I have felt the pain of bad hair days. Many of them. Those were the days I clutched handfuls of my hair in frustration and wondered just why I was cursed with curly hair.

What was I thinking??

Clearly, I was misguided because some women pay a lot of money to achieve curly hair, whether through perms or the more tedious route of curling irons or rollers. If you can wake up each morning and shake out a headful of curls, feel fortunate.



I know it's not always easy because curly hair often has a mind of its own. The trick is to let your curls do what they naturally do, with maybe a little coaxing.

One method I've tried and that really works is "plopping." I first heard about this at Naturally Curly.com. Here's a nice little tutorial with illustrations to help you.

I "plop" with an old T-shirt. I apply product to sopping wet hair, wrap it up and go about my morning routine. I take my hair down after about 20 minutes and shake it out. Then, the most important step: I don't touch it anymore. No scrunching, no teasing, nothing. Once curls "set", they should be left alone to prevent frizz. Every once in a while, though, if my curls look a little parched, I'll smooth over a dime-size amount of Paul Mitchell Foaming Pommade and that's it. I'm ready for the day.

'Til next time, my pretties.