Curly Girl Journal #1: Taming of the Frizz (Sock Curls)

My Minions have inherited sensitive scalp and my hair — thin and curly. We are prone to frizz, unintentional dread locks, knots, and hair frust (tiny dust balls in the hair). Though our hair is natural curly it’s a strange sort of curl. It can become corkscrews, frizz, waves, or be straightened pretty well quite easily. It all depends on the humidity and how recently it was washed or wet. Because the hair is thin, braiding and buns are usually not that impressive! Shampoo strips our hair easily, so I shy away from shampoo use unless we’ve been at the beach or in chlorine. No conditioner because it makes the hair look perpetually wet; we use just a little jojoba oil or coconut (a drop or two).

My daughter was bald until she was 2.5 when she finally started to grow her hair. Around 3.5 it was at a magic length where it was still easy to comb, but gorgeously tousled. Now at age five it is quite long and can get really tangled and unruly. Wild is an understatement. We’ve done quite a few experiments in trying to tame the curls without needing to comb or brush as often (sensitive heads prefer finger combing).

Yes, those are baby socks. Reuse and recycle people!

The first time I did sock curls I put in twice as many and the curls were quite tight. For a looser look I decided to do only four. Our hair takes parts VERY well (too well) and in the future I will use five sections so that I an have one at the back center of her head to help with balance. Hair should be a bit damp, no heat required.

Gorgeous, big curls.

After a good night’s sleep, the next morning the results were lovely. I had a little trouble getting those parts in the back to cooperate, but managed to get them under control.

If you are a curly girl you might be treating your hair all wrong, especially if you are using sulfate shampoos and silicone based conditioners. The key to curly hair is to work with it and not against it. Here is some reading material you might like on the subject (each book cover is linked to the page on Amazon to their description and reviews):