bobby pins and scrunchies can help keep the hair out of their face.

John Sturgill, a spokesman for KMS, recommends cutting the hair in a style that works with the curl.

“Being a child should be about easy beauty regimens,” Sturgill said. “Don’t expect your child to want to spend time straightening with a blow dryer.”

For African-American hair, which tends to have a tighter curl, braiding can be a good way to control the hair, Meikle said. She doesn’t promote using strong relaxers on children’s hair. Instead, parents who wish to straighten their children’s hair can use a hot comb and anti-frizz gels like Making Waves by Graham Webb. Whatever strategy you use to work with your child’s curls, let them know how lucky they are to be blessed with them.

“Teach children about the value of diversity,” Sturgill said. “If a child learns an appreciation for all types of beauty, they are less likely to fell self conscious about their appearance.”

“Curly is beautiful, and children need to be proud of who they are and how they look,” he said.

Celebrities like Lauryn Hill and Lenny Kravitz have flocked to Diane Da Costa for help with their natural hair for years.

Now Da Costa has taken all of her experience and put it into a 194-page book. ‘Textured Tresses: The Ultimate Guide to Maintaining and Styling Natural Hair,’ which is out this month, and addresses the unique hair care needs of men and women with naturally textured hair. She believes that whether you lock it, braid it, weave it, twist it or knot it, keeping it coily, curly, wavy and natural is the future of hairstyling.

“I achieved a level of success in my salon and I woke up one morning and said ‘How can I give all of this knowledge back?’ ” says Da Costa, who began working on the book nearly five years ago.

The first half of the book covers maintenance, tools and how to choose the right styling products for all different textures.

The second part of the book provides a step-by-step guide to teach people how to achieve a variety of styles for natural hair. Using her celebrity clients as models, Da Costa shares her secrets for natural sets, twists, locs, loc extensions, braids, weaves and natural curls. The book also recommends techniques for creating texture on straight or relaxed hair and some tips on coloring.

“Textured hair allows you flexibility, versatility and options,” Da Costa says. In writing her book, Da Costa draws from her more than 17 years as a hair designer as well as her work as former hair editor at Honey magazine and former owner of Dyaspora Salon and Spa in New York City. She also is founder and prinicipal executive of DL.d Reps, an image consulting and management firm that provides expert beauty and bridal advice, stylist services and marketing strategies to the editorial, fashion, music, film and television industries. Her work has been featured in British Elle, Essence and the New York Times.

Paula Renfoe, who helped write ‘Textured Tresses,’ is lifestyle editor of XXL magazine and also has written for Vibe, Source and TimeOut New York. The book’s forward is written by actor Blair Underwood, one of Da Costa’s long-time clients.

Da Costa didn’t always wear her hair natural. She hot combed or used relaxers on her thick, coarse curls until she was 25. Then, during a very creative and expressive period of her life, she says she decided to go natural. After a year of thinking about it, she walked into a salon and cut all her hair off.

“It was very dramatic,” she says.

Despite initial resistance from family and friends, everyone around her has embraced her natural hair. She says she has personally tried every hairstyle in the book and currently wears her hair in a textured ‘fro.

Da Costa said she decided to write the book because she believes there was a need for a comprehensive source for natural hair.

“There was nothing out there for all textures,” she says.

She has spent the past five years researching natural hair, interviewing celebrities and jotting down notes about what she’s learned in the business. But she said at times it looked as if the book wouldn’t see the light of day.

Then one day, a client, Sharonee Green, came into her salon asking her to replicate one of the looks she created for Essence magazine. She told Green about her book project and Green — a self-taught painter and journalist — encouraged her to pursue it. She got an agent, revised her proposal, and a year later her book idea was picked up by Simon & Schuster.

The timing, she says, was ideal.

“This is the most amazing time for curly, wavy and tightly coiled hair,” she says.

Da Costa has plans to expand her empire. She hopes to create products formulated for women of color with textured hair. She also plans to open another salon and currently is looking for space in the Tribeca area of Manhattan.

If you live in the New York area, Da Costa will be on hand from 1-3 p.m., June 19 at the Barnes & Noble at 290 Baychester Ave. the the Bronx and from 1-3 p.m. June 26 at theNubian Heritage Bookstore at 560 Fulton St. in Brooklyn.

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Diane’s Tips

• Keep your hair moisturized and conditioned. Textured hair needs a lot of moisture.
• Massage the scalp
• Herbal oil treatments are important to use every three to four weeks, especially if you have tightly coiled hair or locs. She recommends such oils as jojoba, lavender, macadamia oil and shea butter.
• Shape and trim your hair on a regular basis. For textured hair, she recommends every two to three months.
• Never force a comb through your hair when it won’t go all the way through. That means it needs a trim.
• Don’t ignore the signs of a troubled scalp – hair loss, itching, tingling. See a dermatologist right away. A stylist can’t cure serious scalp problems.
• Don’t ignore split ends. Get them trimmed.

Some of Diana’s favorite products

• PhytoSpecific
• Aveda
• Neutrogena Triple Moisture
• For locs she likes Paul Mitchell Tea Trea Shampoo and Conditioner

As summer arrives, curlyheads around the world may be dreading the humidity that comes with the heat. But if you know how to style curly hair, muggy weather needn’t be your enemy.

“Humidity can be a curl’s best friend or your worst nightmare, depending on what you want to achieve,” says stylist Philip Pelusi, who owns 13 salons in the Pittsburgh area and is the developer of the Phyto-Life line of products.

In most cases, it’s not the curls that bother people – it’s the frizz.

“If you control the frizz, you’ll love the curl,” says curl stylist Jonathan Torch of Curly Hair Solutions.

It can be the ideal time to accentuate curls, says Rodney Cutler of Cutler Salon-Redken in New York. He points out that the best curls often are behind the ears where it’s hotter and damper.

“Anybody who wants to wear their hair curly will have more curl,” he says. “The biggest challenge is preventing it from looking like an ‘80s perm.”

Proper care, a good cut and the right products are the keys to making humidity work for you, rather than against you.

Moisturize

“You just have to realize that humidity is moisture,” Torch says. “We freak out because we don’t know how to use the moisture in the air.”

Curl experts all agree that it is especially important to moisturize hair during the humid summer months. A rough, dry cuticle has a tendency to get frizzy.

“Think of your hair as a sponge,” says Curl Queen Ouidad. “A dry sponge will expand in water. A wet sponge in water won’t have any reaction at all.”

Wash Less, Condition More

Don’t shampoo every day because the hair needs the oils. When you do, make sure to use a more moisturizing formula. Or you can go no shampoo.

Deep conditioning at least once a week is a must. Leave-in conditioners also work especially well during the summer months because they keep the moisture in the hair. They can even be applied throughout the day if it begins to frizz up. Ouidad suggests adding some conditioner to a gel to provide added manageability.

“Constant conditioning is the No. 1 advice I give to people with wavy and curly hair,” says Christo of Christo Fifth Avenue, who created the Curlisto line of products for curly hair. “The hair is more exposed in the summer than at any other time.”

Use the right curly hair products

Don’t shampoo every day because the hair needs the oils. When you do, make sure to use a more moisturizing formula.

Torch believes frizz is caused by water molecules sitting on top of the hair’s cuticle, acting like a barrier. He believes the key is learning how to get the water into the cuticle.

Heavy products are a no-no, Pelusi says. They can create buildup, which can dry the hair out making it look frizzier.

“Often times people resort to strange things like olive oil and Vaseline out of desperation,” Pelusi says. “They only coat the hair and weigh it down, making it look greasy.”

A number of new styling products use the latest technologies to enhance nature. Lightweight, water-soluble silicones may work well for some types of curly hair by smoothing the cuticle without causing buildup.

“Less is more,” Christo says. “That sounds counterintuitive. But if you try using too much silicone, oil or wax, it makes the hair frizzier.”

Proper application of the product is especially important. Christo suggests dividing the hair into three sections, distrubting the product first to the back, then to the sides and finally to the top layer. That insures that every hair receives the benefit of the product.

Those who want to straighten their hair during the summer should stay away from products that contain humectants. Using a round brush, blow the hair dry and use flattening iron to get it straight. Also, avoid spritzers and heavy hairsprays, which can make the hair frizzier and cause the curl to spring back.

Get a good curly haircut

A good haircut is especially important during the summer. Curly hair that’s all one length can look too triangular and has a tendency to bush out.

“Generally speaking, with curly hair, you want longer layers when there’s a lot of humidity,” says Lisa Garcia of the Color Salon, a Farouk Systems educator.

She recommends point-cut layers or undercutting the bottom layer to help the curls blend better. Rather than thinning the hair, which can create shelves or cut marks, point cutting the hair helps reduce the bulk.

And it may need to be cut more often. Christo suggests every six weeks for short hair and every eight weeks for longer curls.

“That allows you to clean up the split ends where the frizz begins,” he says.

But even with the best products and haircuts, there will be those days when nothing seems to keep the frizz at bay.

When flyaways appear, Christo suggests putting some water in your hands and twisting the hair softly — smoothing the sections with a little paste or pomade “When you’re planning your day, always bring a finishing tool with you,” he says. “It will save your day.”

Style it up

Knowing how to style curly hair is essential in hot, humid weather. Ponytails and braids are a great option, Christo says.

“If you know the weather is going to be a problem, pull the hair softly off your face and accessorize it,” he says.

In emergencies, Pelusi recommends wearing a wide headband to keep the hair down. Another trick is to twist the hair and make several ponytails around the head, allowing it to dry like that. That can reduce some of the “puff.” Braiding the hair while it’s wet also can be helpful in reducing frizz, creating beautiful waves.

A spray bottle of water can be a lifesaver, reactivating products and reducing the frizz. Torch suggests taking water in your hands and rubbing wet hands across the frizzy areas. Usually, it is unnecessary to apply more product.

One of Ouidad’s favorite tricks — one she often uses herself — is to apply some of her Deep Treatment and slick it back into a bun, with a few tendrils framing her face. It controls the hair while conditioning it.

Cutler recommends taking large sections of hair — roughly 4 inches — and wrapping them in your hands, tucking the ends under, pinning them, and leaving them until they’re dry. Whether the hair air dries or you diffuse it, don’t touch it until it’s 80 percent dry. Then take out the pins and rake the curls out.

“You’ll have beautiful Giselle-type curls,” he says.

A medium set of curling irons also can be a godsend, Cutler says. He suggests grabbing the hair in large sections and wrapping it around the curling iron, twirling it around like you would a pole.

“It won’t look like Jessica Simpson, but the curl will have a little more finish to it,” he says. “It’s a simple way to punch the hair up a little bit in five to 10 minutes.”

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Some high-humidity product picks

• Biosilk Smoothing Shampoo, Conditioner and Smoothing Balm
• Biosilk Silk Therapy
• Philip Pelusi Phyto-Life Hair Honey and Potion
• Redken Clear Moisture and Fresh Curl lines
• Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper
• Curlisto Control Gel I and II mixed with Structura Lotion
• Ouidad Climate Control Gel, Botanical Boost and Deep Treatment
• Jessicurl Rockin’ Ringlets
• Joice I.C.E. Whip
• ISO Bouncy Creme

  Biolage Gelee

  KMS Hydrator

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Christo’s high humidity protein shake

• 1/2 glass milk
• a few big strawberries
• 1 egg
• a dash of honey

Blend it together. Then lightly shampoo and apply the protein shake. Let it sit for 15 minutes and rinse it out with a light shampoo and a daily conditioner. Repeat every one to two weeks.

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.

Model Tomiko Fraser says her decision to go natural was one of the best decisions she ever made — not only for the health of her hair but also for her career.

‘Now I’m hired for my natural hair,’ Fraser says. ‘If I have it twisted and longer, they say ‘We want it the way it is on the card — the natural, twisted ‘fro. I have an audition this afternoon and they want me for my hair.’

‘Modeling is about being a chameleon and changing. But when they want me and the natural representation of who I am — with natural, healthy hair — it feels good.’

Fraser has been a trailblazer in the modeling industry — proving one needn’t conform to one particular standard of beauty to be successful.

‘But I’m not a walking billboard,’ says Fraser. ‘My hair is not a cultural statement. I am proud to be African American. If you like your relaxed hair, do it. Just as long as you do it for yourself and not because someone is telling you to do it.’

Fraser was discovered in a New York restaurant where she worked as a hostess. She initially was scared of modeling.

Success came quickly. She became the first American-American woman to land a contract with Maybelline, which recently renewed her contract for several more years. She has been featured in numerous print and television ad campaigns for such companies as Tommy Hilfiger, Alfani, The Gap and Old Navy. She has been featured in magazines around the world, including Vogue, Glamour, British Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan and Elle.

She made her feature film debut opposite Freddie Prinze Jr. and Monica Porter in ‘Head Over Heels,’ and her television credits include a guest starring role in the Showtime series ‘Soul Food’ and ‘CSI Miami.’ She recently wrote the forward for ‘Hair Rules!’ by Dickey.

Fraser says she didn’t always embrace her hair’s natural texture. Although her mother’s generation grew up with afros, all of her cousins had relaxers. She says she’s had every hairstyle known to man — weaves and braids, extensions and Jheri curls.

‘Sometimes to fit in, you want to look like everyone else,’ she says ‘You don’t want to have anybody looking at you.’

But all the wear and tear took its toll on her hair. The overprocessing caused significant breakage on the top of her head. A dermatologist gave her the ultimatum: no more chemicals.

‘At the time I was devastated,’ recalls Fraser. ‘I couldn’t imagine working again as a model with natural hair as an African-American woman. I had it cut really short and left crying. But I needed to do it for the health of my hair.’

Even that didn’t stop her from relaxing her hair yet again, only to experience more breakage. It was only then that Fraser decided to go natural. She wasn’t quite sure what it would look like and feared it would be thick, coarse and unmanageable hair.

‘I never knew what my natural hair was like,’ she says. ‘Since I was a little girl, I straightened it with a hot comb and relaxed it.’

Instead, she says she loves her hair in its natural state. And she is pleased with the ease and versatility of it. She says she can blow it dry for a fuller look, create afro puffs, wet it and apply a pomade for a curlier look.

‘I can just play around with it,’ she says. ‘People feel like they’re limited with natural hair. You just have to explore and try things out and see what works for you.’

Fraser says she initially worried how Maybelline would respond to her natural look. She needn’t have worried.

‘They were all for it,’ she says. ‘It was a pleasant surprise.’

And every time she does work for client JCPenney, she says they request her hair be natural. And more companies are embracing the natural look. Fraser says she was thrilled when her best friend, model Erickka Jones, was showcased in an ad for Pantene Pro-V Relaxed & Natural line with her blonde locks.

‘Never in my life have I seen a black woman with locks on network television do the famous hair flip,’ she says.

But Fraser says she still gets stares with her afro, especially when she’s with her boyfriend, who wears his hair in locks past his shoulders.

‘I’m fine with that,’ Fraser says. ‘I have no problem being a trendsetter. I want it to get bigger and bigger — I want the hugest ‘fro.’

Tomiko’s favorite products

• PhytoSpecific Vital Force Shampoo
• PhytoSpecific Vital Force Creme Bath
• PhytoSpecific Beauty Styling Creme
• PhytoSpecific Moisturizing Styling Balm
• Paul Mitchell Foaming Pomade
• Motions Critical Protection Repair

For most of her life, CurlTalker Karen — aka Kirochka — thought she just had messy straight hair.

It wasn’t until she hit 40 — and read Lorraine Massey’s “Curly Girl” — that she discovered she actually had wavy hair.

‘Wavy hair can easily look like you just haven’t brushed your straight hair in a while if you don’t take care of it,’ agrees CurlTalker lovin_my_curls.

Those with waves can feel like they’re in hair limbo — neither straight nor curly. Some days they may long for silky, straight hair while others yearn for tighter curls.

“On a good hair day, I can get nice, soft, loose curls, but I find that I have to work pretty hard to coax them into the shape of curls” says CurlTalker WavieD.

But despite the frustrations, stylists say waves are the most versatile hair type because they can have it both ways.

“You can go either way — straight or curly,” says curly hair stylist Jonathan Torch. “You can have way more movement than curly hair. You can have wisps. You can cut in layers that would cause frizz with curls. It’s very easy to straighten it. Wavy hair allows you to take advantage of today’s fashion styles.”

Redken artist Ellen Lawlor says she prefers working with wavy hair because it’s so easy to style.

“With straighter hair, you have to really work at making it wavy,” Lawlor says. “Wavy hair has more options than anybody else.”

The unique needs of wavy hair are now being addressed by a number of new products and a growing awareness among hair stylists. Some product lines — such as Matrix Curl.Life and Bumble and bumble Curl Conscious — offer different formulations for wavier hair.

“With curly hair, less is more,” says Christo, artistic director of Christo Fifth Avenue, which specializes in curly and wavy hair.

Curl guru Ouidad said the majority of products for curls are too heavy for wavy hair.

“They are detrimental to wavy hair — they don’t enhance it,” she says.

That’s why she is launching a new line called Play Curl just for wavy hair. The curl-boosting line, which includes a shampoo, conditioner and water-based mousse, will be available in August.

“The reason I came out with this line is we need to address all kinds of curly hair and customize products for their exact needs,” she says. “Now that we’re over the wall with curly hair, we need to work with it from A to Z.”

“The biggest challenge is encouraging more curl,” says CurlTalker kjwavy, aka Kathy.

Torch prefers gels to sticky products or those with heavy oils or silicones, which can pull out the curl.

“I’d avoid those at all cost,” Torch said. “With curls you’re trying to control frizz. But with waves, you need more hold.”

In some cases permanent waves may be the answer. A light, low-PH body wave can create a tighter curl pattern. But because of the porous nature of wavy hair, the perm technician must be very careful.

Kjwavy says she’s gotten perms for the much of the last 15 years to make her hair curlier, although she’s now using other methods to bring out the waves.

The cut also is key when working with wavy hair.

“One length doesn’t work,” Christo says. “For wavy hair, we create a lot of angles and framing around the face so the waves are lighter. You need to look at the face structure and create the shape according to the shape.”

Ouidad says she never carves wavy hair, instead strategically slices it to create movement.

Torch says the most important thing when cutting wavy hair is to watch what direction the wave goes in and to see where it falls. He cautions against cutting wavy hair too short because it tends to develop wings. It’s important to have styling options, he says.

“If you choose the wrong length, you can end up with a lot of problems,” Torch says.

With summer coming — and with it more humidity — Torch says those with waves can wear their hair longer to take advantage of the added curl. If they prefer it straighter, he suggests a shorter cut.

Proper styling also is important for wavy hair. Diffusing can bring out the curls and fullness of wavy hair. Often it is a challenge to create lift and volume. Torch recommends grabbing the roots by the hands and picking up the hair. Round brushes also work well, he says.

Because wavy hair is stronger than curly hair — and usually not as dry — there are more options when it comes to coloring. While peroxide is a no-no for curls, those with wavy hair can go for brighter, stronger looks, Torch says.

No matter what you do, make sure to condition the hair, says Christo, artistic director of Christo Fifth Avenue. He suggests using a deep conditioner every two weeks.

And ultimately, those with waves should appreciate the attributes of their hair.

“Wavies shouldn’t fight with their hair,” says CurlTalker Christy, aka csb. “I will never have a head full of perfect spirals like real curlies get, so I have to learn to live with what I’ve got.”

“The best thing about being wavy is that I can go curly or straight without a lot of effort,” she says.

Curl Talker SpunkyCurls (aka Tessa”> says she’s learned to love the low maintenance of her long, wavy mane and doesn’t fight to have perfect coils or board straight hair.

“I actually get more compliments as a wavy, which is nice,” she says. “It tells me that it is a good fit for me.”

Some favorite products of wavies:

• Devacurl Low Poo
• Jessicurl Aloeba Daily Conditioner, Rockin’ Ringlets and Gelebration
• Biolage Gelee
• Suave Tropical Coconut Conditioner
• ISO Multiplicity Texture Style Cream
• Beyond the Zone Noodle Head
• John Frieda Funky Chunky
• Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper
• Ouidad Curl Quencher Shampoo and Conditioner and Climate Control Gel
• Clinique Defined Curls
• Aveda Be Curly
• PM the Cream
• Tigi Bed Head Curls Rock
• Alterna Nutritive Creme Gel
• Curlisto Bio-Gel Mousse
• Redken In the Loop and Fabricate
• Philip Pelusi Phyto-Life Honey, Fusion Foam and Glisten
• Elucence Shampoo/Conditioner
• Michael DiCesare Liquid Fix Curl Enhancer
• John Frieda Ocean Waves Spray Curl Enhancer
• Suave Aloe Mousse
• Tigi Curl Up Curl Activator
• Kenra Thermal Styling Spray
• Kenra Platinum Silkening Gloss
• Tigi Shine Junkie
• Matrix Biolage Smoothing Milk

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Tips for wavies:

“Use a dry hair spray instead of a wet hairspray. Wet sprays make wavy hair frizzy.” — Christo, artistic director of New York’s Christo Fifth Avenue, which specializes in curly and wavy hair

“I wash my chin-length layered hair at night, putting in gel, pinning the top and letting it dry. I take out the pins and go to bed. In the morning, I scrunch out the crunch. I spray lavendar water on the parts that are flattened out on the back and sides to re-curl.” — Curl Talker Kirochka

“Blunt hair is not advisable. A razor can work well as long as the hair’s not too coarse. If it’s coarse, point cut it.” — Ellen Lawlor, Redken Artist

“You want to do some layering so the hair won’t look boxy or like a big triangle. But you don’t want to layer it too much. You want long layers, even if it’s cut shorter.” — Stylist Philip Pelusi

“Brush it all forward as your blowdry and then brush it back and the hair is in control. Most people start by brushing it back and they end up with big wings.” — Jonathan Torch of Curly Hair Solutions

“I rinse my hair upside down in the shower, scrunch out the dripping water and then wrap my hair in a t-shirt. I can’t apply my products in soaking wet hair because they get too diluted. I leave my hair in a t-shirt for about 10 minutes and then shake it out. I run my fingers against my scalp to loose up the roots a bit, then apply my products.” — CurlTalker kjwavy

“Have a good cut. By that I mean long layers, no razoring, no thinning shears. I am so adamant about this that I am now driving five hours to Atlanta and spending a pile of money to have my hair cut. A long layered cut lets the waves bounce up but doesn’t leave them fighting each other.” — CurlTalker Christy, aka csb

“Use any product with magnesium sulfate – epsom salt – because it really encourages the curl. Also, don’t comb out the hair outside of the shower, as that will pull out much of the wave/curl. (This is true for anyone wanting to enhance curls.”> Instead, using a wide tooth comb in the shower when the conditioner is on the hair will ensure tangle free hair, but not at the expense of curl enhancement. And get the water out of the hair ASAP after showering.The longer the water stays in the hair, the more wave/curl will be pulled out, due to the weight of the water.” — Jess McGuinty of Jessicurl

“I know less is more is really a cliche, but I’ve found it works the best for wave formation and minimizing frizz.” — CurlTalker SpunkyCurls

“If you have a tendency to frizz, ditch your towel and use a t-shirt to gently squeeze out any excess water for about 30 seconds. You can also plop with it afterwards for more volume at the crown.”

“Add honey to your conditioner. It has made a huge difference for me! I add one tablespoon honey to about three tablespoons of conditioner and mix in my hand before applying. Rinse 80 percent of the way. This makes my hair softer, curlier and more moisturized. And your conditioner lasts longer too!” — CurlTalker lovin_my_curls

“Razoring is the ultimate evil to a wavy. I’ve never looked messier, which is my ultimate disaster.

“Quality trumps quantity. I’ve seen some wavies who have covered their hair with product and just the top layer is defined. Between the curls, a giant poof ball is evident. It would be better to have all soft waves than artificial surface curls over a mound of fuzz.” — Curltalker Laurabeth33

Earlier this year, a curly-headed woman showed up at work one day with a shiny, pin-straight bob. It appeared that she had chemically straightened her hair.

“No, I just Chi’d it today,” she replied, referring to the ceramic-plate straightening irons that has revolutionized the hair industry.

The fact that Chi has become a verb as well as a noun illustrates just how far styling tools have come over the past four years. Now, it’s easier than ever to temporarily straighten the hair, to dry it or to better define curls. And the new technologies have shortened the styling time and reduced the damage associated with heat.

Companies such as Rusk, Conair, HoMedics, Sunbeam, BaByliss and Farouk Systems are developing a wide range of straightening brushes, flat irons, and curling irons in all shapes and sizes that provide professional results at home. These days, you can buy flat irons made of ceramic, sapphire and gold. There are seemingly endless combinations. BaByliss, for example, sells a Pro Ionic Air Styler — a combination thermal brush/blow dryer that uses a special ionic generator to produce a stream of negative ions to smooth the hair.

“It all evolved because people are putting more time and effort into getting their hair as smooth and straight as possible,” said Stacey Defelice, public relations coordinator for Conair.

The hottest sellers right now are ceramic appliances — devices that enable infrared heat to be more evenly distributed. These days, ceramic is being used in flat irons, curling irons and blow dryers.

“Ceramics are the big buzz word right now,” a Rite Aid spokesman recently told Chain Drug Review, a trade publication that tracks the drug store industry. “It’s definitely brought in new users to the category.”

For Redken artist Brent Borreson, the coolest new product is the Krembs Wet to Dry flat iron. The ceramic irons have channels that allow the plate to act as a squeegee, pushing excess moisture into the channels, which evaporates through steam holes. This keeps excess heat away from the head. The increase in temperature — 380 to 400 degrees — allows wet hair to be styled without significantly cooling the plates. Blowing and stretching the hair is eliminated, which leaves the hair in better condition and provides more shine than some other straightening techniques.

“The hair seems to stay straighter longer,” said Borreson, who carries his Krembs iron with him everywhere, along with several shapes of flat irons and curling irons in diameters ranging from 1/8 inch to 4 inches and his Chi blowdryer and diffuser. “It’s great on ethnic hair and great on Caucasian hair.”

Perhaps the best known of the new generation of products is the Chi iron — considered by some to be the Rolls Royce of irons.

Developed 3 1&Mac218;2 years ago, it was the first iron to use ceramic technology with infrared and negative ions. It now is the top-selling iron in its category.

It uses negative ions to produce ceramic heat that seals the cuticle, repels humidity, locks in hair color and retards fading. It is squeeze sensitive to increase the temperature with each squeeze

“It provides consistent heat rather than hot spots,” said Jason Yates, creative director of Farouk Systems, which develops and markets the growing Chi line of products. “It also produces moisturizing heat that doesn’t dry out the hair compared to copper or iron.

The Chi line has been expanding dramatically.

Now there’s the lightweight 1500-watt Turbo Chi dryer, a low electro-magnetic force dryer (It’s 1.5 MG compared to the 150 MGs of a traditional hairdryer”> that contains internal pure ceramic heated coils that produce a moist, even air temperature which results in natural, healthy shine to the hair while reducing dryness and fly aways. The negative ions break water molecule clusters into micro-fine particles, which infuse moisture into each hair shaft, sealing the cuticle while baking hair. Infrared helps dry the hair inside out with less hot air.

“There are ionic dryers but none that are ionic and ceramic,” Borreson said.

Once designed specifically for hairdressers, the company added a line of irons for consumers called Chi Turbo that offer temperature control and felt protection, rather than the squeeze control of the original. Once only available with a 1-inch plate, The Chi Turbo iron now comes in three sizes: .7-inch, 1-inch and 2-inch plates. There’s also the “Wee Chi,” a .5-inch iron that’s a smaller version of the Chi.

At the beginning of the year, the company introduced eight new Chi round curling irons in professional and consumer versions. They also use pure ceramic techynology.

“They have the same conditioning effects on the hair,” Yates said.

And Farouk Systems recently introduced the Chi Hooded Dryer, which provides ceramic heat to condition and shine the hair during chemical processes like color.

“Once we started, we wanted to fill every need the hairdresser has,” Yates said. “It started with one iron and it really has become an entity of its own.”

Companies are working on many other tools that will make life easier.

Conair just launched its Instant Heat Straightener with Thermal Glass Mirror Plates – a new flattening iron that uses glass mirror plates to provide a smoother finish.

“Nothing straightens better than glass mirror technology,” Defelice said. “Hair has better contact with the plate because it glides, leaving hair silky, dazzling and shiny.”

For example, Borreson said he’s developing on a curling iron that’s twice as long as a traditional iron for spiral curls. Several companies, including Rusk and Farouk Systems, also have developed processes that combine chemical straighteners with the new tools to get better results.

Technology doesn’t necessarily come cheap. While some brands are available for $30 or less, some models can run close to $200. The type of appliance you buy depends on your budget and usage.

Professional dryers tend to last longer — 1,200 hours compared to 500 for a regular consumer model – and tend to be lighter and quieter.

Conair’s Turbo Speed Styler uses ceramic heat technology, with dual heat technology for conventional or radiant heat and a turbo button for 40 percent more airflow. BaByliss recently introduced its Odyssey Dryer with Ceramic Pulse Heat technology. The 1,875-watt dryer emits ion reflectives to enhance the hair, with ceramic technology to add smoothness and silkiness. It also has a removable filter and a concentrator nozzle attachment to focus heat and air.

There are a wide range of accessories available to maximize the power of a dryer – from massaging diffusers to straightening accessories.

But heat is still heat, cautions Christo of Christo Fifth Avenue. He urges his clients to condition and protect their hair when using heat products.

“If you want a style, you have to do it the right way,” Christo said. “Invest in nice tools.”