I really liked this book. It had some great curly hair stories by women who spent their youth fighting their curls. Being a curly girl I am always looking for a better product for my hair, or another way to wear it. This book even showed you ways to put your curly hair up. I recommend it for other curly girls!
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Review: Helpful, enjoyable, recommended! :-)
I bought this book a few years ago, and have enjoyed it very much. Great tips and inspiration for curly girls. I'm blessed to have naturally curly hair, which I've grown to accept more and more over the years. During the summer, I leave the flat iron tucked away, and let my bangs go au-natural (the only portion I ever flat iron, if I choose to do so). This book has greatly helped me care for my short, curly hair. I have been using the Lavender hair mist frequently. One other commenter noted it was gooey. I've had that problem too, and have found that every other day or so works best, used sparingly (you can always apply more). Also, be careful not to use too much lavender essential oil -- which *could* be the cause of the gooeyness. The salon where I go, charges around $12 for a bottle of curl revitalizing spray. With the mist Lorraine details here, I can whip up a batch for pennies, and a gallon lasts forever. Lastly, rinsing hair in water, like Lorraine mentions, is another helpful tip. I'd recommend this book for sure.
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Review: Great Tips for Curly Hair!
The tips found in this book has helped my curly hair look the best it's ever looked! I love how I'm working with my natural curls and I love the way my hair looks without fighting against it! I don't use a flat iron, curling iron, or blow dry my hair straight anymore. All different types of curly hair is covered. I have really soft curls and pretty fine hair and it's helped my hair get curlier...which I LOVE!
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Review: Curly Girl Book
This book was in good shape, arrived promptly and no hassles. I recommend this company.
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Review: Curl power away!
If you ever have any degree of curl to your hair, you owe it to yourself to buy, read, and follow this book. I'm so serious. It's all you'll need--the definitive "curl manifesto." I cannot believe that it managed to evade my notice for nine years. Just a few weeks ago, on a recommendation, a relative bought it for me. At first I was skeptical, of course, as I am of all 'new tips' and promised miracles. "What can this Lorraine Massey possible have to tell me that I haven't already heard?" I wondered. "Well, it's not long, I'll read it anyway and see."
Indeed it was an enjoyable, quick read; I finished it in one day and then went on to take notes on each chapter as to what I should do, look for, etc. with respect to each aspect of hair care. Massey's conversational, no-nonsense writing style and the assortment of anecdotes from others is guaranteed to give you a feeling of solidarity with the "curly girl sisterhood" and inspire you to take pride in your hair. I personally am a corkscrew-type Curly (you'll discover where you fall on the spectrum) with one of the biggest, reddest masses of ringlets you may ever witness--and possibly one of the coolest, at least when they behave and take on their true form, which used to be more seldom.) Within just the past few weeks I've adopted the practices outlined in the book, and it was nothing short of an immediate revolution. I found it shockingly easy to wean myself off of shampoo for good, and when I follow the author's advice, my hair doesn't fail to look, feel, act--and stay!--the best that it can, and be at its most manageable. Luckily, there's plenty of room for shortcuts and the basic routine itself is simple. My showers are actually shorter now than they used to be, and the fairly quick hairstyling is longer-lasting & more rewarding. (Careful with barrettes or whatever you may use to clip/pin your hair up for drying--hey, nothing's ever perfect and you can still snag or yank strands out!) But all of this is good, because I'm a tomboyish, low-maintenance type who doesn't want to spend much more time than necessary on or pay excessive attention to my appearance. No, you don't need to constantly abide by every word in the book to a T as though it's your new Bible or anything like that--but trust me, it's well worth the price and the time to read it and try some of it out. I can't imagine that you'd regret that. And pick and choose the smaller bits that make a big difference for you, when you need them.
How DID this seemingly miraculous system escape my attention for so long, particularly after going to several different hairstylists, two of whom are self-declared curl experts? I'm not sure. However, I did realize that one of them was really on the right track because I already own a bottle of Devachan's conditioner due to her suggestion (which I've had and been using since last fall!) I'm even considering taking my locks to the author for a haircut at some point, because fortunately I live near NYC. It would appear that she was born to be the world's eminent curly-hair guru, finally revealing everything we all wish we could've known years ago. I now feel more confident than ever in the ability to let grow my hair as long as it likes and basically to one length, without wrecking and getting too frustrated with it, or wasting a lot of time on it.
This book's chapters are very well organized, include plenty of helpful images, and cover just about anything you might want to know about your hair--there's even one on curly kids (alas not dogs or cats!) I've already tried some of the "lotions and potions" (natural, homemade alternatives to chemical-laden products)--maybe a third of them. (The ones I needed most and that had the most easily obtained ingredients and the shortest, simplest instructions!) Towards the end there are fun sections such as the historical timeline, special occasion 'dos, hairstrology, and curly-girl affirmations and pledges. Some of my very favorite curly idols aren't included, but that's all right. One of the best parts is the postulation of the "mermaid theory"--it's true, I think we really do descend from sea maidens! It would certainly explain my supreme attraction to water and the fact that when I'm down the shore in that salty ocean air, my hair automatically looks awesome.
Okay, I'm not going to absolutely swear by every last thing in here (especially stuff I haven't tried!), or rave that it'll perfectly resolve every hair/scalp issue there could be, or say that I no longer love my hair as well when it's straightened, and will completely abandon all of my old practices that don't interfere with the new regimens or prevent me from continuing them. But I'll never consider reverting to the old ways, for the closest things I've ever found to foolproof hair secrets are contained in these pages, and they'll surely provide you with more authentic knowledge and answers than you've ever been fed before. Like I said, over just a few weeks my routine has changed permanently because I saw that this really yields results, and there's nothing so very magical about it. This author simply understands and loves and knows more about the nature of curly hair than anybody else I've ever heard of. And if you're a fellow Curly Girl, you'll more than likely find yourself laughing (or maybe groaning) out loud many times over the course of reading this book as you recognize just how well these people seem to know your personal situation and experiences, thanks to their own.
