Curly Girl (Paperback)

~ (Author), Deborah Chiel (Author) "Welcome to Curl Talk, a place where you can finally let down your hair..." (more)
Key Phrases: curly kids, spring factor, lavender spray, African American, New York City, Lavender Mist (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Ironing your hair. Wrapping it. Setting it on juice cans (or, worse, soup cans). Plastering it with Dippity-Do. Since the Sixties, women with curly or wavy hair have been denying the obvious and trying to get that stick-straight look. Curls are finally in again, but a lot of curly types have no idea how to drop the blow dryer and let nature take its course. Along comes Massey, founder and co-owner of Devachan, a New York salon catering to these women. Part inspiration (you, too, can shed your inhibitions and discover your inner curl) and part instruction, this book gives excellent advice for cutting, styling, and caring for curly hair. Massey begins by explaining how curly hair differs from straight hair. She then distinguishes among three types of curly hair (corkscrew, Botticelli, and wavy), explains how to decide your type, and provides a detailed program for each. Helpful illustrations and entertaining "Curly Girl Confessions" abound. Massey's enthusiasm is infectious, her advice is clear and cogent, and her book is unique; there is as yet nothing else out there to help curly girls manage their hair. The 71/2" by 61/2" format and a few worksheet pages may seem problematic for libraries, but ignore all that. Some 65 percent of your women patrons have curly or wavy hair, and they need this book. Highly recommended for public libraries. [Coming in August from Three Rivers Press is hairstylist Ouidad's Curl Talk. Ed.] Barbara Hoffert, "Library Journal.
- Barbara Hoffert, "Library Journal"
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"There's a curly wave sweeping the nation and Lorraine Massey is leading the charge." -- Dallas Morning News

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company (December 20, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761123008
• ISBN-13: 978-0761123002
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 6.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (229 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,291 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

75 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Valuable for curly, kinky afro hair. Just add comb & oil, March 23, 2003

By	"afrodeliah" (Virginia) - See all my reviews

On André Walker's scale, my chemical-free long fro is a 4a: kinky, tight ringlets. As a graduate student, I have very little money, but am looking for techniques to protect my hair's health as I grow it long again. Massey and Chiel have done beautifully. The short chapter on African American hair does what most "experts" are too vain to do--it relies on the judgement of others who specialize in the field. How many times have I had a hair disaster at the hands of a stylist who only knew rumors about nappy hair? Even most Black stylists are truly experts with *straightened* hair. Massey courted some impressive professionals whose opinions did not always bend to hers. As a former researcher, I respect that!
And the no-shampoo method works! For those handling nappy hair, I would recommend the following adaptations to Massey's techniques:

1) During the conditioner wash, cover all the hair w/conditioner, then gently comb out. I comb my hair in the direction I plan to style it. Combing is necessary for kinky hair, unless you are cultivating dreadlocs.

2) Shake your hair a little once you've conditioned for step 3 (kinky ringlets sometimes need a bit of room to shape up.)

3) Massey says silicones weigh hair down. Silicones can't weigh down virgin kinky hair, but they will eventually turn your hair into a shiny, dead mess. They also resist removal by even super-stripping shampoos, so use a non-silicone conditioner with as few ingredients as possible.

4) I have dandruff, but it is under control even after many weeks on Massey's technique. I use the brown sugar scalp scrub every week. Dandruff scalps benefit from more exfoliation. Also, you can substitute cider vinegar for the lemon juice in her Lemon-Aid potion. I have a small spray bottle of vinegar in the shower and i spray some right onto my oily scalp prior to step 2. Oily scalps just need to do the scalp cleansing step more often than Massey indicates. It is not drying.

5) I use inexpensive conditioners by VO5 and CureCare (a beauty supply store brand with 5 ingredients) and have not suffered from a dull look on my hair. Learn to read labels. Try a conditioner which says it's designed for use as body moisturizer.

6) Feel free to add some olive or sesame oil to a dab of conditioner if your hair seems to crave extra. I never use gel, but i gently put this mix through my hair, when needed.

7) She describes a straw set. You can get other-sized curls by setting hair on perm rods. Just use curl papers.

Black curly girls may find it funny that the British Massey has re-invented a product familiar to many of us: oil sheen spray! She suggests putting olive oil in a culinary oil mister for use on the hair! I had to smile.
Massey's book is written with *intelligence,* *respect,* and enthusiasm for all people with textured hair. Not only does she paraphrase Marcus Garvey's thoughts on hair hatred, she actually points out the prejudiced attitudes behind the modern insistence on straight hair as "professional," "well-bred", or "intelligent." Hair is political, and this woman knows it, although her book in straight-up fun. It is valuable for women who want to look like their curly, kinky, nappy, happy selves, not like some deep-fried blow-out queen. I like that the book is inexpensive and that the models are real women with truly lovely "real-world" hair. Bravo!

54 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVE THIS BOOK!, November 3, 2004

By	MilesColtrane "milescoltrane" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

I'm African-American with very tightly coiled hair and let me say that nothing short of chemical relaxers could give me any control over the wild frizz and tangles. I've tried all the other curly salons and over the counter products but I always went back to chemicals. I bought the book, went to the salon in NYC and was told by the stylist that she would not give me a relaxer until I gave her a chance to sample the products. Well after my hair cut, which was done on dry hair, then my shampoo with no-poo, followed by the conditioner my hair was the softest and easiest to comb through. In fact a comb was not even used on my very dense hair just fingers. I've been using the products for a month and I am sold! I've been giving the stuff away for christmas presents along with the book! The stylist was right I did not need a relaxer. Those days are over thanks to this book!
T.F.

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Works for Black girls, too!, December 31, 2005

By	Kharabella "Kharabella" (Somewhere in the midwest . . .) - See all my reviews

This is the most helpful hair book that I have ever purchased. As a black girl, I never thought of my kinky hair as curly. But after wearing it naturally for five years, I realize that's exactly what it is -- curly. Very, very small curls, but curls nevertheless. Anyway, most black hair salons do not cater to women who choose to wear their hair naturally -- they would rather press it straight, or do straw sets or other things that limit my activities and would have me in a beautician's chair every week. I work out five times a week, so I need something that I can do at home most of the time.


So I turned to books dedicated to curly hair. This one is amazing! So many of the tips are useful and practical, things that you can easily do at home. After using some of the tips in this book, the only bad hair days that I have had have been when I use a flat-iron to straighten my hair! I spend less time styling my hair when it is curly, I take better care of it now that I know what it wants (moisture, not detergents or pomades). And my black and white coworkers, and even my other black friends with natural hair, are constantly complimenting me.