Do YOU know your curl type? Celebrity hairdresser reveals the secrets to your healthiest hair – and how to get the perfect wave if your locks are straight
Curly hair brings with it a lot of product trial and error, as you try to navigate the dryness, breakage and potential frizziness that comes with having wavy locks.
But knowing your ‘curl type’ is key to finding the right way to care for your hair, and it is easy to find the correct products to treat your locks – when you know how.
Speaking to FEMAIL, celebrity hairdresser Anthony Nader – who counts the likes of Cate Blanchett, Kendall Jenner and Karlie Kloss among his clients – revealed the secrets to your healthiest hair yet according to your curl type.
He also shared how you can nail a wave if you have straight hair.
So what are the four curl types?
1. Lazy waves
The first curl type, Anthony said, is the ‘lazy wave’ – which is the most relaxed of curls.
‘Lazy waves are very relaxed and the clue is in the name “lazy”,’ Anthony said.
‘You shouldn’t go too hard with products as you want your waves to be relaxed, rather than looking like they lost a fight with a tub of gel.’
For this hair type, Anthony first up recommends a great haircut to bring out your ‘natural texture’.
Then, something like a lightweight paste or sea salt volumiser ‘applied on towel-dried hair’ will get your curl looking its understated best.
Try: Lightweight paste or sea salt volumiser on towel-dried hair
2. Sculptural waves
The second curl type is the sculptural wave, which Anthony said needs ‘more grunt or push’ if you want your hair to stay in this shape.
‘For this hair type, I wouldn’t keep your hair all one length as this will only drag down your sculptural waves so that they look like they’re pyramid-shaped on the ends,’ Anthony said.
‘Ask your hair stylist for some textured seamless layers cut throughout the interior, as this will give your waves more energy to move around and also give them longevity.’
For this curl type, the celebrity expert said he’d use a serum or jelly-like product on damp hair to ‘fatten them up’.
3. Corkscrew curls
The third curl type is the corkscrew curl, where Anthony said there is no room for trial and error.
‘Hair textures like this I always cut dry as I can then see how the hair sits naturally,’ Anthony said.
When it comes to how you can look after these curls at home, the hairdresser said it’s all about moisture, moisture, moisture.
‘I often find when styling strands as this that the more moisture you can feed your hair, the better they will behave,’ Anthony said.
For this, a sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner are absolutely key, while weekly at-home treatments will help to improve the state of your curls.
4. Afro curls
Anthony revealed this curl type will shrink up so much that it ‘can look like you’ve just had a run in with the clippers because they shrink so much’.
This hair type is difficult to manage, but there are ways to deal with it – provided you know how.
‘Keep alcohol-based products to a minimum as they will dry out your strands even more,’ Anthony said.
Instead, choose soft and light liquid-based products like lotions and gels to get the best results.
How can those with straight hair get a perfect wave?
On the other side of the fence are people who have straight hair that are desperate to get a wave.
This is possible, Anthony said, and requires you to start with your hair from damp.
‘When you have damp hair, blow drying product in will help your hair hugely,’ Anthony said.
‘It’s far superior to applying any product on dry hair, which often just sits on thwe surface of the strand.’
Once you’ve blow-dried your product in, use a power tool to help lock in a curl.
Anthony recommends the Ghd Platinum+ Ink On Pink Hair Styler Straightener, for $355, which gives perfect curls as well as straight hair.
What are the three main products curly-haired women should have in their arsenal?
Lastly, the celebrity hairdresser revealed the three main products curly-haired women should have in their arsenal.
‘Top of the list is a good conditioner,’ Anthony said.
‘Go for something that’s packed with moisture so your curls will stay hydrated and bouncy.’
Secondly, he recommends you go for some jelly lotion, which has minimal hold factor but shapes your texture ‘beautifully so your strands still feel like hair and not artificially stiff-feeling and looking’.
And finally, just as your skin needs serum, so too does your hair.
‘Serum is beneficial for curly hair types, as it will impart high gloss sheen to the most lacklustre of hair strands and also feed it high grade ingredients packed in the bottle.’