Anyone with curly or wavy hair knows how much of a nightmare it can be to style. What start out as beautifully formed curls, slowly dries into a frizzy mess, leaving you running for the straighteners or a hair tie. However, with a little bit of help from us at Live & Let Dye and the right tool kit, you can start embracing your curls and stop battling with the frizz.

Your Curly Hair Tool Kit:

THE HAIRCUT:
Making sure that the stylist cutting your hair is confident with curly hair is vital. The haircut is the foundation of your style and if it isn’t right, it will be a real struggle to get the hair to behave. The shape and strength of the curl needs to be taken into consideration and weight needs to be removed in just the right places to encourage it to form properly.

PRODUCT:
Knowing what your products do and how to use them can save you plenty of time when it comes to styling. Never be afraid to ask your stylist to show you how to use something!

The products below can be used alone or in a styling cocktail, tailored to your specific needs. .

• Davines Love Curl Enhancing Shampoo and Conditioner
  These not only smell divine, they also encourage and tame your curl
  formation without weighing your hair down.

• Davines Oi Oil
  For faster drying, ultimate shine and flexible control. I work a few drops of this through damp hair before drying

• Sebastian Whipped Crème Mousse
  This is by far my favourite curl styling product as it has the hold of a mousse but the texture of whipped crème. When scrunch dried into damp hair it leaves the hair shiny, gives it body and boosts your natural curl or wave.

• O&M Style Guru
  This texture paste can be used both wet and dry, giving the curl more definition and edge.

• Holistic Hair Care Sea Spray
  When my hair is short, I like to blast it dry and then spritz it with Sea Spray, this gives it a beachy texture and encourages the curls to form. Minimum effort, maximum effect.

Extra Styling Tips:

Product, Product, Product! I can’t stress this enough. You prime your face, it’s time to start priming your hair.

When blow drying, a diffuser is your best friend. A diffuser is that big, crazy looking thing that, along with the concentrator nozzle, comes with most hairdryers. You probably threw it in a junk drawer, go and hunt it out!

It works by diffusing (shocking, I know) the air, so that the curls are dried gently and the heat is evenly distributed.

When drying, scrunch into the curls using your hands.

Only take out about 80% of the moisture, leaving it a little bit damp helps the curls to form more naturally and stops them from going fluffy.

When your hair is dry and you want a little more oomph, use a curling wand or tong on random sections of hair. This creates more body and definition, which is perfect on those days where your hair just won’t co-operate or you want to do something extra special.

Lastly, don’t stress about it! The best curls happen when you stop fussing and just go with it. I love it when people think my hair has taken me hours because it honestly takes me less than 20 minutes.

In the fabulous words of Tim Gunn, Make it Work!

By Michele Shanley, Senior Stylist at Live & Let Dye.