Customer Reviews

Curly Like Me: How to Grow Your Hair Healthy, Long, and Strong

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I write this review as I sit here with my conditioner-laden, oh-so-defined teeny weeny afro in air dry mode. I've just finished reading "Curly Like Me" and I want to scream from the rooftops: "I've uncovered the Holy Grail of natural afro-textured hair care!!!"

If you're 1/10th as skeptical as I am when it comes to claims of a great hair technique, you'll want to know my credentials to see whether or not I'm qualified to make such a bold claim.

I'm biracial. My father is black and my mother is white. However, growing up, when asked the infamous "What are you?" question - all you mixed chicks know what I'm talking about - I would always apologetically suffix my reply with "...but I just don't have biracial hair". My brother has jet black big loose curls, but from infancy I was dubbed the one with the "bad hair" (not by my loving parents however, just the rest of the world). I believed it mind, body and soul. Why else would my evil hairdresser aunt force a relaxer on me when I was but a preschooler? Something must be very very wrong with my hair, I thought, since even with a relaxer it was an unruly Simba-mane. (I really did look like I belonged on The Lion King).

So, up until 10 months ago, I thought I couldn't live without the relaxer. Then one day several months ago, I decided to stretch my standard every 3 or 4 month relaxer fix by doing straw sets since it was so damaged. Time kept going and soon I was 6 then 7 months post, but with no thoughts of going natural. Then on month 8, a funny thing happened. For the first time, I really felt my new growth as I was washing my hair, what's this? Then I looked at it...CURLS?!?! Tight small spirally things growing from my head? YES! MY HEAD!

I began lurking on afo-textured hair care forums and other sites and began soaking up the knowledge from the ladies in the natural hair community. But, I feared that my hair wouldn't dry curly, that it would just turn into a hard matted Simba-poof; plus there was NO WAY I wanted to cut my hair.

About six weeks ago I heard about Teri LaFlesh and her method for the first time as I was lurking on a hair forum. I went to her Tightly Curly website, and I saw this biracial chick with hair to her butt. My instinctual reaction: jealousy and shame. All the feelings of my childhood rushed back. As a child, I would see biracial children with beautiful curls, soft and flowing or tight and spirally and I would be overcome with jealousy. I would see their hair flow down their backs whereas my relaxed ends seemed to be allergic to touching my shoulders and broke off at the sight of them.

What could this little hair queen teach me, I wondered. Surely our hairs have nothing in common! Then I saw her photo history; then I was floored. Her hair used to be a matted, relaxed Simba-explosion, like mine! Not a pretty cottony afro, not kinky spirals, but an evil, crunchy broken poof! I came to see that with her many hair disasters she could relate to me, and I began to become a Tightly Curly convert.

Fast forward a few weeks later as I waited with bated breath on THIS book to be released. At the end of April I snapped it up and bit into it like a...like a...like a person who really wanted to bite into something!

One day when I was reading it, I tried my Herbal Essences Hello Hydration on a bit of my hair where the relaxer had broken off to see if it would make curls and dry like that. I didn't think it would work. But it did!!! I began to see that other natural chicks with even tighter curls had done the method and experienced success. The scales began to drop from my eyes and I began to appreciate that there really is no such thing as "bad hair" after all. I came to appreciate that any hair that is healthy, happy and loved by its owner is "good hair", and I wanted good hair too.

Though the Tightly Curly Method is explained on the website, it is explained in greater detail in the book. I especially love the "Choosing Shampoos & Conditioners: What to Avoid" sections in the book as, since I don't live in the States, only a few of the recommended shampoos and conditioners are available. The book empowers me to find my own POOs and COs with in the recommended guidelines.

Teri has also gone to a lot of trouble uncovering hair and ingredient myths. Also, she describes on a molecular level what you're really doing when chemically altering your hair. I'm no scientist so I can't attest to the accuracy of her statements. However, I can say that what she had to say was scary enough to make me never want to hurt my hair with relaxers again. Ever.

I had originally planned to transition for another 6 months or so. But less than a week ago, when I was nearly done with the book, I was convinced that there was no reason for me to hold back. So, on that fateful Saturday afternoon of, May 1, 2010, I cut, I conditioned, I defined and I left in. FINALLY SOMETHING THAT WORKS!!!

I wish she had included in the book exactly how she came to discover this method, but that doesn't take away from the fact that this method works.

And so, dear reader, if you have tightly curly hair, do yourself a favour and purchase this book. Your hair will thank you, and it will thank Teri.

To Teri LaFlesh, thank you so much. My hair wants to be just like yours when it grows up.

To my hair, I promise from now on to love you unconditionally but always with plenty conditioner!

This is an excellent book! While I'm not directly bi-racial, my hair is exactly like Terri's due to white ancestry. I wish that I had known about using conditioner to keep my curls when they dried. My hair is short now because I cut 10 inches off to have relaxer free hair, but my curls are there and they feel great. I'm going to buy another book and give it to my bi-racial niece whose hair is a little looser than mine, but would definitely benefit from this book.

While books like curly girl are good, it left me frustrated because leaving a little bit of conditioner in my hair left me with fuzzy spots. This book filled in the pieces that were missing! Terri, thank you for this book, and thank you for going through what you went through to get your beautiful curls back. I get so many compliments from everyone even though I have a dreaded layer cut.

I would recommend this book for anyone who has curls when their hair is wet but turns to curly frizz when dried. I would recommend this book to kinky kinky tightly curled hair as well because this book preaches keeping moisture in your hair, and ALL curly hair need this. Good book!

Whether you buy this book straight away or think about it for a while ... after you read this book, you'll realise like doing regular exercise, changing your career or leaving that loser boyfriend of yours, that this is something you should have done months or years ago. It really is a life changing book and when you have curly hair, you realise it is more than hair, it's an attitude and way of life.

After reading the book in one sitting, what strikes me about the book is that looking after curly hair is relatively easy and the less you do with it, the more likely you are to have beautiful curls. If you think about the money you have spent on useless hair products over the years and throwing away money on hairdressers who were clueless about how to cut and style curly hair, this book is such a worthwhile investment.

How is a book a friend? IT SHARES ALL! Curly Like Me shares all the trials and errors Teri made throughout her hair journey. Not to mention every shortcut and secret she's learned along the way. The book talks to us in a clear, friendly tone, and it's spiced up with humor as well.

Curly Like Me addresses mistakes with a light heart. Teri mentions where she's been, but it's a small part compared to all the tips filling the pages of this book. We learn and move on from the past misunderstood hair to the future of embracing our hair as is and making it happy.

Like a true friend, the book supports and empowers us to be our best. Whether we use all the tips or just some, Curly Like Me gives us the information and tools to make informed decisions on our own hair. This book has become my simple, easy to use resource on curly hair care. I'm an on-the-go type girl who doesn't like to spend much time on hair, and I fit this method easily into my needs.

You can't go wrong with this step-by-step book. For me, the getting to know your curls and combing chapters by themselves were well worth the price. I like having the kindle version (iPhone app) as a helpful on-the-go reminder of steps, tools, and ingredients. Plus, it allows me to show fellow curly heads some of the book's tips at a glance.

The only thing I'd improve on or change is adding color pictures so the curls and styles demonstrated could be shown in more detail. Other than that, it's a perfect resource and friend. I think many will benefit from the overall time and research put into this book.

I've been following Terri's web site and her blog for some time, and was familiar with a lot of her method and was expecting this to just be a printed copy of her website. However, this book contains so much more in depth information which is actually useful and relevant. I'm glad I purchased it, I've read it twice since it came out last month. I reccommend it to anyone who has any doubts about going natural. I had already taken the natural plunge 3 years ago, cut all my hair off and now it's mid back wet. But I was still using all sorts of products and gels and anything that I could get my hands on, after practicing her method for some times, I'm saving so much money! It takes practice but once you get it down, you'll never look back.

I haven't got the book yet, however this process truly works! I couldn't figure out why my nauturally curly hair wasn't behaving or growing! I did a search on Youtube and located a video that truly took care of every issue I had with my hair. I'm interracial..mom is white and dad is black and native american. I learned quite a few years ago that relaxers were not good so I grew out my hair. I was getting my hair completely wet in the morning and putting gel in it. I couldn't figure out why it looked like I had a flat head and my hair just looked gross. I started using the "process" about 6 months ago. My hair looks so healthy and I feel so much better about only putting conditioner in my hair..flinging it and waking up in the morning with curly hair! I can't thank the Curly Like Me author enough for sharing her technique. My hair is growing long, looks 100% healthier and 100% curlier! I have shared the technique with my sister and she's wearing her hair down for the first time in 30 years! She absolutely love the way the technique shapes her curls and requires little to no maintenance!
Aussie Moist Conditioner, 13.5-Ounce Bottles (Pack of 6) I love this conditioner! Happy flipping!

This easy to read, do-it-yourself book has put an end to my struggle with my hair! Teri has taught me in a step-by-step guide, complete with pictures, how to embrace my beautiful curls! I no longer have to spend hours with a blow dryer, hot curlers and a flat iron, getting my hair just right, only to be thwarted by rain or humidity. In this book, Teri has done the research for you and gives you everything you need to know to be confident about doing your own hair and getting "professional" results. She gives you all the "dos" and don'ts" and even suggests products and tools to make your life so much simplier and easier. You'll love her story and her sense of humor. Many of you will relate to her hair struggles like I did and will cheer as you emerge with a new feeling of freedom and empowerment! Her story is my story and hopefully it will be your story too. Thanks Teri!

Curly Like me is a great book and I love Teri's technique!
I got to know about Teri LaFlesh and her technique through a Google search. It was the beginning of 2009.

I used my hair relaxed (straight) for years and had cut it in 2007 to change the relaxer basis and wear it curly. Well, things didn't turn out as I expected and after trying a lot of stuff for almost 2 years (extensions, light relaxers, famous and expensive brand products, hair salons, curly girl method...), I was lost about how to take care of my hair. Through You tube, I got to know many others ways to style hair (wash&go, Bantu knots, twists...), but nothing worked nicely. I have 3b(few), 3c-4a hair and I'm not direct biracial. I confess that when I saw her website, I was skeptical and thought: ok, her hair is wonderful but it's very different of mine; so, this method won't work for me.

Anyway, I first gave it a shot in Feb. 2009, but used my fingers instead of a brush and didn't have the hair soaking wet. So, it didn't work. I dared to e-mail Teri to tell her about my unsuccessful experience. Can you believe that she kindly answered me telling exactly what could have gone wrongly? However, I was still too product-oriented and continued looking for the miracle product which would make my hair nicely defined and curly.

After precisely 4 months of wasting money without results, I was back to Google looking for a solution and re-found Teri's site. This time, I followed the Curly Primer rules carefully. For my surprise, it worked greatly and I was left with little coils that I never imagine I could have!!!

I've used this method for more than 1 year, sometimes I leaving in masks instead of conditioner and my hair's better each day. Well, as a stubborn person, once in a blue moon, I try a new technique which only confirms that nothing else works better in my hair than Curly Primer. My hair has grown a lot more in this last year than it grew during the first 2 years I was spending a huge part of my salary with expensive products. Yes, I have the shrinkage, but I think it's a minor side effect. I even have some color service and my hair is strong, healthy and defined!

Now, back to the book: it brings a lot of information about tightly curly hair, relaxers and coloring stuff, which can not be found in the website. Also, many stories of Teri during her journey, many of them are hilarious! The ingredients guide is very useful: as I don't live in the USA, it is impossible to find the exact brands of recommended products. The minor points are: sometimes it is a bit repetitive, it lacks color pics and styles for short hair as said before. I also would love to know more details on how Teri found out about Curly Primer. However, those points don't diminish the value of the book and they can all be modified/added for the next edition :-).

Sorry for my long hair story, it should only be a book review, but I had to try to tell the miracle that this method has done for my hair. I grow up listening that it was impossible dealing with my hair without relaxers and all of a sudden, only by leaving in a conditioner, I got beautiful little spirals!! Well, can't put it in words (English is not my first language :-( ). I only wish I had known her technique in 2007. Well, better later than never ;-). I am very, very grateful to Teri for sharing this method, which helped me to discover my real hair.

Give Curly Like Me (CLM) a chance :-).

This book is a must for anyone who wants to maintain healthy curly or wavy hair regardless of or whether he or she wants to grow it or keep it shoulder length.

My hair is curly and I used to think that brushing often would bring out its natural oils from the roots and promote healthy hair not realizing that it put way too much stress on those delicate strands. I also realized that even a wide tooth comb can cause damage if combed incorrectly and Teri addresses all of this.

Teri has done all the research for us (including products, shampooing and combing techniques) but this book is not just about maintaining a healthy head of hair. Teri begins with the story of her painful, yet humorous at times, journey through her childhood and teen years of the hair issues many of us face (or faced) in a culture that primarily markets to and promotes straight hair as the norm. As you read though the pages, Teri then brings to life her hair (and the reader's hair) as if it were the most beautiful work of art, a cherished possession and part of her (and the reader's) natural beauty and true identity that must be claimed, and this is such an important message especially, though not exclusively, to men, women and children of color.

Teri also emphasizes that patience and paying attention to your hair in the way that she does is so important to keep it in the most stress free environment.

For me, reading this book and going to her website as a supplement to the book was extremely helpful.

I cannot tell you how much I loved this book. I didn't want it to end. I was actually searching Amazon for the brazillian keratin straightener and this book popped up. I bought it and I am so happy that I did. My mother was never able to do my hair and subsequently I have worn my hair in a braid or a bun out of my face. I have been texturizing the top few inches for a couple years and it has been getting more unmanagable and frizzier. Hello? I am frying my hair.
After reading this book I now accept the fact that my hair is curly. It is not meant to be straight and adding toxic chemicals to it won't "cure" my curliness. I have wonderful curly hair that needs to be loved and taken care of. I have been following Terri's tips and I can wear my hair out now and not have to freak out about the frizz.