Perfect Hair Styles for Curly Hair

If you weren't born with it, you probably see people with beautiful curly hair and you think that it is such a blessing. Those who are born with naturally curly hair sometimes think it is a curse instead. The reality is that curly hair can create fun, unique styles that look effortless. On the flip side of the coin, curly hair often requires more care and more hair styling products to tame the beast and create those "looks so easy" curly hairstyles.

Almost 10 years ago now, this Mom with thick but fine and perfectly straight as a stick hair was truly blessed with curly hair. Not on my own head mind you. As my adopted daughter entered the world straight into to my eager hands, the first thing I knew about her was that she had lots of curly hair.

Through out her life she's been called Curly Sue, Shirley Temple and Orphan Annie. She loves it when perfect strangers call her Orphan Annie. She tells them with a smile that Annie has been adopted and she's no longer an orphan. Her own favorite curly head is Julia Louis-Dreyfus. (I think we watched a lot of Seinfeld reruns during late night feedings when she was an infant.)

I've had a lot to learn in the past nine years about caring for and styling naturally curly hair. Early on I often conditioned and combed and cringed and cried out for a hair fairy. Some things my daughter and I have just had to learn on our through experimentation. Luckily we've gotten lots of helpful advice on styling and products from professional hair stylists and good friends with natural curly hair that have been willing to share their secrets. Here we are going to share some of our favorite hairstyles for curly hair and the best hair care tips we've learned for caring for naturally curly hair.

The Wide Head Band Hair Styles for Curly Hair:

My naturally curly haired daughter and friends alike all agree that a wide head can be a curly haired girls' best friend. Headbands come in so many styles from cute and casual to ornate and eye catching to sleek and stunning. After scrunching mouse or styling gel into damp hair to avoid the frizzies, a wide headband can be worn close to the brow with all bangs swept under or farther back with soft bangs or even a tendrils escaping. My preteen daughter enjoys the one tendril hanging down look.

Tips for using headbands:

Wide headbands are not only more stylish than thin ones, they are also easier on the hair because less tension is needed with more width. Look for stretchy fabric or fabric-covered headbands. Plastic headbands can cause too much damage and breakage. Also, headbands shouldn't be used for every day, as constant use will damage the hair over the ears.

The Twisted Up Do Hairstyles for Curly Hair:

My daughter had long admired seeing her role models with curly hair styling their curly hair into a twisted up do style. She couldn't wait until her hair was long enough to try this look. It has become her favorite hairstyle for special events like violin recitals. A twisted up do keeps her hair out of face and gives her a very neat, mature look. (O.K. this Mom sometimes thinks it makes her look too much older than her age but I must agree that it is both stunning and practical.)

For a twisted up do with curly hair, apply styling products like serums into damp hair. Pull the hair back as if it is going to go into a ponytail. Lift the ponytail up and clip the mid-section with a two-sided clip placed vertically. Allow the "up do" to flow freely back down over the twist.

Before you can try out fun new hairstyles for your curly hair, your curly hair needs to be healthy and tangle free. Curly hair is generally more fragile and dry than straight hair. Some good advice that we got early on was that curly hair does not need to be washed everyday. We wash every other day or less but rinse with warm water and condition daily. We go through conditioner twice as fast as shampoo, which is usually the opposite for those of us with straight hair.

We've tried a variety of hair care and hair styling products and these are our top two favorite lines for curly hair.

Matrix

Matrix has a "curl.life" defining system that includes shampoo, conditioner and a contouring cream for styling that really provides better curl definition and makes any styling efforts more successful.

Redken

Redken also offers two lines that we like for curly hair especially when it is also dry, "Real Control" and "All Soft." These Redken lines offer shampoo, conditioner and styling products like the "All Soft" Heavy Cream that is a super treatment for dry or brittle hair.

Some days curly hair is a dream, with soft, bouncy well-defined curls. On other days curly hair can seem like a nightmare with fly aways, frizzies and tangles. By using styling products made especially for curly hair and having a few hair do helpers like wide headbands and two sided clips on hand, naturally curly hair can at least look effortlessly elegant even if you curly haired girls (and their Moms) know the truth.