Search Results: NaturallyCurly

Jennifer Love Hewitt mixes romance, glamour, and boho with this style. We love the side twists and the slight messiness of the waves.

• Work a small amount of gloss cream onto damp hair to help prevent frizz and add intense shine. Part hair in the center and blow-dry straight with a round brush.
• Set hair in large rollers or use a large-barrel curling iron to get large loose waves, spraying hair with a thermal protectant priming spray as you create each wave
• Take two small portions of hair at the front of the head, on each side of the part, and twist them back, securing with a pin
• Coat fingers in more gloss cream and separate waves carefully, while lightly coating them with the cream. Keep some of the waves intact ·Spray hair with a dry hair spray to set the style

Products we recommend

Alterna’s Hemp with Organics Repair Gloss, $19

Alterna’s Caviar Styling Tonic, $26

Alterna’s TEN Hair Spray, $35

— Source: Alterna

This just in. Kate is going for texture. As a guest host on “The View,” Kate Gosselin got a hairstyle upgrade, courtesy of the hair and makeup folks at the show. Instead of her old trademark ‘do, Kate opted for waves!

“You have a new hairstyle. It’s a first!” said Barbara Walters, as today’s show began.

Joy Behar added, “It looks cute!”

Q: How many years of experience do you have?

A: As a master stylist for 13 years, I have been deeply involved in the burgeoning Austin fashion scene.

Q: What influences your creative style?

A: My experience in major music, fashion, film and editorial styling throughout the region has afforded me the venue for the type of creative exploration and expression that has helped Austin and Ann Kelso Salon burst onto the national style scene. Lisa Lobe, Go-Go’s, Austin Music Awards, Flashback, Blender, and countless commercial and independent films are just a few of the places you can experience my interpretation of the increasingly popular “Austin Style”.

Q: What are some of your responsibilities around the salon?

A: As one of Ann Kelso’s design team leaders, it is my responsibility to inspire and motivate staff to create and deliver the authentic urban glamour that Ann Kelso Salon is known for in the city.

Q: What is your perspective on fashion, style and beauty?

A: Currently we’re in a very cool place where every single era is in style. The possibilities and combinations are endless and it’s my passion to take things that feel standard – and tweak them – to create something fabulous for my clients. And my “anything goes” personality doesn’t just make it possible, it makes it a reality.

By Special Contributor Helen Hyun-hwa Lee

I have naturally curly hair. I inherited the trait from my father, whose hair neatly bundles up to sophisticate his demeanor.

My curvaceous locks are tangles when brushed numerous times, and a bush when I awake in the morning. My friend Yoon-joo claimed the tangles formed a frizzy iron pot scourer, making me look like a North Korean who crossed borders to escape poverty (a nasty joke, given the distress above the 38th parallel”>. With its suggestions of rustic backwardness, the North Korean nametag was something I naturally wanted to dispel. So I took 40,000 won to the neighborhood hairdresser, who ironed my crumpled hair into slick conformity.

I used to flaunt my curly hair with great pride. I thought the coils were cute, as did my loving parents (but of course what part of you isn’t cute to them”>. But my love for my mane was challenged when I came to Korea after having lived in Chicago for the bulk of my childhood. The glossy, regular curls celebrities donned were all right, even beautiful, but my unruly, outspoken (pasta”> were out of the question. They had to go.

At first, the girls simply implied: “Well doesn’t (put celebrity’s name here”>’s straight hair look amazing?” Then their objections grew in volume until they outright said, “Your hair’s really ugly.” I was indignant, I was hurt, but I wasn’t stupid enough to brush away their advice. Korean communities are so tenaciously interwoven that peer pressure is a dominant driving force in many decision-makings; this one was no exception. I thanked them for their selfless advice.

By razing my hair with a steam hair straightener, I not only burnt each tip ― severe hair damage that took years to recover ― but also flattened my self-esteem and distinct identity, that quirk I had thought so characteristically me. Self-consciousness and individuality are prized above all in the American classroom, where the best advice a teacher can give is, “Be yourself, not what people tell you to be,” but I had been brainwashed into believing that I wasn’t good enough ― nor was my frizzy hair.

While living in Korea, I felt as if every opportunity was bent on repressing my individuality, my inherent desire and need to be different. I’m too outspoken. I use my chopsticks incorrectly. What’s wrong with my brain? Don’t I know what I must do? Every time someone corrected my ways, I could feel my anger gauge rising to the tip of my head, but Korean values had swamped me by the time I was full to the brim. The anger just oozed out with no particular violence or vengeance, but a sweet resignation. A white flag.

Of course, I remained different. Simply taming my Medusa didn’t restructure my genetic makeup, which ensures that I differ from everyone else (even if just by the slightest”>. However, I wasn’t who I was “made” to be. This distortion of self was perhaps inevitable. It wasn’t just my friends, but an entire societal juggernaut out there to get me (no, I’m not paranoid, thank you very much”>. The Korean education system enforced homogeneity ― uniforms; hair length restrictions; no makeup, high heels, or unconventional ideas. The message inculcated was “Study, study, study, get rich, be polite, don’t talk back to elders.” I was told what to wear, what to say, what to do ― basically, how to live.

The uniformity enforced in society had spilled over into cosmetics to nag me about my curls.

There are ideal models of beauty in all societies, suggested to the unknowing teenager through jean commercials, magazines and television shows like Gossip Girl, but none so enforced as the Korean.

You want large eyes, with double eyelids; a large, pointy nose; luscious lips; a V-lined, egg-shaped face and a slender, graceful figure complete with large breasts and a tempting derriere. The celebrities that teenagers are typically exposed to look virtually identical, as if stamped and assembled on a forever busy conveyor belt.

The situation’s not so different for teenage boys. Slick cars, six-packs, tall height, wide shoulders, gorgeous face ― these are the criteria for male perfection in Korean society. No wonder Korea’s infamous for cosmetic surgery. I don’t want to be overcritical of my own nation – I’m actually quite patriotic ― but that doesn’t change the fact that change is urgent. I want to live in a nation where curly hair, ugly faces and obesity aren’t looked upon with disdain, where the community embraces individuals as they are. Individuality, rather than uniformity. Is that too much to ask for?

Well, I guess it’s “I once had curly hair.” I’ve ceased to straighten my hair, but the past can’t be unwritten. I hate to admit it, but the straightening became addictive, until I couldn’t control myself when the slightest curl led me to the closest hairdresser. My curls are now limp, verging on nonexistent. They will never be as curvaceous as they once had been. I suppose this is the price I pay for conforming.

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The writer is a senior at the American International School of Guangzhou, China. She has lived in the U.S., Korea and China, and can be reached at 98leeh@aisgz.edu.cn.

Beauty web site TotalBeauty.com has identified the cities with the best worst conditions for hair.

Best Hair Cities

Are you having a good hair day? You probably are if you’re living in one of these cities. (And, ahem, you’re probably not if you live in one of these 13 worst-hair cities”>. We looked at humidity levels, pollution, rainfall, average wind speeds, water hardness, demographics and the number of beauty salons per capita to find which cities have the best conditions for healthy, stylish hair.

1. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Why is this city the best in America for your hair? Because it has it all: clean air, near-constant weather, a young population and not much rain or wind. No wonder celebrities like Oprah, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi have homes here, on what’s been called the “American Riviera.”

2. Honolulu, Hawaii: Beach-y hair like the Victoria’s Secret models, anyone? This city has clean air, soft water, lots of salons and practically the same weather — a nicely un-sweaty 77 degrees — all year ’round. Come here and say “aloha” to gorgeous hair.

3. San Diego, Calif.: San Diego’s lack of seasons means it’s always 70 and sunny — hair doesn’t have to adjust to changing weather. Pair that with minimal wind and rain (it’s in the top 10 for least-rainy cities”>, and lots of salons per capita — pretty much should look just about perfect here.

4. Anchorage, Alaska: You may be freezing your butt off in the second-coldest city in the country (first is Fairbanks, Alaska”> — but your hair is in heaven. The city’s lack of pollution and wind, plus the soft water, keep hair healthy and looking fabulous.

5. San Francisco, Calif.: San Francisco is no stranger to rain, but it’s the No. 1 city in the country with least weather variety. So since the weather doesn’t change frequently, you’ll have great hair once you get used to the climate. The soft water, lack of wind and high number of salons also mean that the odds are strongly in your favor for having good hair days.

6. New York, NY: The summers can be hot and humid and therefore tough on hair, but New York’s perfect-for-hair water makes up for the three months of hair-challenged weather. Plus it holds six of the top 10 ZIP codes with the most beauty salons in the country.

7. Miami, Fla.: Miami is hot and humid, that’s for sure, but it’s also one of the least-polluted cities in the country (and we all know what pollution does to hair — it’s been linked to balding, gray hair and dullness”>. It also has very little wind and many salons to help keep your hair in control and stylish.

8. Los Angeles: Angelinos have the advantage of weather that hardly changes through the year, meaning their hair conditions stay constant and are easier to manage. The lack of rain means a very low likelihood of frizz, and low winds also keep hair easy to manage.

9. Denver: OK, so while the mile-high city may have hard water, the lack of wind and low humidity (just 67% — lower than desert cities Reno and Flagstaff”> — not to mention the large number of hair salons — help give residents an advantage in having healthy, stylish hair.

10. Boston: Boston also has a large number of salons per capita, plus it has soft water, which means your hair isn’t stripped of shine, color and moisture with every shampoo — all good news for your hair.

11. Chicago: Chicago has a young population with an average age of 22, plus an unusually high number of beauty salons per capita. So despite its wind and low temperatures (which can dry out hair”>, the odds are strongly in your favor here to have great hair.

Worst Hair Cities

There are a number of factors contributing to frustrating frizz and dried-out strands, but as it turns out it, they could all be due to the city you call home. From looking at national averages of humidity/wind/rain/sun, water-hardness, pollution levels and even the number of salons in the area, Totalbeauty.com has located the worst cities for your ‘do. Did your city make the list?

1. Corpus Christi, Texas: Everything is bigger (and more humid”> in Texas … coming in at no. 7 for most humid cities, “The Sparkling City by the Sea,” also has hard water and only a handful of hair salons.

2. Olympia, Wash.: The rainy days and off-the-charts humidity will surely give your hair the blues in this capitol city. If you live here you are also most likely getting your hair cut by the neighbor’s kid, seeing as though there are only 25 listed hairstylists in the city.

3. Pittsburgh, Penn: It’s not called the “Pitts” for nothin’. As the most polluted city in on this list, your hair will be calling Green Peace on a daily basis. Pollution has been known to cause premature balding, graying and dullness.

4. Las Vegas, Nev.: While it may be a blast to have a debaucherous weekend in the “City of Sin,” it’s certainly no fun for your hair to live in this desert climate. Forget repenting for your gambling habit, you’ll be too busy praying for your sun-damaged hair. Take a cue form Nick Cage and LEAVE Las Vegas.

5. Phoenix, Ariz.: Phoenix has the most extreme climate in all of America and hard water to boot!

6. Pensacola, Fla.: White beaches might lure you to the peninsula but as one of the wettest cities, an umbrella will constantly cover your head. Not to mention it might be difficult to find hip style advice around town, seeing as it’s a top destination for retirees.

7. Fresno, Calif.: California dreamin’? Let’s just say FresNO. It’s the 7th sunniest city in the nation and is in the top ten for most polluted cities, which means a nightmare for your hair.

8. Houston, Texas: The biggest city in Texas does big damage to hair. Houston is hot, humid and has some of the hardest water. Frizz will be your BFF here.

9. Tucson, Ariz: Here is another “Sunshine Factory” city. If you haven’t noticed already, too much sun is a no-no for your hair. Don’t believe us? Stop by the University of Arizona for some basic math classes: sun damage + hard water = dry, brittle locks.

10. New Orleans, La: Ok, so Mardi Gras is worth a trip, but living here wouldn’t be a party for your hair, seeing as it ranks as the 9th most humid city and 8th wettest.

11. Cincinnati, Ohio: It’s the 7th most polluted city in the U.S., but here is the real kicker, Cincinnati has only eight hairstylists listed on yellowpages.com … No comment necessary.

12. Albuquerque, NM: Dry, sunny and has hard water. Hop on a raft and take the Rio Grande out of town.

13. Eugene, Ore.: It’s nicknamed “The Emerald City,” and is also known for being extremely humid. No one wants frizzy pigtails, so pull a Dorothy and click your heels — hopefully you’ll find yourself in no place like Eugene.

NaturallyCurly named one of the “Top Five Hair Websites” in May 2009’s “Lucky” magazine.

Dusty Simington loves working with curly hair.

I love cutting it, I love finishing it, I love everything about it,” says the celebrity stylist, who owns Salon Gregorie’s in Newport Beach, Calif., the largest independent salon on the West Coast.

Simington’s passion extends to all hair types, and has resulted in his creation of Kronos, a new product line designed to revitalize hair.

“Being in the business for 25 years, I’ve worked with every product under the sun,” says Simington, who has cut and styled the tresses of stars such as Tiffani Thiessen, Jenny Garth, Ryan Secrest and LeAnn Rimes. “A lot of my clients shared the same problems with their hair, and they were using products that temporarily masked the situation but didn’t address the main problems.”

The seven-product Kronos line, which took Simington three years to develop, uses “t-sfere technology” to repair the hair. Simington says he was in a bidding war with several large companies for this technology, and was able to acquire it because of Kronos’ ability to bring it to market the fastest. T-sfere technology allows the encapsulation of multiple active ingredients into a single microscopic sphere for a deeper delivery into the scalp, follicle and hair shaft. Each product contains a blend of active ingredients to moisturize, strengthen and protect the hair, says Simington, who was a national educator for other product companies before developing his own.

For curls, he recommends Hydress Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner. Another standout is Liquid Theory, a one-spray-does-it-all detangler that conditions, smoothes and detangles.

“Many leave-in conditioners can make the hair feel greasy and heavy,” Simington says. “You can spray on an entire bottle of Liquid Theory and you’ll still have volume and shine.”

And the superstar of the line is Phyx, a deep-conditioning overnight treatment that strengthens, rebuilds and repairs hair. It corrects damage, breakage, split ends and dullness.

Simington says he also has a mousse in the works that is perfect for waves and curls.

Simington became a stylist by accident, he says. It was the late ’70s and his five sisters dragged the 15-year-old surfer to get his first haircut at a salon to cut his long blond locks. They took Simington to the hottest salon in Newport Beach. Although he wasn’t so hot on the perfectly coiffed shag he received, he was completely in awe of the cool-looking hairstylists, with their Porsches and beautiful clientele.

“The atmosphere was so exciting,” recalls Simington. “I come from a long line of developers, and I was supposed to take up the family business. Instead, I had to tell my dad I wanted to go to beauty school.”

Simington says his father still refuses to call him a hairdresser, instead opting for “barber.”

The salon’s owner allowed him to come in and observe, and he began cutting his own hair. He discovered he had a keen eye for balance, and soon was cutting his sisters’ hair. He went to beauty school at 22, and has never regretted his decision. Eight years ago, he opened his salon, which now has 70 hairdressers, 25 assistants and 10 full-time receptionists.

“It was a dream come true,” he says.

In 1997, the father of four was named Master Stylist of the Year by the North American Hairstylist Awards. It is considered the most prestigious honor that can be bestowed upon a hairstylist.

One of Simington’s favorite parts of his job is teaching other hairstylists.

“Not only am I sharpening my own skills, but I get to watch others get excited,” Simington says. He has an advanced facility that teaches four different programs, including one that focuses entirely on curly hair.

“Once you really know how to work with curly hair, you have a curly clientele for life,” he says. “As far as cutting curly hair goes, you have to know its spring factor. You have to know how it will react when you cut it.”

Simington says he’s developed his technique through years of trial and error. He likes to take sections horizontally and cut niches away in a brickwork fashion, creating volume where it’s needed.

“When cutting curls, you want to create an even balance of density,” Simington says.

Styling is one of the most important parts of working with curls. Simington has what he calls a fool-proof method for styling curls that provides curl formation and volume on top.

“One of the biggest mistakes curlies make is to bend forward when styling their hair,” he says.

Instead, he suggests getting out of the shower with your hair soaking wet and leaning to the side horizontally and scrunching sections with a towel. Then apply product — curlies need to use a lot of product, he says — and use the same sideways scrunching motion. Then, either air dry or dry hair with a diffuser.

“I could talk for three days about curly hair,” Simington says.

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Get the BeautyFix Makeup Bag with eight products, including Kronos Haircare, for $20 off – a 40% discount – when you click here.

TAMPA, Fla. — Troy Polamalu has an air of greatness and hair of greatness.

He is the NFL’s Mane Man and many fans’ favorite player in football. At USC, he was one of the Men of Troy. He is the Troy of men with Pittsburgh.

He’s got down-to-there hair.

Polamalu, who starred in Sunday’s Super Bowl against the Phoenix Cardinals, could star in the musical “Hair.” Fans wear wigs to games honoring the Somoan. Cardinals fans don’t do that for Fitzgerald.

“This is the end of the road, where you want to be, what you play for all year,” Polamalu said. “Everybody talks about us needing to win to break the tie with the Cowboys and 49ers for most Super Bowl titles. That would be great. For me, though, I just want to get to 2-0 in the Super Bowl.”

Polamalu speaks so softly you would think somebody pushed the mute button on his TV remote control. He doesn’t carry a big schtick. He’s genuine as a natural pearl. He’s nice as your favorite elementary-school teacher, as much a family man as George Bailey. It’s a wonderful life.

Polamalu was born in Garden Grove, Calif., as Troy Aumua, but his mother, Suila Polamalu, raised her five children alone. All four of his siblings spent time in jail. Troy was fearful of the gangs and the drugs, and when his mother took him on a trip to Tenmile, Ore., to see relatives, the son begged her to let him remain behind.

Eventually, Suila returned to her native Samoa, and Polamalu was “raised by a community of relatives.” Several played football. He became the best. At Southern Cal, Polamalu was an All-American, and the Steelers traded two draft choices so they could grab him 16th overall in 2003.

Polamalu, who once visited his mother’s homeland and officially changed his name to honor her, understands his role on and off the field.

“There’s a duty among all from different cultures, especially for pro athletes who are in the limelight, to be a good influence for young people. I try to be.”

His air and his hair, and his football skill, are uniquely rare.

After Sunday’s Super Bowl Game, Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald actually had better locks.

Polamalu-Fitzgerald. Who has the advantage on the field? Who cares.

Fitzgerald’s dreadlocks are more tamed and under control than Polamalu’s hair. Fitz usually wears his hair in a rubberband or hair tie, letting it droop from beneath his helmet as he dives to make spectacular catches.

Fitzgerald can be tackled by his hair legally, after the NFL deemed long hair part of the uniform. That’s minus points for Fitz because it’s gotta hurt having a 250-pound linebacker yanking on your hair trying to pull you down.

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In a March 2006 NaturallyCurly article, we asked Polamalu about his hair:

Polamalu said he last cut his hair in 2000 at the request of one of his football coaches at the University of Southern California. Luckily for admirers of his hair, he has no plans to cut it again any time soon.

“It’s become like a fifth appendage to me,” Polamalu said.

The fact that his hair stays in great condition despite his active lifestyle as a professional athlete is no accident. A few days before the big game, Polamalu talked about the routine he follows to keep his curls looking great — which includes some tips quite familiar to regular readers of NaturallyCurly.com.

Polamalu shampoos daily and conditions every other day. “When I condition, I make sure to comb the conditioner through it.” Favorite product? Pantene’s Hydrating Curls.

He’s got the potential to be a product junkie. “As you know, you have to rotate your products and use different shampoos and conditioners,” he said. Polamalu switches up every two weeks.

Polamalu doesn’t seem to experience too many problems with tangles, which could be due to the fact that he rarely wears his hair loose when he’s not playing football.

Off the field, he’s a soft-spoken and introspective family man who’d rather spend a quiet night at home with his wife, Theodora, as opposed to the stereotypical wild life of a professional athlete.

Fitting of his off-field personality, the private Polamalu usually sports a ponytail or a bun.

Polamalu admits he didn’t figure all of this out on his own. He credits Theodora, who also has a head of beautiful and healthy curly hair, with helping him find the right hair care regimen.

Oh, and in a statement that should forever endear him to many NaturallyCurly.com supporters, Polamalu said he’s never had the desire to straighten his hair.

Hair salon owner Barry Fletcher sent Michelle Obama a 17-minute DVD about himself. Hairdresser Keith Harley uploaded his resume to President-elect Barack Obama’s Web site. And salon owner Nicole Cober-Blake plans to get her name in by sending a welcome basket with bath gels, hair products and a robe.

There are plenty of unanswered questions buzzing around the Obamas’ impending arrival, but one has hairdressers on the edge of their styling chairs: Who will be chosen to do Michelle Obama’s hair?

Rather than venture out for hair appointments, the First Lady typically invites beauticians to the White House. Some of the region’s black salon owners hope their experience with African-American hair could give them an edge over those who coifed the likes of Laura Bush or Hillary Clinton.

Fletcher, the 52-year-old owner of The Hair Palace Salon in Mitchellville, Md., cites his experience in international hairstyling challenges and working with actress Halle Berry and singer Mya, a D.C. native.

“I’m going to be doing her hair!” Fletcher said, if he has anything to say about it. “This would pretty much validate all of my hard work and effort to get to a level where I could handle a powerful queen like the First Lady.”

Not that it’s all glamour for the stylist. Bernard Portelli, who briefly styled Hillary Clinton’s bob back in 1993, recalled working in a simple room in the White House with a shampoo basin, two chairs and plenty of outlets for blow dryers and flat irons. He’s not necessarily eager to go back.

“You have all kind of last-minute phone calls, which is extremely hard for someone who has a large clientele in a salon to drop everything and go,” said 57-year-old Portelli, who owns Georgetown’s Okyo Salon.

Still, if Obama’s hairstyles dazzle the public, having her as a client would be a public relations coup for any salon. Nuri Yurt of Georgetown’s Toka Salon attracted attention after he began styling Laura Bush’s hair in 2005. Earlier this year, Vogue magazine called him one of the country’s best colorists for brunettes.

“It’s permanent advertising, if you will, for the salon,” Portelli said.From the stylists’ perspective, Obama doesn’t need much help — they describe her hair as classic in style, healthy and free-spirited.

For election night, Michael “Rahni” Flowers of Van Cleef Hair Studio in Chicago — Obama’s stylist since she was 18 — did her hair. And for the Democratic National Convention, Obama turned to Chicago-native Johnny Wright of Frederic Fekkai’s Los Angeles salon.

If an out-of-towner gets the assignment, it would disappoint locals like Cober-Blake, lawyer-turned-owner of D.C.’s Soul Day Spa and Salon. The 37-year-old said she’s excited about the possibility of having Obama experience the services at Soul, where she said they “treat everyone like a Michelle Obama.”

Harley, of Keith Harley Hair & Scalp Clinic in Arlington, Va., submitted his resume a month ago.

“It would be the highlight of my career,” said 39-year-old Harley, who styles such high-profile Washington women as Debra Lee, chief executive of Black Entertainment Television. “It would be an honor.”

And like her fashion, Obama’s hairstyles probably will be scrutinized, as has happened with other first ladies.

“The thing about being the first lady, you’re only as fashionable as your last picture,” said Dennis Roche, 58, of D.C.’s Roche Salon, which has African-American-hair experts he said could style Obama. “This is kind of risky because of the fact that we all have bad hair days.”

“I want to teach [my kids] about all religions [and culture], and I’m trying to find a way to do that. And when it comes to the subject of adoption, like when my daughter, who’s African, wants her hair to look straight like mummy’s . . . and I look for a Barbie that’s African, and the African Barbie has straight hair! And you know, why has Disney never made a film with an African-American princess?”

The singer’s real hair is a curly mop, as revealed when she made a rare appearance without her trademark wig.

Winehouse was pictured in the doorway of her north London home as she brought cheese on toast for the waiting paparazzi.

The 25-year-old has sported the towering beehive for the past couple of years, save for a brief spell when she dyed her hair peroxide blonde and wrapped it in a Dot Cotton-style headscarf.

She once admitted: “I’m quite an insecure person. I’m very insecure about the way I look. I mean, I’m a musician, not a model. The more insecure I feel, the bigger my hair has to be.”

If you think it’s been a long time since you’ve gotten to the salon, Asha Mandela has got you beat, according to an article in the NY Daily News.

Mandela, of Davenport, Florida, is hoping to win the Guinness record for the world’s longest dreadlocks. It will be the first entry into a new category. To win, Mandala must have her three longest locks measured by a Guinness official and verified by witnesses. The final measurement: 8 feet 9 inches.

But Mandala will have to wait several weeks to find out if her hair is record-breaking. Guinness officials will investigate anyone else who claims to have the longest locks. Mandala says she’s especially nervous about the Rastafarians of Jamaica stealing the title from her.

But with hair that’s longer than she is tall, that won’t be easy to do. Mandala insists that it would have been 11 inches longer had she not stepped on a strand and broken it off. Just in case people don’t believe her, she carries the broken lock in her purse.

So how — and why — does one cultivate the longest dreadlocks in the world? Twenty years ago, Trinidad-born Mandala decided to stop relaxing her curly hair and cut it all off. As it grew back, she twisted it into curls and eventually into dreadlocks, which she liked so much she decided to keep growing.

But not everyone is so awed by Mandela’s locks.

“[My mother] said, ‘I took such good care of your nice curly hair, and this is what you are doing with it?’ ” Mandela tells the Orlando Sentinal. “She called it a mop for five years.”

A mop would probably be easier to care for. Her locks require a bottle of shampoo and conditioner each and every time she washes her hair, which isn’t often.

“I used to wash it three times a week. Now I do it once a week. It’s very tiring,” she says, “Sometimes I don’t have the energy.”

When she does soap it up, it’s an all-day affair. She wrings out her eight feet of hair like a towel and must wait hours for it to dry completely. If the weather is humid (as it often is in Florida”>, she says her hair might stay damp all day long.

“I try not to have any errands that day,” she laughs.

But despite the hassle, Mandala admits that she couldn’t easily part with her long hair.

“As much as I love it, I get frustrated with it,” she sighs. “But then I realize I’d feel naked without it.”

Ever wonder how Beyoncé goes seamlessly from straight hair one day to curly the next and back? The gossip is that Beyoncé spends $2 million on wigs.

“InTouch” magazine reports the singer has professionals make her wigs and use real hair. Each wig costs thousands of dollars. A friend of Beyoncé’s told “InTouch” that “The wigs are magnificent and well-made. You don’t notice them because they seem so real and are a big part of the singer’s image, which is one of perfection. She takes them with her and uses different ones depending on what she is doing . . . a concert and a party doesn’t call for the same look, and she knows that.”

That’s why her look is always changing and surprising. One day she has long, straight, darker hair and the next she has blond highlights and curls. Her real hair is short and very curly. According to her own mother, Beyoncé may have ruined her hair when she was younger trying to color it blond many times.

Curly nicknames. It’s one of those things that bond us together. These names were the bane of our existence growing up. Now, we take this opportunity to celebrate them.

We asked you to tell us some of your favorites. Although it was hard to choose, we selected 10 of your answers.

1. “When I was in grade school, there was an older girl in the advanced ballet class that always used to taunt me with “natural curl girl.” This phrase was said all sing-song-y and in a super snotty voice. (Scary that many many years later I can still hear her very clearly in my head.”>”
   — Rubycakes


Several readers remembered being called Bozo.

2. “In college (back in the early 90’s”> I was dubbed “Poof Pup”. All the girls on each floor of our dorm had different names, ours all ended in “pup.” It was not by MY choice mind you!
   — Discobug
3. “I was “Frizzle Face” for many years in elementary school. It was painful at the time, but I love thinking now about how successful “Miss Frizzle” from “Magic School Bus” has become, and also that I, too, became a teacher!
   — RebeccaK
4. “When my mom finally let me have my own way with my hair (about 7th grade”> I chose to wear it down and curly instead of up and in a pony tail and a braid. We were studying mythology at that time so the kids would call me Medusa. I didn’t appreciate that at all because I thought they were essentially saying that I turn people into stone with my gaze.
   — Elissad


“Medusa” is apparently another popular nickname for curlyheads.

5. ” ‘Mushroom Queen’ — I had a short bob, and my hair is pretty thick, so at times I had a mushroom head!”
   — CoxPlus2
6. “Last night I was laughing about something and my boyfriend said “Laugh it up, fuzzball.” (from Star Wars”>.”
   — Trixie
7. “My mother said this to me so many time in my life that it feels like my nickname — WILL YOU PLEASE DO SOMETHING WITH THAT HAIR!?! She still says it and it makes me laugh.”
   — Jeepcurlygirl
8. “My “little” sister used to call me Fuzzy Wuzzy, and taunt me with “Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear.” It hurt all the more because my mother had me scalped on a regular basis (1″ pixie cuts”>, whereas my sister was allowed to grow her hair. When I graduated from nursing school, my family started calling me “Nurse Beth Fuzzy Wuzzy.”
   — MorganAdcock
9. “My best friend would always call me Sideshow Bob! It was funny to me because it was fairly accurate. Especially since I had these roaring red highlights at the time. My whole head glowed when I was in the sun.”
   — Miss_Rae6357
10. “I divided mine into categories:

    Things you buy at the store

    – Brillo Head – Q-tip – Cotton Bald (I have thin hair that shows scalp if worn certain ways”>

    “Celebrity” Comparisons

    – Bozo the Clown – Krusty the Clown (my FIRST short cut ever — very encouraging”> – Puffy

    Movies & Mythology

    – Medusa (I never minded this one. I had some snappy comebacks for it”> – Curly Sue (not bad at all, really”>

    Just Plain Silly

    – Oingo-Boingo – Pube Head (a bit inappropriate — and that came from 13-year-olds!”>

    National Geographic

    – Cave Woman – Wildebeast – Wild Thing (what my SO calls me now as a term of endearment”>”
    — MickeyB603

When Marco Simoncelli clinched the 250cc MotoGP world motorcycle championship in Malaysia, fellow racer Valentino Rossi told him to cut his shaggy, trademark curls.

“Well done, Marco, but now cut your hair,” Rossi said.

“He has been fantastic. He has grown up and surprised me. However, he is horrendous without a helmet.”

Simoncelli is unmistakable off the track, with an enormous mound of curls springing up whenever he removes his helmet.

Rossi once sported a curly afro haircut similar to Simoncelli’s, but in 2007 opted for a short, cropped style.

With the help of some extensions and a curling iron, young starlet Lindsay Lohan traded in her straight locks for a curly look at a Cinema Society and Dolce & Gabbana-hosted special screening of “Filth and Wisdom” on Oct. 13. Curlies can get Lohan’s soft, sexy look with long layers, styling product applied in sections (bigger sections if you want a looser look”> and a diffuser.

In an American Express print ad, fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg says her epiphany moment was “The day I decided to let my hair go naturally curly.”

10 Ways to Celebrate International Curly Day

When NaturallyCurly.com was founded 10 years ago, we declared the first day of fall, September 22 this year, as International Curly Day. We wanted to set aside a day for us curlyheads across the globe to glorify our curls and kinks, revel in our ringlets Can’t think of a way to celebrate? Check out these 10 playful things to do on this special day.

Throughout our 10th anniversary year, look for special Top 10 lists every month.

1″> SHARE the International Curly Day celebration video with straight and curly-haired friends!

2″> LOOK for 10 curlyhead strangers who have a great style. Take 30 seconds out of your day to compliment their curls. Bring on the brag!

3″> THROW a curly swap soiree. You don’t have to spend a bundle to try new curl-boosting products. Sort through your own cache of items in your vanity and pull out the ones that don’t really work for your curls. They just might be perfect for another curlyhead. Ask your curly friends to do the same, and invite them over for cocktails or coffee. Start swapping!

4″> CREATE a curly inspiration collage with a child to build a sense of curl empowerment. Start with a stack of magazines, cut out pictures of curly role models (celebrities, musicians, or anyone who represents anything related to curls”> and paste them onto a poster board in a creative way. Voila! Instant inspiration!

5″> PAY IT FORWARD and donate curl-nurturing products to a womens’ shelter. Your generous gesture is sure to put a smile on the faces of women who are struggling to find their way and regain their confidence. It feels oh-so-good to give!

6″> EXPERIMENT with a new, sassy style. If you have precious little time to fuss with your curls, try time-saving tricks that will simplify a sensational style in a snap!

7″> ENJOY your favorite curly pasta at an Italian restaurant that you’ve always wanted to try. Well, there’s no time like the present. Consider savoring a dish of eliche (spirals”>, gemelli (twin twists”> or fusili (long twists”>. Bon appetit!

8) START a gratitude journal . . . for your curls. Come up with 10 reasons why you love your curls for your first entry. Then, every time you receive a curl compliment (or want to give yourself one!”>, jot it down. When you need a shot of confidence, open up your journal and smile.

9″> PAMPER your curls with a deep-conditioning treatment to bring back the longed-for luster. What better way to show your curls you love them? Not sure what ingredients are best for your textured tresses? Learn more about moisture-rich ingredients here.

10″> SHOWCASE your curly pride with an item emblazoned with artist Will Heron’s NaturallyCurly.com design, created especially for International Curly Day! Sure to be the curly “It” item for 2008!