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Flare 10 1995 Curly Cues Curly hair: when it’s right, it’s oh so right, but when it’s bad, it’s the worst. Here, the experts tell you how to get curls you can count on. The Cut: W. Greg Young, Mozaix Design House, Victoria “The best way to get a great cut is to ask someone with great curly hair who their stylist is. Curly hair takes experience to cut. It shrinks and bounces. It’s unpredictable. Now, we’re seeing more length in curly hair, or it’s very short and cropped. Long, curly hair can be kept under control by layering the surface in the last 3-4 inches.” The Grooming: Tracey Driscoll, Shear Talent, Charlottetown “One of the besy tools you can use on curly hair is your fingers. Rake fingers through hair or use an extra-wide tooth comb to detangle. Skip brushing, unless you’re after the frizzy look. Velcro rollers can help smooth the curls, but be sure they’re the right size. If your hair gets hopelessy tangled up in them, then they’re too small.” The Frizzies – Jeffrey Greenaway, Edward Carriere, Winnipeg “Frizziness is caused by improper care and humidity. The key is don’t touch it and don’t brush it. Blow-dry carefully with a diffuser and some product (such as a setting lotion). Air drying is the preferred way to go. A quick fix for frizzy hair is to wet it by patting lightly with damp hands.” The Styling – Jonathan Torch, The Cutting Crew, Toronto “Curly hair doesn’t need hold. It needs control. I recommend water-based styling lotions when hair is wet and squeezing hair slowly to coax hair into ringlets. Once dry, you can separate curls by delicately pulling curls apart with your fingers. For more spring, diffuse with your head bent upside-down. The next day, to reactivate curls, just spritz it with water. Remember: the more you play with your curls while drying, the worse they are.” The Look – Daniel Fiorio, Daniel Fiorio Salon, Toronto “Curls are back, but with a twist. The shape is stronger, cleaner lines. Slick down with product or flatten front areas with bobby pins, leaving other areas curly.” The Perm – Fritz LaBoucane, Vidal Sassoon Salon, Toronto “Vidal Sassoon has a new way of winding perms using rubber on the ends of hair, protecting the hair like never before. It’s a worry-free approach to perming.” If perming at home, look for kinder, gentler solutions: Toni Silkwave contains pre-perm shampoo with aloe that conditions and prepares the hair for the perm, perm lotion that contains special conditioners to protect hair from frizz, and a post-perm conditioner for silkier, shinier hair. Julia Robert’s Hair – Something to Talk About Straight hair may be à la mod, but don’t be fooled, curls still count. Just ask Julia Roberts. Her lank-haired appearance at the premiere of Something to Talk About was just that. The furor sparked by this new look sent the entertainment show EXTRA! To the polls, asking their viewers if they preferred her Pretty Woman curls or her new do. An overwhelming percentage preferred it curly. Julia should take note – while with curls she starred opposite Richard Gere, her last foray into flat-ironing got her into I Love Trouble, opposite less-than-hunky Nick Nolte. So, does the curly haired girl get the guy? We looked to the movies a discovered a CURL CONSPIRACY. Minnie Driver – She gained 20 pounds for her first starring role in Circle of Friends, and still managed to neck with Chris O’Donnel throughout the entire movie. It must be the curls. Julia Ormond - In her first big screen appearance, she rides bare back with Brad Pitt (Brad Pitt!) in Legends of the Fall. After lopping off those luxuriant locks, she plays Sabrina opposite Harrison Ford. Who would you pick? Kim Basinger – With curly hair she rose to the top of the Hollywood heap and nabbed the first-born Baldwin brother. With straight hair she declares bankruptcy and descends into B-moviedom. Coincidence? We don’t think so. Nicole Kidman – Micheal Keaton, Matt Dillon, Tom Cruise; hunks at work and at play. We blame it on the perfect match up of colour and curl. Andie MacDowell – Hugh Grant left another woman at the altar for her in Four Weddings and a Funeral , and unlike straight0haired Hurley, Andie has a model man at home. Madeleine Stowe – Her waves make her the only woman with better hair than Daniel Day-Lewis, a man who will find her “no matter what the cost” in Last of the Mohicans. KING OF CURLS For a controlling trim, or a more drastic overhaul, Toronto’s curly-haired cognoscenti flock to Angst Hair to see Marco Greco. Blessed (or cursed, depending on the weather) with curls himself, Greco has brought many an unruly mop under control. Here’s how he takes his customers from frizzy to fabulous. 1. The hair is cut with conditioner in it, so that the actual curl is more evident. 2. Greco uses his eye to balance the shape of the hair in just the right amount of layers. (Too many layers would result in a frizzy ball) 3. While cutting, Greco is careful not to pull down on the curls (when they spring back, the cut would be too short.) 4. At home, Greco recommends these washing instructions: Turn head upside-down to prevent beads of water from forming on the scalp, disturbing curl formation. Don’t touch the hair while it dries, except for positioning of the curls with fingers, while slightly damp. 5. For a versatile, all purpose cut, Marco says to follow Shalom Harlow’s example – defined curls with a precision shape.