Curls Up!

It’s slowly becoming warmer and more humid, and the desire to throw our hair up and out of the way is increasing right along with it. :)

There is a bit of method involved in putting our curls up, and being mindful of a few things will help our hair not only stay in place but stay healthy in the process.

When to put your curls up...

Never wet!!  Next to the hair being pulled too tightly, pulling your curls back when wet is the quickest path to breakage.  Curls are naturally prone to porosity which reduces hair strength, and significantly weaker when wet.  Once hair is dry the stretch-factor of the strand decreases immensely, and it is much easier to tell when the hair is being pulled too tightly.  If you must put your curls up when wet, scrunch as much water as possible out of your hair with a microfiber towel or t-shirt, and tie back loosely with a non-binding fabric tie, such as silk.  Or, gather your curls up into a silk scarf to hold the curls in place without stretching them.  Which leads to...

How to put your curls up...

There are lots of very beautiful and fun ways to put your hair up or back without losing its curliness.  I have a few favorite tools for this, which are...

Bobbi Pins-- These are a personal favorite because when placed properly they are invisible in the hair and will not pull.  I have bobbi pins in two sizes:  normal size and “jumbo” which is a bit thicker and longer and holds more hair.  One of the easiest, quickest ways to put your hair up is to gather it in the back, twist gently a few times and pin up into place.  Shorter curly styles can also utilize bobbi pins well to simulate a headband look by placing them around the forehead about 2 inches back.  My advice?  Buy a box of pins and play in front of the mirror.  Move your curls around in different positions and see which ones catch your eye.

Fabric headbands-- These are very fast, very lovely accessories for your hair.  No matter the length of your hair, a fabric headband is a great way to move hair away from the face and showcase the spill of curls in the back.  Naturallycurly.com sells a nice variety of these in all sorts of colors and patterns:

http://www.curlmart.com/Lots-of-Pretty-Accessories-p-1-c-31.html

Scarves-- Hair scarves are finally getting a bit more recognition for their versatility and easy of use.  Like fabric headbands, they safely hold the hair back without pulling.  The benefit of a scarf is that your styling possibilities are endless.  You can tie it around your curls as you would wear a headband.  You can weave it throughout a long pony tail or braid.   You can wear it like a bandana.   As with bobbi pins, the style possibilities are endless.

The above image comes from an Etsy shop named Watsijiru.  She makes beautiful and elegant hair scarves and her shop url is at this link:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6466986