It’s that time of year in Chicago again. The days get longer, the nights shorter, the humidity rising, and the hair poofing up for us curly girls. Curly hair in the summertime is kinda like an ice cream cone. It looks beautiful when it’s scooped artfully, the layers and texture sitting in the waffle cone just right, but, if you step out into the heat, it melts. Now, in the context and case of hair, curly, wav, or coily hair usually will first spring up before it flattens completely due to our enemy humidity. Luckily, Gordon Salons and Aveda have some methods and products that will make your life a sweet, summer breeze this year.
I had a chance to talk to a few different stylists - from Senior Master Stylist to Master Stylist to Professional - about curly hair and this is what they had to say. All of them are highly trained and very skilled at cutting all levels of curly hair.
This fist blurb comes from Mel - who is one of our Senior Master Stylists at Wilmette - which is the highest position as far as stylists go. She is a master ( no pun intended) at cutting, shaping, and styling all forms of curly hair. She had the chance to tell me, “Curly hair comes in many shapes and sizes, not just one size fits all. I like to incorporate the Aveda curly cutting, Ouidad, Deva cut technique and the Curly Girl Methods with shaping curly/coily hair and carving out curls to help enhance the wave or curl, for fine hair. I like to have my clients come in with their hair styled the way they usually wear it, and do a dry cut to start. It helps to see length and shape in a better light, then shampoo and refine the cut.
There's soft wavy(1a,b,c) wavy(2 a,b,c), curly(3 a,b,c)and coily(4 a,b,c). Knowing what hair type you have helps you to figure out your options for hairstyles and product selection. Whether they have fine or thick hair (density and diameter).
I love Aveda's Be Curly Leave-in, Style Prep, Brilliant Retexturizing Gel, and the Curl Enhancer or Nutriplenish Daily Moisturizing Treatment for smooth, frizz free coily and curly hair. And to fight frizz, Aveda's Nutriplenish line for fine(Light) and/or thick/course hair (Deep). For fine wavy, curly hair, I also love Be Curly Style Prep, Phomollient on damp hair,scrunched in, then diffuse or air dry. And then finish off with Brilliant Humectant, to add definition and weightless shine (a little goes a long way).
I recommend using a microfiber towel or a 100% cotton t-shirt to dry and /or scrunch your hair. It makes a noticeable difference with fighting frizz.”
As far as products go for Olivia, a Professional level stylist as well as the Aveda Ambassador at the Wilmette location, recommends a variety of things. Olivia continues to make her curly girls day with perfect cuts and sleek results. “Smooth Infusion Nourishing Styling Creme for fighting humidity on really hot days. Confixor helps with fly-aways, Be Curly Style Prep for defining the shape and style of the curls, and Anti- Humectant for really coarse and moisture lacking hair.”
As a fellow Aveda Ambassador, I have to recommend a new product that hits our shelves next week and that is the Nutriplenish Curl Gelee (pronounced “gel-lay”). It will nourish and hydrate your curls, leaving them soft and bouncy with pomegranate seed oil, organic coconut oil, mango butter in the signature pink bottle. It separates and defines your curls without the heaviness, greasiness, and/ or crunchy texture that a lot of products leave you feeling. Curl Gelee is the must have product for this summer season.
“If your hair is not curling or waving how you want, you most likely need a cut,” says Kailah, a Master Stylist and trainer (who has cut and styled my hair before and is THEE bomb-dot-com) at the Wilmette location. “Not necessarily length, but to shape the hair! What products you use - from shampoo to daily styling products - matter more than you think! There’s also treatments to enhance your curl or smooth your frizz while keeping your curl come on in!”
I could not have said it better myself - thank you so much Kailah! And big thank you to Olivia and Mel for letting me ask you a bunch of questions! In short, curly cutting and styling is so much more than what you think! Good products - in the shower and out - are essential to maintaining the perfect cut for the summer. As Kailah said, come in and let us elevate you to a whole new level. Lexa