Understanding & Caring for Curly & Mixed Hair: A Beginner's Guide

Question

My hair texture   For the majority of my life, I've had my curly hair straightened. So most of my knowledge of my hair isn't even about my natural texture. I've had it curly for a couple of years now but, to be honest, I've been going into it blindly for a long time. I don't know much about the taboos or what's really good for my hair. So my question is, what is absolutely essential to take good care of curly hair.

Answer
Julian,
 The biggest MUST for curly hair is moisture. It must be moisturized on a constant basis to keep it soft and nicer looking. The curlier the hair the more open the cuticle and the harder it is for the hair to maintain a good moisture balance. for this reason you want to always use a good moisturizer when you shampoo and experiment to find one that you can use as a leave in as well, to help even more. I say experiment because you may like something that I may not think is good or I may recommend something that works great for my clients but will have poor results for you. It's a personal match that only you can make. Another thing that can help is a nourishing oil like Argan oil or any of the botanical blends that are popular now. They will also moisturize and help seal the hair strand.
Best of luck to you.
Stephe (hairman)