Curl & Texture Care_
_Be your own curl conductor with this cheat sheet for textured hair from the PAH Team_
INVEST IN HOMECARE: Use Salon friendly products to maintain the hairs strength, integrity, tone and longevity. We stock affordable brands in salon and understand the initial investment can be hard in this economy but we assure you that your hair will love you for it and you’ll use less than store bought products which balances the cost long term.
TREAT HAIR: Treat your hair before each wash with Olaplex No.3 Plus for strengthening the spine of your hair and a masque as your conditioner on alternate washes for the outside of your hair. Your Stylist will recommend the appropriate products and frequency in which you will need to use them ;)
PUT A BONNET ON IT: Wear a silk/satin bonnet to bed to protect the hair against friction and your bedding against staining.
KNOW YOUR LIMITS: If colouring the hair know your hairs limits. Be realistic about your hairs capabilities and allow the hair time to recover after.
If lifting the hair it will swell your hair strands which can result in a few weeks of your curl pattern stabilising again. Rest assured the hair will compress and your curl pattern will return but it can take some time like all chemical services and require some top ups of your favourite products.
ICE BATHS: We’re sorry in advance but we promise it works!
Use cold water when washing your hair, limit humidity by using a shower cap when having hot showers and only get your hair wet when it’s wash day.
PLAYING MERMAIDS ONLY AS A TREAT: Don’t get your new hair wet when swimming and help us by bringing back the swimming cap for emergencies :)
WASHING: Wash your hair less frequently. Hair is a fabric if you can imagine wearing the same shirt everyday and washing it repeatedly; while also rubbing it on another shirt (our hair rubbing on our clothing) it would eventually start to thin out, become transparent, lose it’s colour and finally break.
Once a week is recommended but if you’d like to train the scalp to achieve this frequency you will need to follow this pattern - push your current routine out by a day and sustain that for a month before stretching it out by another day and continue this routine until at your desired frequency so the scalp understands the change.
GOOD HABITS: If trying to grow your hair - start wearing it up off your clothing a few days a week to limit friction in sensitive areas like your hairline and perimeter from hands and clothing as they can distress and thin out the hair.
PROTECT YOURSELF: Use ‘Leave In Conditioners’ with high UV/Thermal protection and nourishment as a protective layer from sun bleaching, pollution, hot tools, friction etc.
WATER SUPPLY: Depending on your showers capabilities you may need to invest (or get your landlord to invest) in a shower filter. Old pipes, residue or excessive minerals in the water can change the colour of your hair and break down the health of it long term. A filter will not only keep your hair safe but also your body - infinite wins!
FABRICS MATTER: Use recommended towel or t-shirt fabric to wring excess water out during your wash routine to prevent friction.
PAH’s Explicit Diffusing Content:
Prepare your damp/towel dried hair with a 50 cent piece size of your stylist recommended product by distributing it from root to tip with your hands.
Disperse product with a wide tooth comb or Denman brush to detangle and coat hair.
Add another 50 cent piece size of your stylist recommended product to the back of your hand so it is accessible to add to any dry areas throughout the rest of the prepping process.
Part the hair into 3-4 horizontal sections using your preferred tool or fingers and clip away.
Work from the base of your neck up and release each horizontal section as you work up to the top layer of your head.
FOR NATURAL DRY KEEP READING.
FOR DIFFUSE DRY SKIP TO STEP 10 - Ask your stylist which dry is best for your hair type ;)
Softly scrunch each section as you move up the head and use the remaining product on your hands as you go to ensure all hair is protected and hydrated.
Let the hair dry naturally and scrunch throughout the drying time.
Finish only when the hair is 80%-100% dry by tousling or separating the hair with a small amount of your product or save this step for the next day for longer wear.
Add more product every few days to ensure hair is still hydrated or wet hands and rework the hair if their was enough product residue in the hair (side note: our clothes LOVE our products as much as our hair does so reapplying is making sure we don’t have all our protection syphoned away)
Twist or scrunch each section for the amount of compression or lift you prefer.
Dry hair with a diffuser attachment on medium to high heat and medium fan settings.
Dry hair at an incline to receive natural lift from scalp or upside down for maximum lift - Example./ Lean head to either side or place your head forward in a slight upside down formation and diffuse from underneath or tilt dryer up while on an incline for natural lift.
*100% dry is preferred for proper casting of product and maximum coil.
For building out shape we suggest massaging the bend of each curl while drying to work with your desired haircut shape. This is done best by drying the section you are massaging completely before moving to the next curl.
*If you’d prefer to keep your hair in the original horizontal sectioning and release each section once the underneath is dry it could benefit you to easily map out and remove any confusion of what section needs your attention.
To finish - separate the curls with the remaining product on your hands or save this step for the next day for longevity.
Don’t rush when dressing out the curl, it will be worth the wait at the end and last you longer!
If your ‘stylist recommended product’ has a strong cast in the hair this will protect the curl from humidity and lock in the moisture at the core of the product - but if you prefer soft touchable hair rest assured that massaging the product will remove the crunch and still give you all the benefits of protection. Only do this step if the hair is 100% dry.
Add more product every few days to ensure hair is still hydrated or wet hands and rework the hair if their was enough product residue in the hair (side note: our clothes LOVE our products as much as our hair does so reapplying is making sure we don’t have all our protection syphoned away)
Advanced Styling Tips:
If you’re feeling fancy you can try twisting the strands 90 degrees out from the head for maximum lift or use clips to pinch and lift the roots into a ‘C’ shape before diffusing__
PRODUCTS:
In a perfect world if we were spending sOmeONe eLsE’s money we’d be using products that cover these bases
Shampoo & Conditioner ‘Stylist recommended’
*PAH recommends 1x Shampoo/Rinse + 1x Shampoo/Rinse + 1x Condition for each wash routine (whether you are following the weekly wash or more). Focus the shampoo at the root area and the conditioner in the mid lengths and ends with any remaining residue massaged through.
Co-Wash + Treatment ‘Stylist recommended’
A co-wash is a lightly cleansing and conditioning product that helps you stretch out your washes by alternating it with your Shampoo/Conditioner.
Example./ You wash your hair every 7 days. With Co- Wash you could wash every 10 days with you usual routine but on the 5th day use a Co-Wash and Treatment to remove build up on scalp without dehydrating the hair further.
Masque Treatment ‘Stylist recommended’
This can replace your conditioner on a routine wash and be left in for 5-10 minutes.
Leave In Conditioner in a spray or cream form ‘Stylist recommended’
Finishing Product in oil, cream or spray ‘Stylist recommended’
‘Leave In Conditioner’ & ‘Finishing product’ can be the same product as long as you apply it in a healthier amount (50 cent piece size or more) on wash day on towel dried hair and reapplied on dry hair on wash day and a smaller amount (10 cent piece size) daily or every other day to relieve friction issues or fraying edges long term.
All products will come with stylist recommended usage and amounts so please speak with your stylist to ensure you are using the right products and not wasting it ;)
__See PAH’s Fav Products HERE <3
__If you would like to know more about lifted hair? See our ‘Blonde Cheat Sheet’ HERE <3
__If you’d like to learn about ‘Custom Pallet Maintenance’ HERE <3
___If you’re a new or existing client that wants to talk more about these care sheets and tailor it to your hair please book a free 15 minute consultation with your preferred stylist or reach out to our reception on 0428 433 718 to book larger services and pick our brains in salon.