Part 1: Curly Hair Confessions

I've recently made new friends who have beautiful thick curly hair, but they lock it up in clips and pull it back because the curls are just too wild and frizzy for them to handle. I understand. I've been there. I want to help them.

My hair is curly, but it's not that thick so it gets frizzy, poofy and flat all at the same time. Ick. When I had fine baby hair as a little kid it just fell in loose ringlets and looked adorable. Toward the end of elementary school I became a true fan of ponytails. However, junior high came along and I had to grow up my style (according to the mean girls who wouldn't let me talk to them). Long, straight hair was the only look to have. I acquired a Conair steam straightener (who's idea was that?!) and set to work burning, humidifying and tugging my curls into submission. It never worked.

After giving up on all the straightening balms and frizz serums, I decided I had to live with being a Curly-Q. That's when someone suggested gel. My entire sophomore year of high school I woke up, washed my hair, added gel to my soaking wet curls and left it to air dry. This method made my curls heavy, crunchy, cold and slightly wet inside if you cracked a clump of ringlets apart. The top of my super long hair was practically suctioned to my head in a greasy-looking flat mess. A bad look.

Finally, I discovered mousse. It worked better than the gel. It was lighter. Shortly after mousse, I found a diffuser for the end of my blow dryer. It dried my hair without turning me into an electrocuted poodle. Then I learned the wonders frizz-free curl spray when used before mousse. My hair was starting to take shape. (Pictured: My senior picture. I had finally figured out how to work the curls.)

It wasn't until college and community bathrooms that I learned not washing my hair everyday had more advantages than making it to class on time. I hadn't realized how dry my hair was or how much washing it every day dried it out. I also discovered a smoothing lotion to tame second day curls (it got discontinued!). Deep conditioning, leave in conditioner for my pool-side survival kit and the use of a curling iron to emphasize curls for special events are all tricks I've added to my curl taming repertoire.

Now, I'm pretty confident with my curls. They must look good because women frequently stop and ask me if their natural and how I maintain them. I also love asking other curly girls for their secrets. That's where you come in. I want to put together a post of tips, tricks and secrets for curly hair. I've shared my story so I hope you'll share yours. I'll be following up with another post so I can share your tips, stories, pictures and product must-haves with everyone.

You can leave tips in the comments or email me at editor[at]fashionmefabulous[dot]com. Please send pictures (as long as you don't mind me publishing them), stories, tips and the names of favorite products with info on how to buy them. Lets help our fellow curly girls live frizz-free.