Search Results: Tracey Wallace

By Tracey Wallace · Published April 17, 2012

A young Robert Vetica.

Robert Vetica, celebrity stylist for the likes of Jessica Simpson, Mila Kunis, Salma Hayek and Marion Cotillard, and who has been featured in Elle, New York Times Magazine and a host of other high fashion spreads, is the new brand ambassador for the beloved Moroccanoil hair care line.

He sat down with NaturallyCurly to talk about his experience with hair, how all stylists should know how to treat textured hair, why the Moroccanoil line contains silicones, and why you shouldn’t be afraid of them.

Blunt, honest and open, Vetica is a man who has followed his passion from a young age, even when that passion wasn’t one accepted by mainstream society. For us here at NaturallyCurly, his eye for beauty and drive to understand his passion from all angles and through all textures puts him on #teamnatural.

But don’t take our word it. Take his.

Can you tell us a little bit about you and how you got to where you are now?

My passion for hairdressing started at my mother’s kitchen table when I was about 13. I started playing with her hair in the ‘60s. At that time women would go every Saturday and have their hair done, and then every Thursday to have a redo. I would sit around with them and do their hair and they were like, “Oh my god, you can actually do that!” I would do that every Thursday, but I wasn’t allowed to tell anybody because guys didn’t do hair.

Fast forward. I went to beauty school after a short stint at a musical conservatory, because I’m a classical pianist, and I ended up convincing them that this was my passion. That was back in 1975. I was just very passionate about it from the beginning. I think it was a combination of use and passion combined with boredom and opportunity that kept moving me forward around the globe. And I ended up in many places.

I went to school at Julliard, went to Europe, then ended up in Milan and stayed there for 10 years. I ended up at all the fashion shows and in the magazines like Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, everything that you can think of in the fashion world.

In 1994, I moved back to the states, to Los Angeles. I had already had a stint in New York and it just wasn’t for me. So I decided to go to L.A. and I came from a strong fashion background. I didn’t intend to get into any of this. I was 37 and I wanted to come to the states and start a life, because I had been travelling for 20 years. In anybody’s life, you go through cycles, and it was the end of a cycle for me. I was just ready for change.

So when I came here, it was just an off shot that celebrity and fashion collided. I started to do celebrities mostly because in the 90s, photographers were still responsible for hiring the hairdressers for their models. I met a lot of great photographers, and then met a lot of celebrities, and that has turned to what it is today. It was a lot of opportunity and timing and passion.

Here I am today having written a very successful hairdressing book for the consumer, and most recently, I have become the global ambassador for Moroccanoil, which lets me go around the world and share my experience, my strength, my hope and of course my continual relationship with hair. That is the most important thing.

People are very interested in what I do because they think that celebrities are different. They think that they aren’t real human beings when in fact, it is quite the opposite.

What about your experience with textured hair?

Well, you have every quality of hair that there is. Everybody has their own. I’m a hairdresser, so I have experience with all textures of hair.

I’m really glad that you said that. One of the things for women with textured hair is that it is often difficult to find a hairdresser who knows how to deal with waves, curls or coils without straightening them or providing relaxers. It’s refreshing to hear you say, “I’m a stylist. I know how to deal with all types of hair.” That’s the way it should be.

Of course. You would think.

I think one of the biggest problems that most hairdressers have, as far as texture, coloring, everything, is this fear of the unknown. There should be no fear attached to it because hair is hair. If you have an understanding of hair then you know, we all know, that if your hair is curly and you cut it wet and pull it straight, it is going to be shorter once it dries.

It’s funny because the age old saying that women with curly hair want straight hair and that women with straight hair want curly hair is true, but the better of the two is the woman with wavy, thick, curly, coarse hair. I mean, if it were up to me and I were a woman, I would want the curl and the wave. There is just so much more you can do with it.

Tell me a little bit about Moroccanoil and your involvement with them.

My relationship with any company that I work with is two fold. One is that the brand representative has to be someone who can sell the brand and two, I have to actually use the product. I have to believe in the product.

About three years ago, their PR company sent me the oil and because I work in such a high profile area, it is difficult for me to try new product. I always have to try the new products blind. It took me a try to start working with it.

I started using it with all my clients who had thick, coarse, wavy and curly hair and I thought, “Oh, this is oil!”

I noticed that the oil itself had such an immediate affect on all hair types, but especially the wavy and curly and coarse hair types. So, I started to use this. It has this ability to attain moisture. For me, it is like a moisture magnet.

Moroccanoil’s hair care line, all their products, are very moisture defined. It is about retaining and adding moisture to the hair. You won’t find a lot of alcohol in their products. You are going to find a lot of vitamins, a lot of anti-oxidants, a lot of protein in their mask to restore the moisture balance to the hair.

Let’s talk a little bit more about their ingredients. Our community is very educated about hair care ingredients: no parabens, no sulfates, and to a large extent, no silicones.

You have to remember something. Once hair grows out of the head, it is dead. There is nothing you can do to it to change the actual structure of hair. Besides, of course, a perm in which you are reforming it.

As far as products are concerned, as a consumer, you can’t go and buy something that will actually restore the health of your hair. You can, in reality, have a product like Moroccanoil, which can restore the physical appearance, feeling and touch of it. It isn’t going to actually restore it to its original form, as it grew out of your head, but it is going to restore the visible aspect of it.

As far as silicones are concerned, it is not the quantity of the ingredients. It is the quality of the ingredients. You can find pharmaceutical grade silicones where the quality is not as heavy and is more refined. It doesn’t leave the hair oily, and that is the difference between the Moroccan Oil Treatment, which has silicones in it, and others.

The pharmaceutical grade silicones are so refined that they won’t weigh the hair down. And, because of that definition alone, it absorbs into the first layer of the hair and doesn’t just sit on top of it.

Let’s talk about how to use the product line. Do you use every single product, would you recommended women use every step? For someone with fine, wavy hair versus someone with coarse, coily hair, are there different ways they should use it?

Anytime you use a new product, you should use small amounts. There is just no question and we are no exception. You’ll notice, depending on how much you use, how the product establishes itself on your hair.

We have two versions of the treatment. One is for thicker, darker, wavier, coarser hair, and the lighter version is for finer textured hair and lighter colored hair.

As for the shampoos and conditioners, we have a volumizing shampoo and conditioner for finer hair, hair that has fine density.

You have three different types of density: fine density, medium and thick. And you have three different textures: fine, wavy and curly. So, you can mix all three of those up together, which is why we have two different shampoos and conditioners as well as restorative masks.

There is the light version, the normal version and the heavier version, which is actually a restorative, hydrating mask. It is for weekly use. The other restorative masks are for monthly use if your hair is really damaged.

Actually with the restorative mask, you have to condition your hair afterwards because it has a lot of protein in it. Activated protein can restore, like I said, nothing can replace the original health of your hair, but it can restore it back to a visible healthiness that will last a long time.

When you add protein to the hair, you are actually building it up on the follicle so the strand gets really strong. Adding protein to your hair in a mask like that is sort of, I repeat sort of, I’m not going to say that it is a chemical process, but all shampoos and conditioners are chemical processes. People don’t understand that. So, a lot of people over-wash or over-clean their hair. It just gets drier and drier and drier. We don’t recommend that. We recommend that you wash your hair once every second or third day, regardless. You can rinse your hair in between.

But, back to the restorative mask, it actually has the most potent ingredients in it. With all that protein, you want to leave it on for five minutes max and then you want to condition with our conditioner right afterwards.

So, while our community is extremely educated about silicones, parabens and sulfates, do you see that this education about hair care and ingredients is taking root in the celebrity world as well? Moroccan Oil, a brand many celebrities prefer, is obviously taking a step in the right direction being sulfate and paraben free. Is that something celebrities are picking up on?

I have a couple clients that go completely, 100 percent organic. I don’t know if that is really such a great thing on your hair myself because I don’t know, especially if your hair is damaged, how you expect to refurbish your hair to bring it back to some kind of life.

What would you say the perception of curly hair is in Hollywood or as far as using curly hair for magazine covers, for which you often style hair?

Shoot, I don’t know. I don’t know what they think. I’m just saying what I see, but you really don’t see much of it, do you? First of all, you have to think of a cover of a magazine and if someone’s hair were really big, it would cover the whole magazine.

I don’t think that Hollywood is a really good representation of it because they are really cookie cutter, especially in the cover world. If you look at covers, it is pretty generic. You could actually take a person on the cover, and she could be on any cover if you took away the title, like the InStyle or the Cosmopolitan.

They used to have their own women. There was a time when Cosmopolitan was all about sexiness and InStyle was more about going to the store and Glamour was more glamorous. Now, they are pretty much generic. I think the curly hair thing, even though it is amazing, it kind of scares people. I don’t know. I don’t know why they wouldn’t use it.

You know I’m doing a cover of InStyle next month and maybe we can do this with Salma [Hayek]. We did it curly, it was shorter and not so massive, on Latina, the last time she was on the cover of Latina.  But, she’s the only one and I think that there is the whole side of it where people don’t want people to be SO different. So they want them to look more approachable.

Do I mean that curly hair is not approachable? No, I don’t mean that at all. I think that more should own it [their curly hair] like Salma owns it.

Any tips for naturally curly women?

When you take the time to do your hair, do it: add the right product, don’t add too much heat.

Everything that you do [at NC.com] is about education and yes, you should be concerned about parabens and sulfates because it is bad for the environment and bad for your hair. Obviously that is a no brainer. But silicones aren’t going to hurt anybody. If it is going to help the health of your hair then by all means, use it! Be smart about how you use hair products.

We’ve tried to make the line as foolproof as possible. You know that when you use Moroccan Oil, it is all about moisture. Everybody is trying to follow the moisture guidelines now. It is interesting when you think about it because why weren’t we all thinking of that before?

When I go to work, the first thing I do is put my hands in my client’s hair to see how it feels. Is it dry, is it oily, what do the ends feel like? It is second nature to me now and I can just tell by touch how much product I can use. And still to this day I start with really small amounts. You can always add on to it.

It is important for people to understand that when you try new products you have to start small. With Moroccan Oil products, though, you really can’t go wrong. Not if you have curly hair.

By Tracey Wallace · Published April 12, 2012

Braided headband: detailed how-to instructions on page 2.

Over the next few months, we’ll be interviewing wavies, curlies and coilies who have used their textured hair to propel their own business ventures and follow their passion. These women (and men!”> serve as inspiration to all of us that, whatever your love in life may be, you can achieve success through it by just being yourself.

We will be sitting down with women who focus their business ventures solely on hair, and others who have just used it as a way to build a community of support around their other passions. It’s true. — this textured hair community that we all have helped build is a strong, positive force in the world, and we encourage YOU to use it wisely.

So to kick off our textured entrepreneurs series, we wanted to get someone in the hot seat who knew curly hair from the inside out. Christina Butcher, founder of the hairstyling website Hair Romance which has garnered an audience of over 5 million in just 18 months. She’s used her passion for hairstyling to build a website, a social media following and even publish a digital book with a second one coming out later this year.

According to Butcher, it takes passion, dedication and following a potentially crazy idea to the end to truly land where you want to be.

Tell us about your curly hair journey. Have you always worn it curly? When and why did you decide to start wearing it natural? 

My hair has changed a lot throughout my life and I love trying different styles. Hair can transform your whole look. A few years ago, I fell into the trend of straightening my hair all the time, but I ended up causing a lot of damage. My hair was completely fried. I had to cut a lot off and nurture my hair to bring it back to life. I started to appreciate my curls when I realized I could lose them. I love wearing my hair curly now.

You talk about how much you used to hate your hair on your site. Can you tell us about that transformation from hate to love?

My hair changed dramatically during puberty. I went from having straight blonde hair to brown curly hair and I hated it. It was fuzzy and always looked a mess, as I had no idea how to style it. To top it off, I had an awful haircut too.

It took me a long time to find a hairdresser who understood my hair, and once I had it cut to enhance the curl, it changed my life. Now I love my hair. Instead of trying to fight my curls, I work with them. The secret is a great haircut and nailing a quick and easy styling routine for your hair.

What is your current hair care routine?

I wash my hair about every 3 to 4 days and I use sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner. I give my hair a deep conditioning treatment every week, too.

I’m always testing out new products for Hair Romance so my styling routine changes a lot. I like to use an argan oil treatment on the ends of my hair, a mousse or volumizer spray on the roots and a curl cream to shape my hair. I usually dry my curls with a diffuser as it’s quicker. I run a serum through at the end to smooth any flyaways.

What are your favorite products?

I love Australian brand Original & Mineral (O&M”> who have just launched in the US. All their products are sulfate and paraben-free and contain natural ingredients, plus they smell delicious.

I use their Hydrate and Conquer shampoo and conditioner and love Frizzy Logic for smoothing my curls. I also find Morocconoil products work really well in my hair. I’m a big fan of styling powders like Aveda pure abundance, too.

What are your go-to curly hairstyles?

I really believe curly hair doesn’t need a complicated hairstyle. It looks beautiful as is, so I often wear my curls out. On day two, when it’s a bit slept on, I use a water spray and a serum to reshape the curls, and on day three, I’ll wear it up in a classic twist and pin hairstyle.

Where do you get ideas for all of your hairstyles? 

I love fashion, so I’ll take inspiration from runway hairstyles or editorials, but make them more wearable. Often, I just grab a bunch of bobby pins and start twisting and pinning. I’ve created some fun styles that way, too.

How did you get the idea to take this online? 

A friend said my hair deserved a daily blog and we laughed about the idea. When I mentioned it to another friend, she loved the idea and it started to grow from there. Soon after, I registered HairRomance.com and I haven’t stopped writing about hair since.

Read on for two quick, easy and only-for-curlies hairstyling how-tos from Christina!

Braided headband: detailed how-to instructions below.

Did you think there would be a massive following or that it could ever get this big?

Never! It’s a complete surprise and I absolutely love it. Hair Romance was my little side project that has taken over everything else and I couldn’t be happier. Who would have guessed there would be 5 million visits to my site in just over a year? I love talking about hair, and this opportunity to keep doing it is fantastic. I want every woman to love her hair and have fun styling it.

Tell us about your social media involvement – specifically with Pinterest. Has the Pinterest movement really helped you as far as notoriety and helping other women with ideas and tutorials?

I’m a visual person, and Pinterest and Instagram are my favorite social media platforms. Pinterest is a huge source of traffic for Hair Romance. I started using Pinterest quite early on, and I share my images, as well as other hair images. I keep my Pinterest page quite focused on hair, so it’s a great place to check if you’re looking for hair inspiration.

You recently launched a digital book, “30 Days of Twist and Pin Hairstyles.” A lot. if not most, of the styles are on straight hair. Do you think that straight hair is more versatile as far as styling, or can these styles also be done on curly hair? 

I had to do a lot of styles for the book and with my hair. It was more predictable to style and photograph with straight hair to produce a similar result. My hair is naturally curly, but I blow-dried it straight before styling the looks for the book.

All my hairstyles can easily be done in curly hair. In fact, curly hair since it holds up styles really well. Curls can even make the styles more interesting.

Do you plan on releasing more digital books in the future? 

I’m working on my second book, “30 Braids in 30 Days” which will be out later in 2012. Braids are a huge trend, and I have some great new ways to wear them in my book, as well as tips for braiding your own hair.

You’ve been featured in Vogue Australia and a number of other publications. What are your views on how major fashion publications see textured/curly hair? 

After a long run of super straight hair in fashion, I’m seeing a lot more texture in hair now. I’d even say perms are back as straight girls try to get the curls.

Any particular trends in hairstyles that we should know about for this year?

Texture is huge at the moment. Messy hair styled with hair powders and sea salt sprays looks gorgeous. The pixie cut is still popular for those that love short hair, and a long textured bob is perfect for those in between.

Could you give us a how-to break down for a signature curly style that is outside the box, as far as typical curly styles go? 

I really believe curly hairstyles don’t need to be complicated. There’s already so much going on with curls, a couple of simple twists to pin your hair off your face and a jeweled accessory looks fabulous.

1. Simple side ponytail: Loosely gather all your hair to your left side. Take a small section of hair behind your left ear and wrap it around to create a hair band. Pin in place underneath. I teased the ponytail section to make it a little bigger, and pulled some hair loose to create a softer finish.
2. Braided headband: Starting above your right ear take a section of hair and split into three. Braid together, but going underneath so that the braid sits on top (a reverse or Dutch braid”>. Keep braiding, following your hairline and adding in hair to the front sections only. Then gently pull at the braid to volumize it and even the shape. I haven’t secured this at all, just left the ends to go back into the rest of my curls. This style wouldn’t hold in straight hair, but works perfectly in curly hair. It’s also great for keeping your bangs off your face.

Do you have any tips or tricks for women with naturally curly hair as far as styling, fighting frizz, etc?

Fighting frizz starts with how you wash your hair. Pick a good moisturizing shampoo and apply conditioner to the ends of your hair. Some women with curly hair can skip the shampoo all together. Give your hair a rinse with cold water at the end.

Don’t rub your hair with a towel to dry it, just squeeze it gently. Then apply a leave in conditioner or oil to the ends to seal them.

Don’t play with your hair. Once you’ve styled it, leave it alone as it will frizz the more you touch it.

Do you have any advice for women looking to go natural? 

Find a good hairdresser and get a good haircut. You need the right shape for your curls to sit well. Ask your friends, or a good-looking stranger where they get their hair done if you don’t know a good salon.

What about following your passion and embracing what you’re good at, which is very much what you have done? Do you have any advice for women thinking about taking the plunge?

If you’ve found your passion, you should definitely follow it, but there’s a lot of planning that also has to happen to make it sustainable. I’ve worked tirelessly over the last 18 months to be able to make this full time, but I still work on other projects too, such as freelance writing and social media consulting in addition to Hair Romance.

You need to have a business plan and work out your cash flow before you quit your full time job. Having a plan in place and goals means you can still enjoy your passion and keep your focus to succeed and build a sustainable business.

Anything else you would like to add?

Life can be serious, but hair doesn’t need to be. Have fun with your hair!

Follow Christina on Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook.

By Tracey Wallace · Published April 9, 2012

FameFlynet

Despite her tendency to straighten out her type 3 curls, Anne Hathaway is a curly girl at heart. From runway shows to the red carpet, her straightened strands nearly always show some form of texture (perhaps unintentional?”> from a slight wave to the natural re-curling that we all have experienced, she might not always embrace the lifestyle, but boy does it want to embrace her!

And, recently, due to her role in “Les Miserables,” she has chopped off her long locks in exchange for a pixie cut. Anne’s role in “Les Miserables” is of Fantine, whose beauty continuously decreases as she attempts to care for both herself and her child, turns to prostitution and then ends up extremely ill with tuberculosis. A short crop, I suppose, is what the director’s are seeing as the proper depiction of a sickly woman?

Okay, social stereotypes aside, we’ve all been there. Once you make the decision, or perhaps have it forced upon you, to chop off a large portion of your hair, there is something about the experience that changes your relationship with your texture. Whether you big chop because you are tired of long-term transitioning or if you just go in for a trim and end up with five less inches, short cuts change your life, especially for women with textured hair.

When our hair begins to regrow, we see, for often the very first times is our conscious or memorable lives, our true texture. For example, before I got my curly cut (which took off more inches than I have ever cut before in my life”>, I thought of my wavy hair as just that: hair. There was nothing special about it, there wasn’t much I could do to revive it. It was a dead conglomerate of cells coming out my head, in the most literal of ways.

But, that curly cut changed something within me. Suddenly I had to learn how to deal with short hair. I had to understand shrinkage. I had to find new signature styles. I had to figure out why there was no root volume, and what the heck I could do to get it. Suddenly I realized that my wavy hair was not something that was separate from my daily life, it was part of me, and that by it being a part of me, I was part of a community of people much bigger than my self.

Next thing I knew, I was deep conditioning and reaching out to all types of textured hair women asking them for tips and advice, whether or not they had a texture type anywhere near my own. See, this community is about education and helping other textures however you can. And this transformation that I honestly believe takes a big cut to realize is what I think is around the corner for Ms. Hathaway.

Whether or not she knows it, that short cut and her curly hair are going to create a different hair care experience for her than ever before. Sure, she has celebrity stylists to take care of her, but when she’s at home and what worked with her long hair simply just doesn’t work anymore, the revelation is going to hit her.

Now, I am no psychic, and while she may turn to wigs and weaves during her transformation, I truly hope she doesn’t. It is rare to see naturally textured hair in Hollywood, and even rarer that we get to witness the transformation from not-so-in-to-my-curls to I-actually-have-the-best-hair-ever!

Viola Davis did it, and now it’s time for a type 3 to do the same.

You go Anne! We’ll be watching and supporting, even if it is only from afar.

By Tracey Wallace · Published March 2, 2012

Is it just me or does it seem like every American Idol season sees more and more wavy, curly and kinky contestants ­– often at the finales too? Maybe textured hair is more accepted in the music industry (think rock-n-roll, hair flipping, so on and so forth”>, but no matter what the reasoning is behind the natural hair explosion across the board in the industry, this curly girl loves it!

Now, I don’t have cable, so I have to resort to Google News for my curly hair gossip and endeavors, at least as far as pop culture goes. That being said, excuse me if you have already been drooling over these curly Idols for weeks now, or at least cheering them on. I applaud you for your enthusiasm, and next time, send a girl an email!

Shannon Magrane

Believe it or not, it is often a rare site to see a type 2 embracing her waves over straightening them, at least over straightening them often. Sure, every girl likes to try on different looks now and then, but wavies have a tendency to stick with the flat iron more often than not. I mean, given that it is pretty easy for a wavy to straighten her hair, and with all of the heat protectant products out there, we can’t really get mad at them. Do you, right?

Anyway, Magrane is only 16, a member of #teamnatural and a reason that this curly might put down her books (yes, I’m a nerd”>, head over to a friend’s house and brag about how easily I can get her hairstyle too!

Jermaine Jones

Oh, Jermaine, how you have captured my heart. Seriously, re-watching his “Dance With My Father” performance as I write this, chill bumps sneaking down my arms. I hardly even notice that he ‘s rocking locs!

Here is what’s catching my attention now that I’ve put the pause on hearing the judges’ comments: in his original contestant picture, he has a buzz cut. If this is, in fact, the amount of growth that he has gained since that picture on this show, then we should all be rocking the protective style. I also need to reach out to him about his routine and share all the juicy hair growth secrets that he obviously keeps hidden under his deep voice with all of you!

DeAndre Brackensick

That’s it. He is my soul mate. A curly crush just won’t do. I need to be up close and personal with his head of hair, immediately. And given that I have tons of curly hair advice (not that he looks like he needs it”>, we will have TONS to talk about.

Side note here, and it’s completely possible this is just me, but did his last performance kind of not go well? I know the judges loved him and I also know that I am no music critic ­– tone deaf, actually – but I would change the station if I heard that voice without seeing the hair. #justsayin

What do you think of the textured finalists?

Shannon Magrane

Jermaine Jones

DeAndre Brackensick

By Tracey Wallace · Published January 4, 2012

Is it just us or are more and more artists using human hair as their medium than ever before? I thought when I stumbled upon a woman in the UK making hair necklaces that were to be featured in the Louvre, that it was a pretty rare point in my career. However, more and more I’m running across “human hair art.”

The newest artist to take up the craft is Sonya Clark who’s newest installation at the San Antonio Southwest School of Arts includes a bantu-knot Confederate flag, a cornrow chair and a wall-covering of Madam CJ Walker, the first African-American millionaire, made out of fine-toothed combs.

Clark, who according to the San Antonio Current would like to be a hairdresser in her next life, said, “Hairdresser’s art has agency – it walks around, you don’t have to go to a gallery to see it.”

Stuck in her non-hairdressing artistry, Clark indeed found another way to incorporate her love in her art.

“The battle flag of the Confederacy is sewn through with black hair fibers; cornrows make the stripes, Bantu knots form the stars and stripes,” Clark said. The piece, she feels, takes the negative symbol of the confederate flag and transforms it.

Even the cornrow chair speaks volumes to a slave-ridden past. The cornrows are invisible from the front and are supposed to depict slave labor’s role in building the country as we know it, even if slavery’s role is invisible or was unacknowledged by those who held the power. In fact, “you could sit on the chair and be blissfully unaware of the back forty,” Clark told the San Antonio Current.

Some of her other work includes a Black hair necklace and a five-dollar bill featuring a natural haired Abe Lincoln.

So where does Clark get the hair? From herself, friends and family of course, making the hair art all that much more personal.

Final Thoughts

These days, hair is being sold on eBay for thousands of dollars, artists are featuring it in their artwork, and us over here at NaturallyCurly are dedicated our day jobs, and a vast majority of our night jobs, to promoting hair. These might not all be interrelated, but hair sure did take front and center in 2011. What’s in store for 2012?

Let us know what you think about the hair art pieces, curlies!

By Tracey Wallace · Published December 17, 2011

Ever wondered how Amanda Seyfried, the star of “Letters to Juliet,” “Dear John,” and “Mamma Mia,” gets her tousled type 2 waves? Simple – don’t wash it!

That’s right, the Hollywood actress admitted to the Belfest Telegraph that she only washes her hair every three days, and uses dry shampoo instead of the in-the-shower liquid stuff. We’re assuming that this means the beauty maven co-washes her hair when she does put water to it.

Want to steal her look, and get healthier waves in the process? Simply skimp out on daily shampoos and opt for, instead, a co-washing habit. Here’s how:

1. Pick up a water-soluble products. Read the product labels here. Look for conditioners and stylers that do not contain silicones — or catch up on which silicones are water-soluble and which aren’t. If you aren’t planning to shampoo, you’ll need to use products that can be washed out easily with just water.
2. In the shower, wet hair throughly and apply a large portion of conditioner to your hair. Your hair needs to be covered and saturated from roots to ends.
3. Noodle your hair. This is just  fancy term for finger combing and detangling. Grab sections of your hair and finger comb tangles out, running your hands through the section in a quick fashion, multiple times. This will rub the conditioner into the hair shaft, basically “washing” it the way that a shampoo would.
4. For your scalp, use the conditioner like you would a shampoo. If you are still rubbing and tousling your scalp in the shower — like they do in the Herbal Essences commercials — stop right now! All that rubbing is bad news for your curls, and only causes more tangles and destroys the curl pattern. Instead, use the same “noodle” method on your scalp, rubbing your hands through the hair to detangle, and then gently massage the conditioner into the scalp. This will cleanse it.
5. If your hair ever feels greasy or dirty, you may need to use a clarifying shampoo to get rid of product buildup. Be sure you only apply the shampoo to the scalp, and use the same method as above. No more Herbal Essences mimicking! Or, just do what Amanda does and use a dry shampoo, instead!

Final Thoughts

Co-washing can take a couple weeks to get used to, and in the meantime, your hair may feel greasier or dirtier than before. It isn’t. Once you get past the initial change, your waves will be curlier and healthier — just like Amanda Seyfried’s!

By Tracey Wallace · Published November 8, 2011

Hair has long been a human fascination. From religions stressing the importance of not cutting it or hiding it, to a new mother’s desire to clip her baby’s first curls and save them for life, hair has a very significant role in both our metaphysical and tangible lives.

In our interview with Kerry Howley, a UK artist who uses human hair to make necklaces, once our hair is not longer on our heads – we tend to find it disgusting. It clogs our drains, it hides in our food, it sticks to our clothes – basically, it’s a pain when not attached to our heads.

Yet despite our fear and loathing of stray strands of hair, these little buggers sure are making quite a bit of cash!

Celebrity Hair on eBay

Back in March, headlines across the country were buzzing about Justin Bieber’s clipped hair which sold for more than $40,000 on eBay. Sound more like a year’s salary to you than a reasonable about of money to pay for hair? Don’t worry – at least the money went to charity.

But the celebrity hair trend on eBay is not over yet! Strands of both Paul McCartney and George Harrison’s hair are being auctioned off over the next three days with benefits going towards funding the Freda Kelly documentary titled, “Good ‘Ol Freda.”

Kelly authenticated both of the men’s hair in the 1960s when she was the Beatles Fan Club Secretary. The strands have been in the possession of the fan club since that time.

“I kept getting letters from fans asking about bits of hair, shirts, ties, etc.” Freda explains. “In the end, I rang hairdressers that they went to, the Horne Brothers, and asked if he could help me. He would telephone me when they were in and I would then go along from the office, which was either in Whitechapel or Moorfields and literally brush up hair as he was cutting it, put in an envelope and send these to fans.”

Hair for a Good Cause

With three days to go on the auction, the Beatles’ hair is now selling for $255 each, which is only expected to grow over the coming days. For the documentary funding, this is great news.

“The organizers of the campaign to raise money to fund a movie about Beatles fan club secretary Freda Kelly announced to backers on Friday that they were almost 2/3 of the way to their goal,” reported BeatlesExaminer.com. “As of Friday night, they said they had 349 backers who have pledged $36,094 from their goal of $50,000, leaving just under $14,000 to go to make their goal.”

The organizers have until 2:59 A.M. EST on Nov. 12 to raise the entire amount of funding necessary – and the auctioning off of hair from Beatles members in their prime is aiding in that effort.

Final Thoughts

I’m not sure if a charitable auctioning off of hair somehow makes it less disgusting, but I am happy to see people using stray hair in positive ways. After all the time we spend pampering it and caring for it, it does seem a shame that we gag at the mere presence of our hair when it’s unattached from our scalp.

By Tracey Wallace · Published October 18, 2011

We hear it all the time from our family, our friends, our significant others, our bosses and the media: naturally curly hair is unruly.

Our families encourage us to straighten our strands to avoid looking messy, our friends occasionally promote our curly hair in an attempt to land the guy themselves, our significant others praise our desire to be ourselves, but won’t deny their love for straight strands. And then you have the professional issue in which women are often discriminated against for their natural locks, with employers claiming that it just isn’t a professional look. Finally, you have the media, the entity backing all of the scrutiny, which blasts advertisements claiming that curly hair needs to be tamed and that we’ve evolved past that.

The underlying tones about how the world’s population feels about curly hair are not difficult to find – we’re just used to them. And it is this being used to them that rattles our world when we realize that we don’t even remember what our natural hair is like, much less if it’s better than the straight, permed and pressed locks to which we are so addicted.

Where are the Curly Heroines?

Most of us haven’t allowed our natural waves, curls and kinks to showcase themselves since elementary school, and despite parental pressures that would have forced it anyway, I bet not a single one of us gave a hoot or holler when our strands were blown, permed or pressed straight.

There’s a pretty substantial reason as to why: we lacked curly hair idols. Every Disney movie from the good ‘ol days featured a heroine with long, straight, thick strands that could encircle her body every time she twirled. Alright, Snow White’s hair was short, but it was still straight and thick!

It wasn’t until 2010 that a potential curly princess was introduced in “The Princess and The Frog,” and we still aren’t even so sure that her hair is really curly.

Sesame Street to the Rescue

There is hope on the horizon my curly friends and parents — Sesame Street is making sure that our curly children will indeed have curly heroines.

For the second time in a little over a year, Sesame Street is making waves in the natural hair community, promoting curls and kinks in ways that no one has!

First, back in October of 2010, Sesame Street released the hit single, “I Love My Hair,” showcasing a black Muppet with curly hair singing about all the ways her natural curls are down right beautiful.

Addressing one of the biggest issues in the natural hair community, and doing it without blatantly calling out the issue, that same Muppet sings, “Change the World,” with her two natural hair friends about how she can become anything she wants, even President – all the while remaining naturally curly.

Sesame Street is hammering it home to young girls everywhere, especially young curly girls, that anything is possible no matter who you are or what you look like. In the song, the Muppet becomes a judge, a doctor, an astronaut and the CEO of the United States – and her natural hair chugs along with her.

I can’t predict the future, but I do have a pretty firm grasp of the past and I have this deep-rooted, gut feeling that if I had ever seen a natural curly as a heroine, princess or doctor, it wouldn’t have taken me until my 22nd birthday to embrace my natural texture.

Here’s to you, Sesame Street, for paying attention to popular culture and noticing prejudices that have become so mainstream that even those who experience the bias first-hand don’t notice anymore. Thanks for not only taking note, but for deciding to make a change, make a difference and change the future.

Final Thoughts

Watch the music video and tell us what you think!

By Tracey Wallace · Published October 3, 2011

Here it is again, another October bringing with it cooler weather, Halloween and turning the nation’s focus to breast cancer awareness and prevention. According to Breastcancer.org, 12% of the women in the U.S. will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime. That comes down to one in eight of us.

And while these statistics sound daunting, the truth is that the death rate, while still expected to claim nearly 40,000 lives this year alone, has been decreasing since 1990. Not surprisingly, that comes only five years after National Breast Cancer Awareness Month was started in 1985 as a partnership between the American Cancer Society and the pharmaceutical division of Imperial Chemical Industries, the maker of multiple anti-breast cancer medications.

Even before that, however, the road to decreasing breast cancer deaths and increasing awareness was already being paved. The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure began in 1982, and since its grassroots days, has raised more than $1.9 billion for breast cancer research and awareness promotion.

In 1991, as Breast Cancer Awareness was making a real impact in the lives of those affected by the disease, the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure handed out pink ribbons to all of its participants. In 1993, with deaths continuing to decrease, the Estee Lauder Companies founded The Breast Cancer Research Foundation and established the pink ribbon as the official symbol of the movement.

Today, you would be hard-pressed to not be personally affected by all the breast cancer awareness promotion throughout October. Whether you read an article, buy curly hair products that promise to give back to the cause, or just notice that pink has taken over October is the perfect time to reflect on the women we love, and the disease that threatens to take them from us.

Brands Giving Back & How You Can Help!

Staying true to our natural hair roots, and with a nod in the Breast Cancer Awareness corner, we sought out curly hair product brands who are giving back this month so that you can and your hair can look fabulous: today, tomorrow, during chemo and beyond. Because there will be a beyond chemo.

Give Back, Get Product, Look Great!

• Joico: Quadraion Pro-Dryer, Joimist Firm Spray, JoiWhip Mousse, K-PAK Deep Penetrating Reconstructor
• Natural Hair Affair: Strand Aid, Soultanicals Special Attention Hair Repair
• Hair Flairs: Breast Cancer Edition Hair Feather Extensions
• Hair Therapy Wrap: a hair therapy wrap
• Streak for Cancer: streaked hair with 12 strands of tinsel
• SHE: Pink Hair for Hope all-natural hair extensions
• MopTop: 10 percent discount
• Beecology: 10 percent donation

1. Joico – “Beauty For a Cure”

2. Natural Hair Love Affair

3. Hair Flairs

4. Hair Therapy Wrap

5. Streak for Cancer

6. SHE by So.Cap.USA Extensions

7. MopTop

8. Beecology

Give Back, Get Product, Look Great!

• FHI Heat: GO Flat Iron
• Kenra Professional: Kenra Volume Spray 25, Kenra Platinum Blow-Dry Spray
• Pravana: Pravana Super Shape Hair Spray, Intense Therapy Leave-In Treatment
• HairUWear: Heat-friendly wigs that look and feel like natural hair
• InfraShine: a bright pink medium or 1-inch ClassicLine MST styling iron
• Oster Professional: Pink version of the Oster Professional Classic 76 Clipper
• Ouidad: donation matching program
• Curly Hair Solutions: 8 oz. Curl Keeper product
• AG Hair: Fast Food Leave On Condition
• Miss Jessie’s: Spring fundraiser
• Farouk Chi: Limited Edition Pink Flat Iron

9. FHI Heat

10. Kenra Professional Partners

11. Pravana

12. HairUWear

13. InfraShine

14. Oster Professional

15. Ouidad

16. Curly Hair Solutions

17. AG Hair

18. Miss Jessie’s

19. Farouk Chi

Final Thoughts

So, to wrap it, October rocks. Cooler weather means less frizz for our curls, and all of these hair giveaways and donations means that come Halloween, your conscience will be fully prepared to indulge on some much needed candy. You, and all women, deserve that!

Tell us what YOU are doing for Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

By Tracey Wallace · Published September 16, 2011

With the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it is sometimes easy to get caught up in what is going on in our day-to-day lives and forget about treating our hair with the attention that it deserves. But treating our hair well with deep conditioning treatments and hair rinses will help it to grow longer faster, prevent shedding or hair loss, increase shine, eliminate frizz, and the list just goes on!

Apple cider will soon be the drink of the season, so why not make a rinse out of the plethora that will exist at the grocery store? This apple cider and vinegar rinse will help to rejuvenate your hair and get it back to looking healthy and full of life!

Apple Cider Vinegar Hair Rinse

The apple cider and vinegar hair rinse is a simple way to restore the healthy sheen that you desire  as well as remove unwanted hair build up. No matter how well you take care of your hair, or how high quality the ingredients are in the products that you use on a regular basis, shampoos and conditioners still leave build up behind.

This hair rinse is an easy at home rinse that gives you the option of using products typically found in your kitchen to enhance your beautiful curls. It will also help to balance the PH levels of your hair and kill bacteria that may be caused from buildup left behind by your products.

What You’ll Need

• Apple cider vinegar
• Distilled water
• Plastic bottle for storing the concoction
• A clarifying shampoo like CURLS Pure Curls Clarifying Shmpoo

Directions

1. Take 1/3 cup of the apple cider vinegar and mix it together with 1 quart of distilled water. You can store this in any type of container that you have, such as a plastic water bottle that will hold the mixture. Keep the bottle in your shower or bath so you’ll be ready to do the rinse any time.
2. Start by shampooing your hair and rinsing the shampoo out very well. After that, you will then apply the apple cider vinegar mixture to your hair and scalp. Be careful not to get the mixture in your eyes because it may burn. Leave the rinse on your hair and scalp for between 30 seconds to a minute and then rinse out with cold water. The cold water will help seal the hair shaft leaving your hair with more shine!
3. Towel dry your strands. The last thing you need to do is towel dry your hair. The vinegar smell will disappear shortly and you’ll be left with healthy, shiny hair!

You can even turn this rinse into an herbal rinse by adding lavender, rosemary, lemon, or rose essential oils to it. This rinse can be used on a weekly basis if you choose.

Before starting this process, it is important to keep in mind that if you have color-treated hair or processed hair, it is advised to use an alternative method. This is suggested because the acetic acid in the rinse is a harsh clarifier and will strip you hair of color.

If your strands aren’t color-treated, try it out and let us know how much those curls of yours love it!

By Tracey Wallace · Published September 15, 2011

Growing your hair out can be a long and exhausting process, and adding uneven hair growth to the mix can make it that much more agonizing. But fear not ladies: we will uncover the truth about uneven hair growth and figure out how to overcome it!

There are many different reasons behind why your curly hair may not be growing evenly. Each reason is specific to the situation of the person currently going through this issue.

Uneven hair growth can be caused by the food you eat, your level of stress, the amount of moisture that your hair is receiving and just plain old genetics. If you are currently experiencing uneven growth in your curly hair, take a look at your lifestyle as a first step to diagnosing the problem. After that, look at how you care for your hair, and the way that your parents’ hair grows, as well.

Myths & Facts

The Truth Behind Uneven Hair Growth

Many people believe that the way they are taking care of their hair doesn’t have anything to do with the way that it is growing, or what is going on underneath your scalp. This is definitely false. Since curly hair can be the most delicate of all the different hair types, you must be careful about the treatments, tools, and products that you’re are using on your hair follicles. Chemicals, heat, and relaxers all play a huge role in the growth and breakage of the hair.

Another huge myth is that it doesn’t matter how you take care of your hair, because it will always grow the same. The growth of the hair is actually directly related to the way that your hair is being cared for. Using deep conditioners and high quality products will keep your curly hair healthy and growing properly.

Learn the myths and facts about hair growth. »

Conditioning well and often is crucial to hair growth! »

Never underestimate the power of a good diet. Try quinoa! »

Which Products Are Best?

Combat the Problem with Proper Hair Care

Many people believe that the way they are taking care of their hair doesn’t have anything to do with the way that it is growing, or what is going on underneath your scalp. This is definitely false. Since curly hair can be the most delicate of all the different hair types, you must be careful about the treatments, tools, and products that you’re are using on your hair follicles. Chemicals, heat, and relaxers all play a huge role in the growth and breakage of the hair.

• Rosemary oil – Rosemary oil has been used for centuries to help both stimulate hair growth as well as act as preventative method for hair loss. This oil is typically used by adding a few drops to shampoos, conditioners, lotions and rinses.
• Vitamins – By taking a daily multi-vitamin, you will be providing your body with essential vitamins and minerals that will help to stimulate healthy hair growth. The process of growing hair in a healthy manner depends just as much on how you are treating your hair on a daily basis as it does with what foods, vitamins, and minerals you’re eating.
• Jamaican black castor oil – Jamaican black castor oil has been used for thousands of years to enhance your overall hair growth. This oil can be used with all different hair types by massaging a few drops each day on the part of the scalp that needs to be growing appropriately.
• Organic root stimulators – Organic root stimulators help stimulate the roots of your hair follicles naturally, and can be applied in the morning and at night to encourage parts the roots of your scalp to grow properly again.

Learn how to prevent hair loss with rosemary oil. »

What exactly is castor oil and how does it work? »

The facts about organic root stimulators and jojoba oil. »

The Process

Start Growing Hair Evenly

Because everyone is different, every woman must find the best process for her in order to help stimulate even hair growth. The following is a general guide to help you on your journey.

1. Health first! Eat a nutritious diet and get an adequate amount of exercise for healthy hair.
2. More fun, less stress. Live a stress free lifestyle. Be sure to prioritize your duties on a weekly basis. Planning will help to relieve stress, as will lots of bubble baths! 
3. Moisturize! Moisture is essential to curly hair care. Be sure that you are doing a deep conditioning treatment at least once a week to ensure that your curls are getting all the moisture they need.
4. Experiment. Try out top of the line curly hair products and treatments with quality ingredients, and if you haven’t gone sulfate free yet, it’s time to rid yourself of the bad-for-your-curls products and ingredients.
5. Be gentle. Make sure that you are always taking care of your hair by keeping it clean and being gentle. Remember not to pull too tightly when braiding hair or pulling it back in a ponytail. This can cause scalp stress as well as hair breakage, and eventually, hair loss. Wearing a silk cap to bed also helps a great deal!
6. Ask for help. Talk to your doctor to find out if any prescription medication you are taking may be limiting your hair growth. If it is, then ask to be switched to a different prescription medication, if possible. If you don’t ask, you’ll never know!

8 simple tips for relieving stress and gaining more energy! »

Be creative with moisturizers. You can even try yogurt! »

Be gentle on your strands and don’t pull them back too tightly! »

Hard & Fast Take-Aways

• Identify what is causing your uneven hair growth: medication, products, genetics?
• Start using higher quality products that are sulfate free and encourage hair health.
• If all else fails, talk to your doctor to see if your prescriptions may be causing the uneven growth. If so, swap them out!

By Tracey Wallace · Published September 8, 2011

Fall fashion trends are upon us as boutiques and chains across the country swap out their summer dresses for their fall frocks. Shoes and sweaters may abound and offer a shopper a fully fall outfit before October hits, but what hair color trends will be rocking both the runways and your hometown mall this season?

Hair Color Trends

Stylist Allen Ruiz, owner of Jackson Ruiz SalonSpa, says redheads like Christina Hendricks and Florence Welch will be peddling the hot hue trend for the fall.

“Women with any red in their skin should stay away,” says Allen Ruiz. “For those with naturally dark hair, go for a darker red. For blondes, try a strawberry or copper.”

With the fashionably forward bandwagon heading towards autumn reds for their tresses, trying it out and treating it, remember that color protecting products will have your hue outlasting Halloween, and even that turkey dinner.

Styling Products

Of course, color isn’t the only concern forward-focused curlies are considering. Styling options for those new outfits are in order.

Regardless of hair color trends, this fall season, curls are in. According to Ruiz, straight-haired women are adding product and heat to their locks and scrunching to create texture and curl. For those already curly, Ruiz describes the texturing process that creates the “rougher, matted” texture that is becoming all the rage.“Apply product to dry hair, such as Aveda Volumizing Tonic, until hair is about 70% wet,” explains Ruiz. “Then, twist sections of hair and hit with hot air and continue around the head.”

Color Protecting Products

• Innersense Color Radiance Daily Conditioner
• Abba Pure Color Protect Conditioner
• Kenna Color Maintenance Shampoo

For the curly-haired women looking for a new style sans the heat, elongated curls are expected to be a big hit this fall. To achieve the look, Ruiz recommends styling “around the face.”You should aim for less curl around the face, and use a clay or wax product on dry hair to tone down texture, allowing softer curls to frame your face.

Fall Hairstyles

As for up and coming cuts this fall, Ruiz says that he sees no real trend.

“I have clients coming in and asking for everything from Emma Watson to Kim Kardashian to Jennifer Aniston’s new collarbone length cut.”

With women taking cues from stylish celebrities this fall, curly-tressed women can pick and choose their own desired cuts from the Hollywood lot.

“The collarbone length is great, though,” Ruiz suggests. “You can feel like you still have a lot of hair and put it up, but it’s still manageable.”

Final Thoughts

Overall, every season has fleeting fashions and hair color trends, but red hues, scrunched tresses and elongated curls are in for the long haul. So stock up on waxes, volumizing sprays and color protecting products while you can — they are sure to be absent from shelves as fall closes in and the trends skyrocket.

Besides, it never ever hurts to get the information and product first — you trendsetter, you.

By Tracey Wallace · Published August 29, 2011

Being a curly-haired woman can sometimes feel like you picked the short straw of life. Rain often equals disaster, our wallets feel the weight of our curled strands and our straight-haired sisters seem to get all the attention. Being curly is  a minority of sorts — at least in the way the hair type and texture is treated — even though we control more than half of the world’s population.

Recently, however, curly hair has taken more of a front seat — at least as fall approaches. Every fall, without fail, the runaways fill up with curly models showcasing their “woodsy” locks, and the media consistently  comments on the look — more so than your average winter, spring or fall straight hair, bright highlights or feathers would be commented on.

For the most part, I take no offense to the trend. I figure it is just some fashionista artistic thing that I won’t ever fully understand, plus it makes for some great curly news. However, if you have been paying any attention to the articles being published on here over the past month, you’d notice that there seems to be a slightly different trend to this fall’s curly hair take-over.

The New York Times’ Curly Hair Hero

U.S. Representative Schultz and her husband arrive for a State Dinner honoring German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House in Washington.

We all know that curl bashing is nothing new. What is uncommon, however, is for a publication such as the New York Times to hand out some curly love.

The New York Times recently published a story titled, “Making Waves, With No Apologies” featuring runway models, Taylor Swift, Rebekah Brooks and, my personal favorite, Florida congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Schultz has wavy hair, and she’s not afraid to show it. She has defied popular culture and worn her natural waves for as long as this curly can remember — and not without some fierce rebuttal.

Fox News anchor Monica Crowley ignored Schultz’s political opinion in a recent interview and focused on her hair instead calling her, “She of the angry perm.”

Unfortunately, Crowley isn’t alone in her curly hair ignorance. Stephen Colbert, in all his glory, joked about the congressman’s hair, calling her the “home perm after model.”

To this, Schultz simply replied, “I thought it was hysterical. My hair has always been a subject of conversation. I have a lot of it!”

The New York Times columnist praises Schultz as a curly hair hero for staying on topic, ignoring negative comments about her hair, and always looking professional, put together and just plain awesome — curls and all.

As for myself, I have to agree — despite the multitudes of blog posts and comments stating things such as, “Her style is 1960’s, greasy, dirty, hippie. Some fashion statement,” and “You’ve got to be kidding me! She’s a dog, plain and simple.”

Final Thoughts

Debbie Wasserman Schultz stands her ground, proving that curly hair and professions in which straight locks are seemingly required, can definitely go together — and with power and oomph, too!

By Tracey Wallace · Published August 15, 2011

Skeeter’s, Emma Stone, curly hair. Photo courtesy of DreamWorks.

I’m not really a movie goer myself, nor do I much pay attention to the newest crazes, fads and personalities in Hollywood, but Emma Stone has intrigued and amused even this curly. Her different beauty screams, “Je ne sais quoi,” and her seemingly laissez-faire attitude had me charmed even during “Superbad.”

All French clichés aside, Emma Stone is a fresh take on old Hollywood, and I willingly give up my Saturday nights to watch movies she’s in. So, it should come as no surprise that when I first saw the trailer for “The Help” starring Ms. Stone, I was stoked. Better yet, her straight strands turned curly for the role.

As history has it, women with curly hair are to Hollywood as Yankees are to the Deep South: outsiders. Hair has been straightened to show refinement, or curled to show rebellion. Rarely is a curly haired heroine present, and if she is, she is portrayed as strong-willed but messy and unruly. Knowing that history is the best teacher, I contained my excitement until I could figure out just who Stone’s leading character, Eugenia ‘Skeeter’ Phelan, is.

Who is Eugenia ‘Skeeter’ Phelan?

The woman on the right’s hair is the curliest it gets, besides Emma Stone’s. Photo courtesy of DreamWorks.

As I expected, Skeeter is an outsider, but in a day and age where the 1960’s are no longer idealized — and a source of cultural embarrassment concerning how others were treated — she is a good outsider. Her curly hair set her apart from her less educated, extremely domesticated white female friends.

Skeeter is the only one with a college degree, and the only one without a husband. Her struggles to land a position doing what she loves, writing, has her back in her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi, in which she is ridiculed for her education, for her bare ring finger and for her curly hair.

However, Skeeter does find herself a position, as a domestic duties columnist, in which she discovers and embraces the opportunity to call out her white friends’ mistreatment of the black “help” they so insanely rely upon. In doing so, she calls attention to a problem that many wanted uncovered, and that others would fight to keep hidden.

However, for curlies like me, this movie is about more than a heroines adventure; it is about changing the status quo, whether you’re black, white, curly or straight haired.

Media Reaction to Stone’s Curly Hair

Unfortunately, large media corporations do not agree. A Fox News story titled, “Emma Stone Goes Frizzy for ‘The Help’: Who Has the Worst Movie Hair?” stated, “Skeeter is the nice one who can’t land a husband – and she also happens to be the reason why flat-irons were invented.”

Did you just gasp? Me too. And, we aren’t the only ones.

The story is generating comments stating, “Funny, I thought she looked much better with her hair curly.  What’s with all these women and their long straight hair these days? Everyone looks alike,” and “Not sure what the problem is here. Since when is curly hair a bad thing? I think she looks pretty good!”

Obviously, Hollywood’s subliminal attempt at convincing the world that curls should be straightened to fit into cultural norms lured Fox News in. Thankfully, their readers weren’t as persuaded – and neither are we!

Finally, a curly female character who isn’t only an outsider, but ahead of her time, which makes her outsider position all the better.

Final thoughts

One qualm I do have with the film: why aren’t any of the black women curly? Unless all of those women let their natural hair loose at the end of the film, I’m confused about why the producer didn’t continue the curly-themed differentiation, and power, throughout.

So, has anyone seen it? Do they let their hair down in the end? Let me know.

By Tracey Wallace · Published July 13, 2011

In an interview with Elle magazine, Andre Walker, stylist to Ms. Oprah Winfrey herself for more than two decades, dropped this bomb: “I always recommend embracing your natural texture. Kinky hair can have limited styling options; that’s the only hair type I suggest altering with professional relaxing.”

It’s hard enough if you’re transitioning to natural hair without adding in the bias and opinions of your friends, family—or even your stylist.And with that, Mr. Walker just proved that logic does trump subconscious, because if Oprah’s hair guy is against kinked tresses, do we even want to know who else is?

As curly girls, all of us have ventured in to at-home product recipes and remedies now and again, but somewhere inside each of us there is that small voice (probably the remnants of some commercial that made an annoying impression on our subconscious”> encouraging us that stylists know all and can help our limp, frizzy, dried out, over-styled, under-cared-for tresses.

For the unlucky ones in the group, albeit the majority, each salon trip ends in a myriad of wet cuts, blow-dried hair and fancy talk about how weird it is that your locks frizz up at the sight of heat, even with this super-special product that they are now pressuring you to buy.

For many of us, there is a realization that comes from being a curly girl in a straight-haired salon—I stand up for my hair, or no one does.

And if you have been one of the lucky ones, reluctant yet to see stylists for what they might be (glorified groomers”> or you have been even luckier and found a stylist who sees you for who you are, it may be time for a reality check.

With professional, celebrity stylists like Andre Walker believing that kinky tresses are best treated with a straightening agent, it is no wonder that transitioning to natural hair is a scary journey to trek. Stylists aren’t even in it with us!

Andre Walker’s recent comments haven’t earned him many fans in the natural hair community.

One commenter points out, “Sad, this is why so many women feel they can’t go natural, when “professional hair stylists” shame their natural hair texture and suggest relaxers.”

Of course, we aren’t the only ones getting frazzled over his statement. One Elle reader states:

“Oh Andre. You can do better than that. Natural hair is so versatile. The styles we can choose from are diverse and stylish. Saying that kinky hair is the only hair that should have chemicals poured on it is pretty lame. I suspect the comment has more to do with your personal aesthetics or lack of skills to work with any kind of Afro hair.”

Fortunately, Andre Walker did offer a rebuttal to his original statement:

“It is a fact that kinky hair (my Type 4 definition”> is extremely fragile and breaks easily. Even when you are very careful, something as simple as combing can break this texture. It is very difficult to achieve a longer length when the hair breaks, even with simple combing. That being said, there is the style option of wearing braids, dreads, or twists, which allows the hair to grow longer because it is combed less often. Another style choice is to simply wear a shorter cut, which is very attractive on some women but just not right for others.

So when I say to embrace your natural texture, but consider relaxing kinky hair, am I contradicting myself? I don’t think so! You see, even relaxed hair can still be worn naturally. If you want a natural look, but find that your kinky hair is difficult to manage, breaks too easily, lacks shine and luster, and limits your preferred styling options, I say feel free to consider a mild chemical relaxer, sometimes called a texturizer, that eases your hair to a more manageable texture and allows you to Make Peace With Your Hair.”

Commenters across the web, however, just aren’t taking kindly to Andre Walker’s words—rebutted or not—because, overall, Walker is just plain wrong.

Perhaps not all Type 4 women opt for transitioning to natural hair, but for all of us who choose natural and healthy over straightened and damaged, let it be known that offense has been taken and a note has been made—never let a stylist’s opinion deter your transitioning trek.

By Tracey Wallace · Published July 9, 2011

In a period of human civilization where in which differences such as race and sex begin to play smaller and smaller roles as to what jobs you can have, the salaries you can make, the clothes you can wear and even the people you can be, it still sadly comes as no shock that stereotypes and biases force employees to change their looks, beliefs and even personalities to fit in.

The battle for equality is long from won for people of all races and sexes. Stereotypes don’t disappear from popular culture overnight, nor can you change the opinions of those in power in a matter of years. Unfortunately, change takes time, and for those employees with curly hair out there facing pressure to straighten their locks, the change countdown is moving all too slowly.

Meet Samira Ahmed, senior news presenter, who has been working at Channel 4 News in the UK for the past 11 years. Earlier this week, Ahmed announced her departure from the media company after being told that her hair was too “scruffy” for TV.

According to the Daily Mail, “Her decision to leave comes after claims that she was repeatedly told by executives that Channel 4 chiefs did not like her hair.”

In addition, their sources have said that Ahmed had been called into a room before in order for her bosses to point out, using pictures, what was wrong with her. Channel 4 News denies recognition of this version of events and says instead that they are “focused on the fantastic new appointments to our presenting line-up.”

Ahmed has already secured a position at the BBC.

Unfortunately, this is not the first story to appear in popular media concerning curly hair stereotypes and public dislike.

Khloe Kardashian recently admitted that her hair was so unruly and curly as a child that her mother hid it under huge bows, earning criticism and laughs from her two sisters. Then, it was only a couple years ago that “Millionaire Matchmaker” star, Patti Stanger, instructed all female clients to straighten their hair if they wanted a rich dude.

No doubt we have all heard it before ourselves: “Your hair looks so pretty straight,” “Why don’t you straighten more often,” or even, “Your curly hair is ugly!”

So, my curly friends, while I don’t have an easy answer to stop all of the curly hair stereotypes and hate, I will quote some popular American rhetoric and Howard Beale, “All I know is that first, you’ve got to get mad. You’ve got to say, ‘I’m a human being, dang it! My life has value!’”

After all, anger poised in a positive direction spurs change, and, my curly ladies and gentlemen, we have got to spur change, stand up and say, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!”

Curly hair is just as natural as brown eyes, red hair or dark skin, and the test of time has dealt it a very biased hand. Fortunately, all of us have the power to change that image for the curlies who come after us.

We may not be the ones guilty of creating the curly hair stereotype, but we can be the ones who change it.

By Tracey Wallace · Updated May 28, 2024

Photo courtesy of NBC.com

After losing more than half of his body weight Tuesday night, curly-headed Michael Ventrella became the ninth Biggest Loser in the show’s history. And boy, did he deserve it. Michael started the contest at 526 lbs, making him the heaviest contestant that season. It tugged at my heart strings every time he would tell America that, as much weight as he was losing, he was still weighing in at the same weight that other contestants had started the competition at. But his 264 lb weight loss at last night’s finale blew all other previous contestants’ victories out of the water and had me jumping up and down in my living room clapping with the rest of the audience.

What really made Michael stand out to me at the start was that incredible hair of his. Sure, it was slicked back during weigh-ins, but once it was time to work out, there it was, sticking out on top of his sweat headband like a giant puffball. I was worried that they’d just give up and shave it all off during makeover week, but the end result was a clean-cut, short curly style (I can’t say the same of the pompadour they gave Daris that week, but it looked much better at the finale”>.

I was pleasantly surprised to see lots of textured love at the season finale, from fellow finalist Ashley’s loose waves to Sunshine’s long, gorgeous curls. Check out the finale photos on the official website.

What do you think of the contestants’ hair at the finale? Did anyone stand out? Who’s transformation did you think was most dramatic?

Also, did anyone else realize that if America had not voted to keep Daris in, Koli would have won the whole thing with his 53% weight loss?

—Stephanie Hein