CURL STAYING POWER
With a definite trend for curling hair and volume back in,
one of the biggest issues many women face when curling is the fact that shortly
after the curls are created, they begin to drop out of the hair. Whilst many techniques and products exist
for style retention, the issue of curl flop still resides with most. Here I will try to explain why this happens
and the methods which can be deployed to resolve it.
Understanding temporary
curl
A temporary curl is created in the hair when the internal hydrogen
bonds are broken. These bonds are broken
whenever moisture comes into contact (eg when the hair becomes wet) and these
same bonds will reform when the hair dries and as oxygen enters the hairs
fibres. Therefore, a curl (or any
style) result can be achieved by moulding the hair around a tool during this
drying phase. Likewise, heat will also
reset these temporary hydrogen bonds, hence why curls can be created from
tongs, irons or heated rollers.
However, certain hair types are naturally very rich in
keratin and will tend to draw moisture from the atmosphere. A general rule is the silkier and softer the hair
(naturally) is, the harder you will find it to hold a curl, whilst the courser
and drier hair (naturally) is, the easier a curl or shape will retain. This is due to the fact that if the hair
readily accepts moisture and hydration from the atmosphere those temporary
bonds will just revert back to their natural shape. However, drier or courser hair types which (readily
crave moisture) will not suffer this issue.
Ironically, this can be why naturally curly hair will hold a (set) curl pattern
very well – because (in general) curly hair can lack moisture, hence why it becomes
dry so easily.
1. DO NOT CONDITION
If you wish to create a curl in straight or
silky hair that will typically not retain it, avoid all conditioners and even
conditioning shampoos. Many of these
shampoos and conditioners contain polymers and silicones that draw moisture
into the hair to enable it to retain softness, therefore hair that is treated
with either a rich shampoo or conditioner will tend to suffer curl flop. Instead, you need the hair to be a slightly
drier texture. Using a clear or simple
shampoo and then following with a sea salt spray will cause the PH of the hair
to rise and the cuticle to open slightly making the texture feel rougher. This drier texture will help retain a
curl. For hair that is very stubborn to
curl retention (and particularly silky), try mixing two tea spoons of salt into
a mug of warm water and rinsing it through your hair for additional (temporary)
dehydration.
2. WET SETTING IS BEST
Whilst probably 80% of people still use
heat curling methods, the use of heat to create a curl in dry hair is never as
long wearing as setting the hair on rollers or a curling tool from wet. The internal hydrogen bonds will reset to
their most effective level when the hair is wound from wet because at this
point the hair holds additional elasticity which will stretch the hair and
cause a tension that will form stronger bonds.
Whilst a good result can be achieved by allowing the hair to set
overnight or (generally) air dry, by far the best method is to use a hood
dryer. A hood dryer blasts warm air
across the head and causes an even, quicker and more effective long term curl
result – even in the most stubborn of straight textures.
3. AVOID SILICONES AND PRODUCTS DESIGNED FOR ‘CURLY
HAIR’.
Using any silicone based serum or product
is lethal for naturally straight hair wishing to retain a curl. As stated, silicones are used in products to
draw moisture into the hair, therefore if you create or finish a curl with a
silicone based product it will increase the likelihood of curl flop (over time)
because that moisture is being drawn into the hair which can cause the bonds to
reset back to their natural pattern. In
addition, a second misconception is the use of curly hair products to create or
retain a temporary curl. These products
have been designed for naturally curly hair which is typically dry in texture
and needs moisture to form the natural curl.
If someone with very straight silky hair uses such products they will
find (once again) the curl will begin to drop, as although their hair may be
temporarily curly they do not have a naturally curly hair texture that would
benefit from the product. In general,
setting lotions and hairsprays such as Elnet should be used to style straight hair that is
not readily willing to hold a curl.
4. PERM IT
The biggest misconception about perms is
they are only capable of creating those scrunchy looks as seen in the 1980’s –
this is untrue. Traditionally, cold
perming was created 100 years ago because women had suffered for centuries with
the issue of curl retention. Chemicals
found in the traditional cold perm work by breaking the permanent disulphide bonds
within the hair and changing its shape.
If the hair is left to dry naturally (once permed) it will have a curly
or permed look, however the point of perms was not actually for the famous ‘wash
and wear’ look, but actually to enable the hair to be set (as normal) on
rollers or moulding tools. When permed
hair is curled or set, the temporary hydrogen bonds (which create the style
look curls) will hold in place without dropping because those parallel disulphide
bonds have been permanently changed. Therefore, a perm foundation in very straight
hair will enable you to wash and set or curl your hair but retain volume,
movement and shape without fear of flopping.
My
only word of warning on perming is that it is not compatible with bleached
hair. In bleached hair the permanent
bonds have already been weakened and the hair will not withstand a second
process. However (and in my experience),
bleached hair will often hold a curl better than natural hair because it has a
slightly drier texture. The only
exception to this is damaged bleached hair which has lost its elasticity. When hair is very damaged it becomes
difficult to create any curl or shape in the hair as the structure has begun to
deteriorate.
5. DRY CLEAN
If you are passionate about sporting curls
and movement as part of your everyday style and look, reduce the amount you
wash your hair. Spending time washing
and then setting the hair to dry (especially with a perm foundation), will
create effective, durable and long lasting curls. However, if you wash your hair everyday it
will just not be possible to retain this level of hair upkeep. Instead, washing maybe twice a week and then
using a dry shampoo daily will clean the hair but retain the style. Because dry shampoos contain no moisture
ingredients they will not unrest the temporary hydrogen bonds – therefore, you
can clean the hair without needing to wet it.
Remember, these above pointers are designed for individuals
with straight hair who suffer curl flop soon after styling. The
principles are somewhat different for those who have naturally curly or wavy
hair.
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