As the Artistic Director at Tearsheet, I know how difficult natural curls can be to style perfectly – whether our team is styling a model on-set, training students in our classes or enhancing ringlets under time crunches backstage at Fashion Week. And now more than ever, natural curls are in, as we’ve seen from the runways at Fall 2009 Fashion Week to the styles walking down the streets of New York City. One thing I’ve learned about styling curly hair over the years is that diligent care needs to be given from the first step to the last so that clients leave with luxurious, frizz-free curls every time. Here are just a few tips and tricks I’ve gathered from working with curly hair at photo shoots that I share with students who come into our classes, helping stylists’ in our “fight against the frizzâ€:
- Naturally curly hair doesn’t like to be touched and scrunched too much while being diffused. Try to lift the curls up to the head to continue to activate the curls. If the curls start to break up, lower the speed on the blow dryer.
- Once curly hair is dry, hair may need to be softened in spots since curly hair does not reflect light very well. A little help can be provided by a product– like Redken’s glass 01 smoothing serum. The curls will be left with a soft, natural feel with shine. (Try emulsifying the products in your palms and using a scrunching process from ends to scalp).
- If the curls still tend to be dry and extra frizzy, a very light mist of water over the top of the curls could help. Take a spray bottle and point it up and over the style and mist onto the curls. Use fingers to place the curls where you want them and allow hair to dry naturally.
- Curly hair stays curly and not frizzy by minimal touching, so when pinning hair up make sure not to rake your fingers, comb or brush through the curls. Create a fuller look by massaging individual curl sections between your first finger and thumb before pinning – this will blossom the curls and give a softer feel to the section and the hairstyle.
- When tired, over-worked curly hair is not giving the result I want, sometimes re-curling the hair helps to revive the curls. Make sure to curl going in both directions, toward the face and away to make sure the curls won’t interlock, which can look unnatural.
Remember, every curl is different and sometimes you will have to get creative and play with what works best with your specific client based on the mixture of your climate, the type of curls she has, time of day and desired result. But with a base knowledge and confidence, you can make sure you style ringlets right every time, providing a unique point of difference to your client and keep them consistently coming back for your professional expertise.
Giovanni Giuntoli is the Artistic Director at Tearsheet Editorial Styling Classes in New York City and a Redken Session Stylist. He has worked with such magazines and designers as Nylon, Cosmopolitan, O, The Oprah Magazine, WWD, Lucky, Glamour, Chris Benz and Armani Exchange and is a staple at NYC Fashion Week. He also shoots major designer’s advertisements, and lookbooks, and is a regular during Bridal Fashion Week for designers Amsale, Kenneth Poole, Christos, and Angel Sanchez.