California, you are a gorgeous burst of natural beauty, and you possess a loveliness that I, as your native, have missed. You’re also boring me *just* a little 

I’ve slept as much as a person should without bordering on depressive behavior. I’m downright rested, ok? I’ve analyzed and charted and excel spreadsheet-ed and pondered every episode and blip in my health until I feel like that’s all I’m reduced to. Dysautonomia, the main reason I’m on the left coast and not in New York, I’ve got my eye on you. I’ve watched Downton Abbey and Sherlock and every other show that I find inspiring from start to finish (ok, and maybe start to finish again), with locked eyes, studying each era’s coif and wondering, if I were blessed with the task of working on set, how one might create and maintain those styles; simultaneously trying to train my ear to the Brittish accent and phrasing of individuals with far more social construct and imagination of insult. I’m adoring you, California, my sweet, but I’m missing things that you can’t give me. I’m missing making a contribution, and as insignificant as this little wave of words seems to you, as least I have something to pen in contribution. It’s what I can do here. And now, I fear, it’s time to write.

I only say fear because it’s been a while, and like my first actual bicycle ride in 20 years, I’m reminded that, well- it’s really NOT like riding a bike at all 😉

I decided to jump back into writing after seeing a photo tweeted by stylist Claire Pritchard of the ‘twist and diffuse’ method she uses on the Sherlock set. If I ever thought I didn’t have a love of hairstyling in my heart (my heart loves so many things, sometimes I wonder if something must be pushed out to make room for new loves), seeing this photo made my innards go: ‘ooh! i miss curls! i wanna write about curls!!!’

So I’m gonna.

Why, why the deviance? Why must waves and curls insist on being so instead of falling (straight) into line? For several reasons. I’ll do my best to not geek out in a science-y way as best I can. I’m interested in this stuff, but it’s seriously deep and convoluted in nature- if you don’t care why, scroll down, for heaven’s sake, and skip all this verbose nonsense.

Hair grows from a hair follicle- sort of like a vertical tube in the skin. Sounds gross, but is also mighty interesting. We push onward. The shape of this tube contributes greatly to the shape of what comes out of it. If the follicle is shaped round and symmetrical, hair formed in it, growing out of it, is often and most likely straight, the shaft round and symmetrical. An oblong, asymmetrical, ovular follicle will more likely produce a hair ranging from wavy to curly, with the shaft being oblong or sort of flattened like Christmas curling ribbon or a piece of pasta. Here’s where shit gets weird, though- this magical tube of hair shaping and growth is not solely responsible for how hair deviates from straight. As we know from earlier posts of mine (um, you took notes, right? There’s a quiz), hair is mostly keratin protein and small amounts of moisture (water) to bind the proteins together and allow hair to bend without snapping. Hair follicles (or magical tubes of wonder) that aren’t circular tend to make keratin proteins clump onto one side of the hair shaft for a period of growth- imagine one side as growing more slowly than the other, creating a spiral banister of short side long side turning. Hormone shifts throughout life can contribute to this protein clumping. This clumping, to my knowledge, may not remain consistent; shifting and clumping about, creating a curve wherever it feels like one belongs. If only we could apply this freedom and creativity to every aspect of our lives.

Can you even begin to understand how intriguing and fresh each head of textured hair is to a hairstylist then? Deviance, shape shifting, each side racing to create a unique spiral that may only exist for a part of your life before your hormones wipe it away to create a new story . . . It’s like a soap opera, really. Not to say straight hair isn’t to be appreciated, as it is far more rare to have straight hair than some kind of bend in the shaft (don’t let your mind wander too much on that one), but this, today, is a love letter to the curl . . . .

How, then, does one care for something that is so fickle? So inconsistent?

Step one- accept your circumstance (well, chemical composition and DNA, really, but enough with the parenthesis!!!). Step two- invest in some proper conditioner and hair product. Please. Don’t make me beg. Step three- learn the proper way to wash and dry. I’ll leave step one up to you. Seek counseling if necessary.

Look, the curlier your hair, odds are the more porous it is- if the hair is bending, one side is stretching and the flaps on the cuticle are more open and the inner cortex of the hair shaft exposed. Like a slinky made into a rainbow in your hand- the inner portion of the bend (which would be the keratin clumping) is tighter than the outside top of the arch. Porous hair absorbs shampoo, so some curly heads wash with only conditioner. If you ask me about that now, you’re a terrible student and you need to revisit my 4,000 word post on the history of shampoo. If the no-poo (I hear you giggling) method creeps you out, fine, cool, it kinda does me too, but I don’t have the kind of porous hair that would benefit from conditioner-only washing. Stay open-minded.

I digress. Look for a conditioner that has a small amount of keratin protein and a good moisture base. The keratin will temporarily fill in the ‘top of the arch’ of your coils, creating a smoother, less frizzy and also stronger appearance and structure. You’ll want the moisture, for SO many reasons, but mostly because it tends to wrap around the outside of the shaft, protecting it and keeping it elastic. Remember that hair with moisture has better capability of bending, creating a better curl.

Look for balms, serums, creams for styling (don’t even TRY to tempt me to get into discussing product right now- I’m keeping it general for your benefit) – steer clear of too much hold. You’re never going to bind something into submission that does not want to be bound (giggling)- why try with curls? Go with it. Aim for frizz control and definition- with that you’ll achieve a very touchable, natural look that will enhance the follicle shape and protein clumps nature gave you.

I would say almost more important than your finishing product you slather on after washing is what you eliminate after washing. Please don’t brush. Comb minimally, only where necessary. I’m backing up, because I can feel you reaching for the small brown bag to breathe into . . .

Before washing, brush hair, gently, and with a brush that has flexible bristles. The goal here is to remove tangles. Work from the bottom up as not to push tangles from the top of the hair down the hair shaft, tightening them as they’re pushed. Think of undoing a braid (or plait as the delightful Brits say), you would start at the bottom and work your way toward the top.

If you have coarse, kinky, damaged, or hair that’s easily broken, skip the pre-shower combing or brushing and wait until the conditioner is on your hair in-shower. The conditioner will provide the maximum amount of slip necessary to detangle, and the physical aspect of combing down through the hair not only pushes the proteins in your conditioner into the gaps in your cuticle (especially the top of that slinky arch), it also smooths out all the shingles along the shaft (don’t let your mind wander. HAIR. We are talking hair on our heads), fighting frizz and sealing in moisture.

Here’s where things get real interesting: rinse. Get out of shower. Gently wrap hair in towel. Take towel off. Put in a little product, squeezing in from ends up. Diffuse or air-dry. Nowhere in that after-shower list is using a brush or comb. Reason? Your hair knows what to do- it knows what shape it wants to be, and it needs the support of the hairs around it to find and take on that shape, and dry that way, frizz free. If you break up the natural clumping that the hair takes on, you are making a series of individual waves that have been dragged out by a brush or comb- some bounce back, other strands don’t, some in between; and overall the look is frizzy and unorganized. If you leave it be, after the hair is dry it’ll break up into defined (but not overly defined) spirals and undulations. It’s not going to stay in its I-have-three-wet-ropes-on-my-head look. Completely dry before broken up, though- you hear? Don’t get antsy.

Traditionalist? Must comb? Fine. Your alternative is the twist and diffuse method that the lovely and talented Claire Pritchard demonstrates. If you comb through your hair wet, post-shower, and destroy the shape your hair naturally wants to make, you must then re-establish shape and organization or suffer the consequences. After combing, when the hair is wet, coil gently (we’re not looking for dreads or rope shapes: remember, we’re just trying to re-discover the curl your hair wants to be) a small section around your finger. Drop. Do this at least along the top and the most frizzy places- the point is to add shape and control. Diffuse or air dry. Plus of this method? If you have a coiled shape at all (a curl that goes around and around– one you could lift your finger up through the center from underneath) this method will absolutely enhance any natural curl you have. You’ll most likely look very curly. Curlier, even, that the leave-your-hair-alone-for-heaven’s-sake method. Downside? If you have an s-shaped wave (more like a squiggle than a coil- a stack of S’s joined top of S to bottom of S; like my own, more beach-y waves) this is not the shape your hair naturally wants to be in, therefore it may pop out of shape, fighting between coiling and S-ing. Um, hi, now you’re back at forcing something and ending up with a frizzy, unorganized mess.

Well, that was a dirge. I have more fond feelings for curls, but my heart is moving on to other interests for now . . . Going to read a little and further my already decently vast knowledge about the golden age of piracy! Because there’s always more to know 🙂

Speak soon,

xxx

Mopsy