Trying this again – received emails this morning that said only the first part of the post was showing.?? Weird.?? I’ll just pick up where you all said the last post ended. (BTW, pictures may look undersaturated – I saved different than normal and didn’t want to go back and fix).
Embrace Your Natural Curls! Guest Blogger – Kristi
Step 1: Out with the Old, In with the New
Throw out any shampoos, conditioners, and other hair products you use that contain sulfates or silicones. They are the enemy, and if you want to have beautiful, curly locks with minimal frizz and maximum curl potential, pass them on to one of your straight-haired friends. Visit this site for a list of product ingredients that should be avoided.
Step 2: Clarify with a Sulfate Shampoo
I know I just told you to NOT to use shampoos with sulfates in them, but since you???ve likely been using products with silicones in them to style your hair you must use a sulfate shampoo one last time to rid your hair of any silicones that have built up and can???t otherwise be washed out completely.
Step 3: Time to Condition
(seaweed feel)
After you have clarified your hair with a sulfate shampoo (such as Suave Clarifying Shampoo), generously apply an equally inexpensive (non-sulfate) conditioner to the entire length of your hair from roots to tips. Put on enough conditioner so that your hair feels slippery and slick, like seaweed. You???ll know what I mean once you get there. Allow the conditioner to sit on your head for a few minutes. In the meantime, complete your shower routine because after the next step you???ll be looking forward to exiting the shower PRONTO!
Step 4: Cold Water???Really?!?!
Once you???re ready to rinse out the conditioner, you???ll need to flip your head upside down and rinse with cold water. This allows the cuticles along your hair shaft to close and trap in the moisture your curls so desperately need. Yes, they???re desperate. Don???t skip this very important step. I know you want to???but don???t! While rinsing with your head flipped upside down you can comb out any tangles that might be present with a wide-toothed comb. This is your one and only chance to comb your hair (say goodbye to brushing, too). Once you are well rinsed, do NOT ring out your hair or try to squeeze out ANY excess water, but instead, continue to hang your head upside down and turn your water back on to warm/hot and try to rinse off your neck and shoulders that are probably covered in conditioner. Don???t let the warm water get on your hair, though!
Step 5: Drip, Rake, Scrunch
(Leave in conditioner)
(Scrunch)
Step out of the shower, still bent over with head hanging, and with your hair sopping wet. Making sure you have a towel placed on your bathroom floor would be wise here. Take that same, inexpensive conditioner you just used in the shower, and depending on the length of your hair (my hair is a couple inches past my shoulders) put about a quarter-sized pool of it into your palm. Rub your hands together and apply to you hair by raking the product through your hair with your finger tips???about 6 or 7 times. Then, cup your hair in the palms of your hands and scrunch upward toward your scalp several times all over. This helps to distribute the product, and squeeze out the excess water, as well as form your curls. Next, use a silicone-free gel (amounts vary due to length of hair) and scrunch that into your hair as well. Check out this site to see an example of proper product application. (Scroll down to the Applying Rockin??? Ringlets video and play.)
(Gel)
Step 6: Plopping/Plunking???Depends on who you talk to!
No more wrapping your hair in a bath towel. There are no words for this procedure, so you???ll have to watch this video to learn proper plopping/plunking technique (Scroll down to the Plunking video). Grab one of your husband???s long-sleeved t-shirts and go for it!
Step 7: The Diffuser is your New Best Friend
There is a right way and a wrong way to diffuse your hair. Don???t be wrong. First, while bent over, pile a section of your hair into the diffuser bowl and scrunch it up to your scalp. THEN, and only then, turn your blow-dryer on to low and warm. Leave it there for about a minute, TURN OFF the dryer, and then, while the dryer is still off, repeat with another section of your hair. Turning your dryer off before moving to another section will help your hair to not be blown around so much while diffusing, thus creating less frizz factor. Ew! Say no to frizz!
Step 8: Medusa Lives!!
Time to flip your head over and see what your curls are made of! It???s likely that your curls will look a bit wild and rather reminiscent of the 1980???s. Don???t act like you don???t know what I???m talking about here. Do not fear! They WILL calm down over the next 20 minutes???or so. Try to place the curls where you would like them to fall without touching your hair too much. Too much touching equals too much frizz!
Step 9: Visit these sites???
Tada…..
You gotta try it!?? 🙂
P.S.?? No I wasn’t dressed to match my bathroom wall – just ironic. 🙂
(Thanks Kristi!)
15 responses to “Get Plunked Take 2”
SOOOOOOOOO GLAD YOU EXPLORED THIS POSSIBILITY! YOU’VE GOT GORGEOUS CURLS!!!!! i love it when a curly girl embraces the curl. granted, going straight is sometimes fun – but only if it’s for fun and not for hating. 🙂 you look GREAT.
WOW! I’m impressed! It looks beautiful!!!
ps – i always like a leave in conditioner mixed with citreshine shine miracle laminator. then one pump of bedhead’s curls rock creme in the blue pump bottle. you could get away with half a pump just rubbed all over your hands then light pulled through the top/back. some gels have too much alcohol and are drying – so watch out for that.
WAIT A MINUTE! I WANT BEFORE AND AFTERS OF KRISTI TOO!
Thanks for fixing it for me (and whoever else couldn’t see the whole thing)! This was just so amusing to me, seeing how I have straight as a board hair. I love the curls, by the way. I’m with Heidi, I need pics of Kristi too.
You are adorable!!!! Seriously, Doni, you look great! I like the curls. I think it is cool to have the option either way depending on your mood.
My oldest daughter had perfect, ringlet curls when she was smaller and now has curly/wavy hair like mine that I think is beautiful (on her) but that I imagine will cause her all kinds of teenage angst. My youngest daughter’s hair is poker straight. She could go to bed with her soaking wet in pigtails and wake up after 12 hours of sleeping, take the elastic out and I swear it would fall right back into its little bob shape. It astounds me. Everybody always cooed over Charlotte’s curls, but I have always secretly coveted Grace’s straight, perfectly manageable hair. I guess we always want what we don’t have, kwim? In the end, I figure they will be fighting for bathroom mirror space, Charlotte with a flat iron trying to get the frizz out and Grace with a curling iron trying to give her hair some body. The things we women put ourselves through.
Ahhhhh Hahhhhhhhh! This was the secret!!!!! You two crack me up – I love the step by step and finally a photo shoot with Doni NOT behind the camera 🙂 This is too cute and informative. You might have struck on a blog idea, occassional tutorials…I love it! I’m with Liza, how fun to be able to do your hair both ways. Both you and Kristy can at least get the straight look. It would take me hours and probably even then it wouldn’t be completely straight (take it from one who has combed through permanents, ironed hair with an actual iron and ironing board, “curled” it with orange juice cans to get the curls long enought to straighten, etc, etc, etc) I want you both to come over and do a hair makeover for me (WITHOUT THE CAMERA!!!!!)
Thanks for the tips and the smiles 🙂
Looks good!
I LOOOOOOVVVVVEEEEEEE the curl Doni. It looks Amazing! Have you tried it yourself yet? 🙂 It always seems to work better when someone else does it…lol Both you and Kristi are hot, hot, hot with curls.
Doesn’t Doni look great?!?! I LOVE the curls on her and am hoping to convert other curlies! 🙂
Aunt Becky – I think we should try to straighten your hair, too. Ooooh, this is going to be FUN!!!
Heidi and Sarah – I’m not sure about getting pics of me posted. I’m camera shy! Maybe if my hair looked as beautiful as yours does, Heidi, I’d consider it! But, I’m all for making over everyone else and showing them off! LOL!
I want to see Kristi’s too as I hardly see you anymore. I don’t post often but since this topic is about curls I feel I’ve got “experience”. Becky, have you tried my routine yet? For the record I prefer the curls on Doni.
OH KRISTI! STOP IT! 🙂 thanks for the compliment but don’t trash talk your curls in the process! 🙂 isn’t that the whole idea of embracing the curlie-girl? to appreciate what you HAVE and to embrace it, nurture it, LOVE IT in its uniqueness? (yes, i went to the weblinks doni mentioned and i did some reading… it inspired my response to you) 😉
i say get over the camera shy thing and let doni work her photographic magic so we can see your before and afters!!! pretty please?
same begging goes for aunt beck. i want to see what these girls come up with. 🙂
Kristi looks great with curls! Although her son Beau hates it LOL! Our boys don’t get to way in! We love love love it on both Doni and Kristi.
Not fair, you can’t have hair like that if you didn’t have it in the first place!!
Mine is straight as a board–now that I have some. And I prayed for
straight and grey-just like what I had before I lost it. Maybe I should have
prayed for curly!! You look BEAUTIFUL!!
OOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO PRETTY!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOVE IT! Gonna miss you today!