Daily Routine for Boticelli, Corkscrew, and Corticelli Curls

Total cleansing/conditioning and styling time: 10-15 minutes, depending on the length of Hair.

Cleansing and Conditioning.

1. Step Under the shower as if you're standing under a waterfall and let the water cascade through your curls. Resist the impulse to start scrubbing your head and disturbing your hair's basic shape. if the water pressure is strong, cup your hair in your hands. wet hair thoroughly.

2. Cup one hand, take a sulfate - free cleanser or botanical conditioner, and apply toothpaste to a toothbrush. evenly distribute to the fingertips of the other hand and then apply directly to the scalp; be careful not to disturb your curls.

3. Starting at the temples, massage the scalp with circular motions, move down the sides and then to the top of your head and crown. finally, move down the back of your head, finishing up at the nape. now let the water spray through your hair, rinsing out whatever your  fingers have loosened. when you rinse the top of your hair, the ends of the hair will get clean as the cleanser or conditioner moves downward. this method will create fewer tangles and will prevent over washing the typically drier, more mature ends of your hair.

4. Take a generous palmful of your conditioner, evenly distribute it between your hands and graze it downward on the outer layer of your hair as if you were icing a cake. If needed, apply more conditioner through the hair at each side of your head, using your fingers as a comb. The point is to distribute the conditioner evenly through your hair's landscape so no curl is left behind. now your hair should feel smooth and silky - like wet seaweed.

5. Apply a dollop of conditioner (about the size of a quarter) under the hair at the nape of your neck, the spot most prone to tangles and knots. the hair there breaks easily, so be patient and gentle when trying to release any tangles or knots with your fingers. 9ripping equal frays and trays equal more knots.) Then, using your fingers, comb through your hair from underneath, removing any loose hairs. Remember, it's normal to lose about a hundred strands a day!

6. Before rinsing your hair, stand away from the shower flow. Cup your hands under the water and splash water over your hair a couple of times. I call this a trickle or baptism rinse; it ensures that the canopy of the hair, which is constantly exposed to the environment and thus very dry, can have the right amount of conditioner to stop it from frizzing. Over time, you'll know instinctively whether to rinse out any more conditioner at this point. If you do rinse, just let the shower spray fall over your head for a few seconds to evenly distribute the conditioner without removing it.

Styling.

1. Step out of the shower and tilt your head forward. Loosley cupping a microfiber towel, paper towel, or an old cotton T - shirt, gently squeeze upward toward the scalp to remove excess water and encourage curl formation. (It should sound very squishy.) Repeat this motion all around your head. if you like your curls to be fuller, do this until the hair no longer drips; if you want more gravity to your curls, leave in moor water.

2. With the head still tilted forward, let your curls fall freely. Place a palmful of gel in one hand and evenly distribute it to the other hand. Apply the gel evenly throughout the landscape of the hair, making sure you cover all your curls. starting at the ends, scrunch sections of hair up toward the scalp (visualize that you're pushing a spring together with both hands, and then releasing it). This method will cultivate or enhance the curl formation.

3. Slowly raise your head to an upright position, look up at the ceiling, and gently shake your hair so your curls fall into their natural position. If it's a humid day or you have a high halo frizz factor, take an additional quarter-sized amount of gel and rub it in both hands. Then very gently graze the gel over the top layer of hair so the cuticle will be smooth.

4. To give the curls on the top of your head a little volume, you need to "lift and clip" the hair at the roots. this method releases the top layer of hair from its own weight, allowing it to dry faster and in an even curl pattern from roots to ends. Don't interrupt the curls while they're drying or they'll frizz up.

5. If you don't have time to air-dry your hair, you can use a diffuser, hooded dryer, or, if you're on the go, just put the heater on in your car. this creates the same kind of drying microclimate that you'd get from a hooded dryer.

6. When your hair is completely dry, remove the clips very gently, to prevent them from ripping hair. lean over, place your hands on your scalp, and with the tips of your fingers, very lightly shake your hair at the roots to open up the curls. Stand upright, and very gently lift your fingers off the scalp, not raking them through your hair (which can cause frizz). NOTE: Skip this step if you like a more contained curl.

Halo Goo - Bye

In the past, you probably shampooed the top of your hair first. It is usually the first place to get rinsed too, so conditioner was washed out before it did it's job. No wonder we curly girls have been f.b.i (frizz - bewildered individuals) for years.

We need to reverse this sequence: Have the top of your head be the last place you apply cleanser and the last place you rinse out conditioner. And say good-bye to your frizz halo forever!

curly girl handbook by Lorraine Massey.