True story: Once upon a time in Montreal, I was dating this sexy “musician”/street urchin type, and while he seemed to lack all ambition in life aside from the weird-ass songs he’d write at 4am, he was super hot, so I always wanted to look my best when we hung out. One night, after I had spent about an hour straightening my naturally curly/frizzy hair, we broke into a local pool and were dangling our feet in the deep-end when he jumped in the water and pulled me under. When I surfaced, the first panicked words that came out of my mouth were: “I have to tell you something… I… I… I have really curly hair!” Maybe he was just relieved that I didn’t say “I’m pregnant,” but when my hair dried into super stringy waves and kinky ringlets, he said: “I like it better this way.”
Now, I’ll spare you the really bizarre ending to that romance that involved the “musician”/street urchin having to leave the city due to some unpaid debts and a stolen vehicle, but I am thankful to him to this day for making me embrace my curls. Besides, trying to straighten naturally kinky hair in the summer months is like trying to shovel in a snowstorm: great cardio but ultimately totally pointless. Put your straightener away for the next few months and opt for a more seasonally appropriate style icon, like Kate Hudson’s character in Almost Famous. All you need is a few key products to combat frizz caused by humidity while you rock your natural waves like a hot groupie with a day job. Here are five products that do the trick…
Kerastase Nutritive Oleo-Curl Curl Definition Cream (For Thick, Curly Hair)
I’m starting with one of the most expensive products on this list (it’s around $50) because, honestly, this stuff has changed my life, and it’s worth the steep price tag. All you need is a dollop after you’ve washed and conditioned your hair to get insanely soft curls that look like you’ve actually styled them with a curling iron. You’re going to be turning heads like you’re some kind of fallen angel looking for trouble, and you might as well be, because this stuff also smells euphorically good. Strangers within a 5-metre radius are going to bow down to you like you’re the 2013 return of Odysseus’ most seductive siren (from Homer’s The Odyssey and not Joyce’s Ulysses, obvee). Once a creepy woman at the gym stood in front of me buck naked while going on and on about how amazing I smelled, and this was the only product I had on. I totally forgot to tell my therapist about that.
BANGSTYLE Smoothing Lotion
I use this product year-round because it also does wonders for your hair if you apply it before adding any kind of heat – blowdryer, straightening, curling iron… you name it. It smoothes your hair’s naturally coarse texture whether you leave it curly or style it for an hour, and the best part is that it never feels greasy (great for when you want to avoid washing your hair for an extra day or so). I even recommend using it to give more life to your more expensive products, which I’m going to get to in the next entry, so scroll down, homies!
Moroccanoil Intense Curl Cream
If your hair is a bit fried from all the styling you did to it over the winter months, you definitely need to invest in a curl cream that also feels like it’s good for your hair. The argan oil and vitamins in this product actually condition your hair while defining your curls. Since it’s a super intense curl definer, you really don’t need to use a lot. Sometimes I combine it with BANGSTYLE Smoothing Lotion when I want my hair to look like I rolled off of a tour bus… but, like, obviously in a good way.
Ojon Super Sleek Restorative Blowout Perfector
I know, I know. You’re like, “Blowout perfector? But aren’t you trying to show me how to leave my hair curly?” That’s the thing with beauty products: sometimes you find a better use for something than what it was intended for. This baby has ojon oil, azurite, plant keratin and tons of exotic oils formulated to make your hair super shiny, soft and smooth when you blow it dry, but it works just as awesomely when you put it on wet hair and let it dry naturally. I don’t like my hair to feel dry and crispy when its curly, which is how some less than stellar products make it feel, and this one makes your curls look and feel like it’s been spun one strand at time by magical silkworms. In other words: AWESOME.
Sally Hershberger Curvaceous Elasto-Curl Daily Treatment
As I’m writing this, this stuff is drying in my hair for the first time ever. I have hot plans with a ridiculously hot guy in about one hour, so I’m taking a huge risk trying something new right now – if you consider things like the possibility of not looking amazing a huge risk like I do. I haven’t looked in the mirror yet, but the texture of my hair is really soft and not remotely greasy. Okay, mirror check… Alright, looking good, like Felicity, Season 1 kind of good. If you think you see Keri Russell circa 1998 on Queen Street West later, it’s probably me, or you are experiencing retro hallucinations that I’m totally jealous of.