Looser Curls

Hair styled into loose curls — Photo: Zdenka Darula/Shutterstock

Q: Thank you for your great input about curly hair issues. I have thick and curly hair that has volume. My face is oval. I have done some layering and it seems to look nicer than without as when my hair is the same length, it tends to get puffy at the ends (nasty look). I have always thought that the longer my hair, the better it would be and I am scared to take the chance to cut my hair short (shoulder/ear length).

My curls are tight, and I wish I could find a way to make them looser and sexier-looking. Do you know about any ways other than braids to make that happen? When I do braids, it kind of calms my curls a little but it leaves me with a flat front look (flat at the forehead but with volume at the middle and ends).

As I have always been scared of shorter styles, I thought of highlights. Do you think highlights would look good on the type of hair I have? Thank your for your input. I greatly appreciate it.

A: You might consider a permanent wave service to "reshape" your curls. Many women who have small, tight curls or kinkier hair decide to get large-curl perms in order to create the soft, romantic look they want.

If you don't want such a permanent solution and would like an occasional break from your ultra-curly look, you can visit your local beauty supply store and get some large spiral curl rods to use in order to give yourself a wet-roller set.

Be sure to wrap the hair taut around the rods and allow the hair to dry fully afterward. You can use your favorite styling product to give the new curl shape extra hold and longer-lasting results.

Remember that the size of the tool used will determine the size of the curl, and you can be creative in your choice of tools if you desire. Depending on the length of the hair, you can even use such non-traditional devices as emptied and cleaned orange juice cans.

These alternate tools can also be used in conjunction with the permanent wave services mentioned above to create any size and shape curls you want.

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See also:

Perms and perming hair

Curly hair and hairstyles

Rods to create spiral curls

How to style hair with rollers