Hair cut - man with curly hair

My curly-haired husband's hair-cutting place just closed, so he is looking for a new one who does a good job with thick, curly men's hair. Preferably Albany or near Berkeley campus. He keeps it fairly short, but not ''buzz'' short. I already checked the archives, but saw nothing on this specific topic. R.K.

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Need hip haircut for long, curly hair

Does anyone with long(ish) naturally curly hair have a stylist they absolutely adore? It's been awhile since I've had a proper haircut and I'm looking for someone to add shape and movement to my curls. My hair is uniform in length now, but I find it difficult to wear down because it lacks shape and seems to go every which way. Any stylist or salon recommendations will be greatly appreciated!
love my curls but hate the fuss

Recommended:

i have two stylists that i think are great. the first is jairo at 77 maiden lane in s.f. he is absolutely fantastic. you pay a bit for it but you come away feeling like a queen for a day. he's great. the second is sarah at festoon in berkeley. she's great as well. both are able to give hip fresh looks. both also take their time to find out what you want. hope these help.

Hair products for curly-haired toddler

I need some recommendations for good hair products for my very curly-haired daughter. She's got tons of springy ringlets that get very frizzy, dry and tangled if I don't use lots of conditioner and detangler, etc. But I'm getting kind of leery of all the products because of chemicals, etc. Should I worry? Does anyone have suggestions for baby-friendly, effective, curly-hair products? My daughter was adopted at birth and my own hair is very straight. I have no experience with curly hair. Help! inept with curly hair

Lately instead of the Aveda conditioner, we've been using Cantu shea butter leave-in conditioner, a product marketed for African American hair that we buy at Target (very inexpensive). It leaves her hair very soft and nice. I don't know how ''natural'' it is, but again, it's only going on her head once a week.

I bought the book then actually happened to go to the salon in NYC on a trip there and asked them detailed questions- I use their products- DevaCurl- No lather Shampoo (lots of chemicals that dries the hair- DRY = FRIZZY, MOIST = CURLY) then conditioner and then brush it and leave it..

then, each morning, I spray her hair with water and put a little conditioner in my hands, with some water, and gently run it through and on her ringlets- this usually helps to keep it under control until the next brushing- 5-7 days later-

She's 4, so when she gets older, she can do this herself with her fingers and will not need a brush believe it or not! deirdre

We have the Black Vanilla shampoo and conditioner, the hair honey and hair milk (which I would say is optional). Like others will no doubt recommend, we only shampoo her hair once a week, though condition it every time she takes a bath, We also put in the Hair Milk after the bath as a leave-in conditioner. Each morning (she takes her baths every other night), we use a spray bottle to wet her hair every morning, massage some Hair Honey into it and comb it through.

The new routine has totally transformed her hair. Good luck! anon

Curly-haired toddler help!

I am a straight-haired dad. My 19 month old daughter has curly hair. (we're caucasian, btw -- I read in the archives that this makes a difference in advice/products.) I would really appreciate some advice or guidance on washing, combing, and styling. The problem I seem to be running into is that I'll wash her hair with kids' shampoo, and then try to comb it when it's still wet -- seems to go better then. I have tried when it's dry, and it's more difficult. I have tried a Burt's Bees conditioner, but it didn't seem very effective. Any tips or tricks? Anything that I could do differently that would make this easier and painless for both of us? And anybody have some ''all-natural'' (meaning non-chemical) solutions? I am not entirely opposed to using the chemicals, but I would really prefer an all-natural solution if at all possible. Thanks! kevin

Curly hair is dry hair to varying degrees, and you have to treat it as such. Shampoo alone is going to make things worse and make it difficult to comb through. You have to condition hair after washing it. There are several nice natural products on the market that are also unscented, we use JASON unscented at our house - it's free of phthalates, parabens, petroleum products, sodium lauryl sulfates, etc... And it's relatively inexpensive and available at Whole Foods, Elephant Pharm, etc...

Additionally, or, subtractionally, curly hair does not need to be washed as frequently as straight. It doesn't get oily quickly, and washing strips it of its natural oils. It might get frizzy overnight, but if you simply wet the hair, or even just rinse and condition it will refresh the curl. Honestly, 1- 2x a week should be fine for a shampoo.

As for combing... go easy. I don't use any combs or brushes on my hair when I'm leaving it curly. I add a leave-in conditioner, and run my fingers through it. I'm not going to recommend leave-in products for a small child, I think all skin and hair care products should be kept to a minimum. If you run your fingers up under her hair around the base of her scalp you can wiggle your fingers in to the hair and run them gently through to remove tangles. Don't ever pull!!

Those are the basics. If you want more information, there's a website called naturallycurly.com it's geared toward adults, but there's a lot of good information on there! Curly Girl

California Baby makes some good products - leave-in conditioner, spray detangler - it's expensive; they sell it at Whole Foods. It smells good.

I would recommend only combing or brushing when hair is wet. Don't even try to comb it dry or you will just make more knots and elicit tears. I don't even bother combing my daughter's hair, unless she wants ponytails or braids. We only wash her hair once a week and that seems to be enough.

I think kids with curly hair can get away with messy hair. curly haired mom

Only wash when absolutely necessary (never more than once every week or two). I know this is counter-intuitive with a toddler because of all the gunk in their hair but shampoo is super drying to curly hair and makes it a lot harder to handle. I will sometimes ''wash'' my daughter's hair with conditioner to get stuff out of it (sand or dirt, etc.). But I use shampoo once a month at the most, and often less than that.

Once hair is wet in the bath or shower, put TONS of conditioner on it. You really can't use enough. Two conditioners I alternate using are: Modern Organic Products (MOP) Leave-In Conditioner, and Pantene Conditioner (just their regular kind, nothing special). MOP is found at beauty supply stores (the one in Montclair carries it), and Pantene is found at the drugstore. The MOP product is good, but requires more combing. it has no chemicals and little smell, but my daughter has to be in the mood for more combing. The Pantene stuff smells perfume- y which i don't like, but combing it is a breeze when its in there so i use it every so often to give us a break. Pantene you have to rinse out, which has its own complications with toddlers, so MOP is better if you have a hard time rinsing bc of your daughter's age.

ALWAYS Comb hair with the conditioner in there, and if the hair is knotty--add more conditioner! Buy a super wide-tooth comb (also at the Beauty supply store). It is the ONLY way to comb curly hair!

Lastly, you can use Curl Conscious by Bumble & Bumble once you are done w/ the bath. It makes the curls really healthy and bouncy and they look great. It's expsensive, I think, and not really necessary, but i have found it makes a difference. A few other tips: never brush curly hair, just throw your brushes away! Only comb with a wide-tooth comb and only when hair is super wet and dripping with conditioner. Don't rub w/ a towel to dry. Just squeeze it gently in a towel and then let it air-dry.

It sounds like a lot--but with 2 conditioners, the right comb, and the styling cream we are all set. That's all i can think of for now, please email me if you'd like to. jabsey

My older son *hates* combing his hair so I tell him--cut it or comb it. I'd love for him to have longer hair but he prefers the ''cut it'' method. Good luck! family of curlies

You do not need to shampoo curly hair very often. Curly hair is dry hair, it will never get ''greasy'' the way straight hair does after just a few days. I use a cleansing shampoo from Curls maybe once a month just to remove any product build up. I use really good conditioners and conditioning products every day - this is the key, you really can't condition curly hair too much, the hair will literally suck up the moisture because it needs it, especially in the summer when the hair gets even more dry from sun and swimming (do get a shampoo that removes chlorine from the hair for after swimming - chlorine is terrible for curly hair). Curls makes a great product for kids called Moist Curls which you can use for everyday brushing of the hair when it is dry, like in the morning. Never brush or comb curly hair when it is dry, this will just produce frizz. Coat dry hair with Moist Curls (try to avoid using a lot of water when brushing because water is a drying agent, but I do use a spray bottle on the ends)and brush from the ends to the scalp with a wide tooth comb or brush. I have a little brush I like that works better than a comb for me. When the hair is all brushed I add a leave in conditioner which is the same conditioner I use in the bath. It is very expensive but worth every penny, it is called WEN - www.wenhaircare.com - and it has made my daughter's hair so easy to brush it is almost efortless. It helps to have your daughter sleep in braids to make morning hair care easier, but girls have minds of their own. My daughter refuses to wear braids or pony tails at all, ever. She wants her hair down every day and I can't say I blame her. Her hair is really beautiful and she gets compliments every day, it makes her feel good. As long as she is willing to tolerate the brushing, which isn't bad at all thanks to the WEN conditioner, and cooperates I don't mind doing it. I consider it a labor of love and we have some good conversations during hair brushing.

By the way, the longer the hair gets the easier it is to brush, which seems counterintuitive, but the weight of the hair keeps it from getting tangled - the opposite of what happends to straight hair when it gets longer. Happy brushing! Brooke

If you can't find it for sale in the store, you can buy it from Jennifer Archbold, a haircutter in Albany, 526-1073. It's not cheap, but for my problem hair it's been a real blessing, and you don't have to use a lot of it for it to work. Jennifer is very particular about the products she sells, and stays as close to natural ingredients as possible.

I've also tried Paul Mitchell's Taming Spray for Kids, which helped some but not nearly as much as Frehair. A problem with it is that it has alcohol in it, which is drying to hair, which doesn't help curly hair in the long run. Cece

1)I only comb her hair when it's wet, after applying a leave-in conditioner (I like Neutrogena Triple Moisture, but I'm not sure what you mean by ''chemical.'')

2) never comb the hair when it's dry. If it's a non-hairwashing day, I just spray her hair with water and work the water into her curls with my fingertips. The curls re-form beautifully with no combing.

3) trim just the very ends about every 6 months. The frizzy ends are what lead to tangles.

I highly recommend the book ''Curly Girl'' for learning how to deal with curly hair. I found it on Amazon and I follow its advice almost literally. Rosemary's mom

1. condition condition condition! There are plenty of kids conditioners out there, so try a few. when she was little I would quickly shampoo in the tub, and then lather on the conditioner and let it sit, for AWHILE while she played, I washed the rest of her, etc. At least 10 minutes. Then rinse it out.

2. definitely comb wet (when she is older and can take care of her own hair she probably won't brush or comb it at all - I never do). use a wide toothed comb or a pick, rather than a fine toothed comb;

3. paul mitchell makes a good kids de-tangler. I have no idea how free of toxins or parabens or all of that other stuff it is, but it works; there are several detanglers out there too that you can try. mostly i find they are helpful for re-wetting the hair if you don't get to combing it out in time.

hmm what else... -keep it as short as you can, the shorter the hair, the fewer the tangles!

Hope that helps. curly mom

Have no fear, taking care of curly hair is easier than you think. I've got mega curls and so does my son. Try any of the California Baby shampoos and conditioners - they are all natural. You can get them at Whole Foods or Berkeley Bowl. Wash your daughters hair every two or three days. Washing too often roughens up the hair cuticle and makes it dry and frizzy. After shampooing, use a good amount of conditioner and leave it in her hair while you comb through with a very wide toothed comb or just use your fingers. Rinse, but not all the way, leave a little conditioner in there because curly hair tends to be much drier than straight. Use a towel to gently squeeze out the water from her hair. Don't rub the towel like drying off a wet dog, that creates tangles and super frizz. Let her hair air dry, which means planning the bath earlier that night. In the morning all you have to do is spritz it with a little water from a mist bottle, like the kind you use on plants, to revive the curl, then leave it alone. Check out a great book called ''Curly Girl'' by Lorraine Massey - she gives excellent advice on how to care for and appreciate natural curls as well as recipes for homemade hair potions that are easy to make. Your daughter will be amazed at the wonderful photos of so many beautiful curly girls just like her. Good luck- you can do it! Venus

Daughter of a white mother who became an expert at doing her three ''curly'' headed daughters hair. Have fun with it. fuller

As for detangling dry hair, this is what works for us:

1) Get Circle of Friends Abebi's Safari detangler -- this is a made-for-kids product and although the smell is a bit fruity to my taste it's a miracle product on those brutal end-of-hair snarls. Also, reactivates when sprayed with water, and doesn't leave a sticky residue.

2) Stand your daughter at the mirror with something to occupy her (her lovey or colored hair bands usually work) and a hair clip/claw and a brush or wide-toothed comb at hand. Spray hair thoroughly with water, then a light spray of detangler. Taking hair in sections (from one side of front around head to the other), brush carefully starting at the bottom and holding the top with your other hand to prevent pulling on her sensitive roots. If the snarl is particularly bad, separate smaller sections with fingers, then brush. Add water as needed, more detangler as necessary. Place brushed sections in the clip/claw and keep moving as quickly as possible.

3) Have her hand you her favored winning hair ties/barettes/clips, you're done!

This takes about 10 minutes every morning, I spray before teeth brushing and detangle after so the water can penetrate the hair a bit. I understand why my mom kept our hair short... but I can't bear to. Good luck! Mom to a Curly Girl

I finally learned the best (only) way to deal with it. Get your daughter a very gentle, moistuizing shampoo, one of the natural/organic brands that doesn't have a lot of harsh chemicals. My best so far is California Baby shampoo and bodywash -- I actually use it to clean my face because it is so pure compared to other things. Long's has it.

After you wash her hair (only every couple of days unless it gets really dirty) use a conditioner. After you mush around the conditioner on her hair, run a fine-tooth comb through it. It helps get the conditioner through all the strands and gets the tangles out.

Then gently rinse her hair and pat -- don't rub -- it dry with a towel. The gently comb her hair with a wider tooth comb. If her hair is really tangly by nature, you can also use a lightweight leave-in conditioner. I use Giovanni's or Gianni's or something like that. It's also a more natural one and I think you can even find it at Safeway. Just squeeze a little bit onto you fingers, pat it through the ends of her hair and then comb it through once or twice.

Then don't touch her hair! Don't comb or brush it anymore from that point.

This sounds strange to give this woman's magazine-style advice for a toddler! But yanking a comb through her hair is not fun for anybody, as you know, and this should keep her curly and sweet. Curly Girl

There's a great book on caring for curly hair. It's called Curly Girl and you can find a copy at the Berkeley Main Library. She also recommends washing with conditioner only. Smooth curls

1.Get some good products.I personally prefer ''The Original Little Sprout'' products available on line (http://www.originalsprout.com). They are all natural and last a long time . Since curly hair tends to be drier, we got a moisturizing shampoo. We also got a deep conditioner and an after the bath styling aid.

2.Here is our routine: Wash and rinse her hair. Then condition. While the conditioner is in, comb through hair. Rinse out conditioner. After bath we apply the Original Little sprout product called ''curl calmer'' and comb through again. It is like a lotion, not sticky.

Hair is frizz free, silky ,soft, and still full of beautiful curls. Sometimes if morning styling is particularly difficult we will spritz her hair with water and Miracle Detangling spray and sort of ''scrunch'' her hair into a style. Comb with a WIDE TOOTH comb. NEVER brush curly hair. Cute clips are always good too. Good luck with your little Shirley Temple!! -A curly household

Curly Hair Products

I have pretty thick spiral curls that have gotten more wavy over the years. I find that if I use the right product they are more curly and not so frizzy. I'm wondering what products other curly/wavy hair ladies use. Right now I use Pantene, and it doesn't seem to be doing anything for my hair. What shampoos/conditioners do you use? And what about styling products with a diffuser? Also, if anyone has a good stylist/haircut recommendation for this type of hair somewhere on the peninsula, I'd love to hear! Thanks for the hair help! Hair Trouble

Looking for suggestions to tame my frizzy hair

This may sound really silly, but I am tired of wasting money trying every single product on the market to tame my frizzy, wavy hair. I would like something light, that would make my hair shiny, soft, manageable. If anybody has a good suggestion, please share it with me! Thanks Lis

I have spent $$$ on hair care and one of the best products i found for hair is the Body Shop's Mango butter. Many of my friends also use it and love it for their hair (many different racial mixes - black/white, asian, persian)...long or short hair. it's very light - won't help w/ any styling needs but calms down the frizz and adds a nice shine.

just put a little bit in your hands, rub and work through your hair. start with the tiniest bit and only add if you need more to prevent a greasy look or too much!

also, i recently began ''deep conditioning'' w/ goldwell (it's in a gold tube w/ red cap and writing) once every 2 weeks or so and it has done wonders for my texture and frizz.

Both are relatively inexpensive and not goopy or sticky like many hair care products out there.

if you have short hair, try ''hair jam'' which is in the black hair care aisle - cheap and keeps hair looking smooth.

good luck! smooth

Stylist for wavy, frizzy hair in Oakland/Alameda

Can anyone with wavy, frizzy and/or generally ''difficult'' hair recommend a stylist in Alameda or Oakland? My hair has been chemically straightened, which is a huge improvement, but I need someone new who can give me a good haircut to go along w/ it. Thanks! Jessica

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Thick Wavy Hair

My requirements for a stylist are as follows: Berkeley/Albany/Oakland area (I know excellent stylists in W.C. and SF but do not want to travel far), someone who does great color as well as cut, someone who is not daunted by thick, wavy, tree-bark texture hair. As well, price is not a consideration. Festoon is not an option for me. My hair thanks you, in adv
Requesting straight, silky tresses next life around

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Haircut for Curly-haired teen

My 13-year-old daughter has quite curly hair, and is interested in a cute, currently-stylish cut and style. Since the current trend seems to be stick-straight hair (just check the fashion magazines and hair-color boxes for proof), she can't find pictures with ideas for a good style. She does NOT want it straightened - just cut in an easy-care style that won't accentuate the curls too much, and does not look ''old-lady'' (that would by my age!). I'd like recommendations for a Berkeley area hair stylist who has done similar TEEN haircuts, and might have pictures for my daughter to peruse first. R.K.

Recommendations received:

I have a friend with curly hair, and she visits Festoon Salon in Berkeley (they also have a salon in SF). She is always very happy with her layered curls, and she varies between long and short hair. This friend in in her late twenties, and very hip, so I think that a teen will be pleased with this shop's work. Their phone is 415-421-3223.

I have very curly hair myself and can empathsize with your daughter! I believe that it is very important to have some one cut this type of textured hair with some expertise. I found my stylist through a web site - naturally curly and from other curly girl recommendations. My stylist is Ron Lee and he cuts hair in SF at a salon called Elevation. He is pretty expensive (90 bucks) and booked up well in advance. Here's the web site for other recommendations http://www.naturallycurly.com/ curly girl

Good Curly Hair Cut in East Bay

My friend and I are both looking for a new hairstylist. We have curly hair and agree that many stylists don't do a great job with curly hair. I like my stylist, but she's in Sacramento and I can't make the commute anymore. We both live in Montclair so we'd like to find someone either in Oakland or in Orinda or LaFayette. Of course, reasonable rates would be great, but skill and creativity are more important. We've looked over the older recommendations but given how stylists move around, we were hoping for more recent information. Thanks! Jennifer

Recommendations received:

Haircutters for Curly Hair

I have very curly hair and I'm looking for a good stylist who knows how to handle this type of hair.

Re: Haircutters for Curly Hair (2001)
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Haircut for curly-headed preschooler

I looked in the archives and coulnd't find anything on who gives good haircuts for super curly kids hair. I have trimmed my daughter's hair a few times, but she needs a real cut. It can get pretty wrecked if someone doesn't know about corkscrew curls like she has--but i don't want to spend the money on a regular hairdresser who may know about curls but doesn't know how to work with kids. thanks Julie

4-year-old's curly, frizzy hair

i would suggest you find a good hair braider. if you take this advise, avoid "shops"; they are extremely over-priced. look for a friend or neighbor or relative. if you need help, feel free to reply to me. i braid both my own hair (i am african american) and my daughter's (who is south asian).

using oil or leave-in conditioners is also helpful for the frizz. i like one by keihl's of ny and another by aveda. i'll check the names of them and send you another message tomorrow. my sister-in-law (who is south asian) turned me on to coconut oil. it is good because, unlike petroleum based products, the hair stays cleaner and it's very inexpensive. you'll have to be sure to get the pure kind; you can find it at heath food stores- there is an excellent brand called "spectrum". my sister-in-law uses a brand called "parachute" which you can buy in the indian markets (on university).

the right kind of brush is important too. i am still searching for the perfect one for my daughter. i'll let you know what i discover...

good luck. Fatimah