Curly Girl

The Curly Girl manifesto is back, now completely revised, updated, and expanded by more than a third with all-new material. Created by curly hair evangelist Lorraine Massey—the go-to curl expert featured in Allure, InStyle, Lucky, Seventeen, and The New York Times, and founder of several curly salons and curly products in New York City—Curly Girl is the surprising bible for the 65 percent of women with naturally curly or wavy hair and a desire to celebrate it.

Curly Girl is packed with unique and fail-proof hair-care methods, inspiration, and an empowering pro-curl attitude. It’s all here: daily routines for Botticelli, fractal, and wavy curls; Lorraine’s no-more-shampoo epiphany—handle your hair as gently as you do your best cashmere sweater; homemade lotions and potions. New to this edition: an illustrated, step-by-step guide to trimming your own hair (remember: it’s not what you take off; it’s what you leave on); a section on the particular needs of wavy hair; Lorraine’s Down-and-Dirty Curly Boy Routine; more fabulous ’dos for weddings and other special occasions; a chapter on multicurltural hair written by an African American specialist. Plus, updated information on green and chemical-free products, 20 new Q&As, and a DVD with tutorials on caring for four different types of curls. From now on, there’s no such thing as a bad hair day.
 

Ironing your hair. Wrapping it. Setting it on juice cans (or, worse, soup cans). Plastering it with Dippity-Do. Since the Sixties, women with curly or wavy hair have been denying the obvious and trying to get that stick-straight look. Curls are finally in again, but a lot of curly types have no idea how to drop the blow dryer and let nature take its course. Along comes Massey, founder and co-owner of Devachan, a New York salon catering to these women. Part inspiration (you, too, can shed your inhibitions and discover your inner curl) and part instruction, this book gives excellent advice for cutting, styling, and caring for curly hair. Massey begins by explaining how curly hair differs from straight hair. She then distinguishes among three types of curly hair (corkscrew, Botticelli, and wavy), explains how to decide your type, and provides a detailed program for each. Helpful illustrations and entertaining "Curly Girl Confessions" abound. Massey's enthusiasm is infectious, her advice is clear and cogent, and her book is unique; there is as yet nothing else out there to help curly girls manage their hair. The 71/2" by 61/2" format and a few worksheet pages may seem problematic for libraries, but ignore all that. Some 65 percent of your women patrons have curly or wavy hair, and they need this book. Highly recommended for public libraries. [Coming in August from Three Rivers Press is hairstylist Ouidad's Curl Talk. Ed.] Barbara Hoffert, "Library Journal.
- Barbara Hoffert, "Library Journal"
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

"There's a curly wave sweeping the nation and Lorraine Massey is leading the charge." -- Dallas Morning News

Say no to shampoo, unplug the dryer, and find your inner curl

Celebrate the beauty of curls in a buoyant how-to, manifesto, and curly girl support group all in one.

Beginning with hair's true nature and underscored by Lorraine's Shampoo Epiphany - handle your hair as gently as you do your best cashmere sweater - it's all here: the care, the styling, the cuts, the dos, the tips, the products, the remedies, the attitude.

Tight coils and soft wavy tresses, African American curls and curly kids - this is what to do to look and feel your best.

Includes: Curly Cues and Quizzes, Daily Routines for Corkscrew, Botticelli, and Wavy Curls, Homemade Lotions & Potions, Q&A's for No More Bad Hair Days, Twelve-Step Recovery Program that will change your life, one shampoo at a time.

Plus: I Used to be Straight....And 22 Other Curly Girl Confessions

Michele Bender, co-author of Silver Hair and Curly Girl, is an award-winning freelance writer. She has co-authored best-selling books, such as Believe Me with Yolanda Hadid and The Immune System Recovery Plan with Dr. Susan Blum. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Glamour, Real Simple and Family Circle, among other national publications.

Lorraine Massey is the author of Curly Girl: The Handbook, founder of Devachan Salons, and cofounder of DevaCurl products. She now works independently, teaching the Curl by Curl™ cutting technique and leading the movement to more natural hair care products with the launch of her new company, CurlyWorld ™.

QUIZ: Are You a Curly Girl?

If spring is not just in the air, but in your hair, you might be a curly girl. Just take the following quiz, and find out if the Curly Girl: The Handbook holds the secrets to your future hair success.

1. Do you often wear your hair tied back in a ponytail?

2. Does your hair develop volume in humid, hot, or wet weather?

3. Does your hair make you feel out of control?

4. Do you find yourself crying after every haircut?

5. Look at old photographs and recall how you felt about your hair--and yourself--on the day the picture was taken. Was there a strong correlation between your hair and your mood?

6. Do you almost always have a haze of frizz around your head?

7. Do you blow-dry your hair so often that its texture is as dry and brittle as a piece of melba toast?

8. Does your budget for products to straighten or relax your hair exceed your annual tax-deductible contributions to charity?

9. Do you live in fear of humidity, sweating, spontaneous sex, a shower with your lover--or any weather or activity that might unmask you as a curly girl?

10. Are you almost always unhappy with your hair?

11. Do you worry about your hair before any big occasion, like a wedding or an important business meeting?

If you answered yes to one or more questions, congratulations! You know who you are. You're a curly girl waiting to happen. Your hair is bristling with movement longing to break free, waves aching to curl, frizz begging for direction.