Curly Girl: The Handbook

Curl Power

Curls are like snowflakes or fingerprints. No two are alike, making it difficult to generalize about curly hair. Your hair really will evolve once you know how to care for and style it. But first you have to identify your curl style . . .

You know you have corkscrew curls if you have:

Curls that contract as tightly as a French poodle’s if cut too short.

Lots of small spirals.

A high frizz factor.

Hair that appears thickly textured when you look at it all together but is actually baby-fine and delicate when you look at a single strand. (This is why your hair breaks so easily.)

Hair the soaks up as much conditioner as you feed it.

Tangles and snarls under the top layer of hair at the nape of the neck. (This is caused by the natural movement of the head throughout the day.)

A spring factor of 9 to 12 inches.

You know you have botticelli curls if you have:

Curls that vary in size and shape. Underneath you may have hermit curls that can shrink to half the length of those on the outside. (This is another reason not to cut your hair wet.)

Curls that tend to be looser, in the shape of soft S’s, combined with those that are tight.

Curls that have a ropier appearance.

Hair the seems to wilt if it gets too long. (This is because the weight of the top layer weighs the hair down.)

Curls that are looser during some seasons and tighter during others.

A spring factor of 5 to 8 inches.

You know you have corkicelli curls if you have:

Varying curl patterns throughout your hair’s overall landscape: for example, significantly tighter curls around the face and at the nape of the necks, while the rest of the hair is much looser, or vice versa. (Curls should never be cut when wet, because you would not recognize these distinct curl patterns on a wet, combed surface.)

Drier hair with a higher frizz factor if not hydrated properly.

Curly hair throughout all seasons.

Hair that appears longer or shorter depending on the weather and humidity.

A spring factor of 5 to 10 inches.

You know you have cherub curls if you have:

Had curly hair from birth.

Baby-fine curl spirals that resemble the hair of a young child whether you’re eight years old or eighty.

Curls that seem as delicate as gold leaf because they easily disperse with outside interferences such as wind, moving around while you sleep, or too much touching.

Curls that are weightless to the touch and have a translucency to them like a halo.

A variety of curl lengths on your head.

Curls that take a long time to grow and never seem to grow past a certain point. (Don’t worry, they will grow with the right care.)

Curls that have a shorter life span because they’re so fragile that they break easily.

A spring factor of 5 to 10 inches.

You know you have wavy curls if you have:

Hair that you’ve always believed was straight.

Had straight hair when you were very young and possibly wavy hair after puberty.

Hair that occasionally develops a natural wave after coming out of the shower at the beach.

A slight halo of frizz and frizz on the ends of the hair on humid days.

Hair that has a tendency to look unmaintained and flat on the crown.

Hair that can appear straight in the winter.

Hair that is dry on the ends.

A spring factor of 2 to 4 inches.

You know you have s’wavy curls if you have:

Hair that may appear straight in the winter with no effort. In fact, you have to work to get waves in your hair.

Low to no frizz factor.

A natural shine.

A slight bend at the ends of your hair, depending on the length.

Hair that looks better when it’s layered.

A spring factor of 1 to 2 inches.

You know you have fractal or zigzag curls if you have:

Curls that might be described as twizzles, mircro-spirals, or fractal corkscrews.

An almost steplike pattern to your hair. It may not look zigzag when you look at your hair as a whole, but it will when you take a closer look at individual curls.

Hair that is relentlessly dry.

Hair that’s hypersensitive to rough handling.

Curls that don’t change with the season.

A receding hairline from having your hair pulled back too tight, relaxed, or the weight of a weave. (All curly girls are prone to this, but fractal and zigzag curls are more so than others.)

A spring factor of 9 to 16 inches.