Christo's Curl Tips

Salon owner and haircare line founder Christo shares common mistakes stylists make when cutting, styling and diffusing curly hair. Follow his tips to create beautiful curls! [pagebreak]

Cutting
Thinned the hair/use a razor- Only scissors should be used to cut curly hair as it does not shred the hair shaft, helping to avoid split ends.  
Gave a one-length cut- Curly hair should be cut using the Diametrix technique, which uses diagonal angles to help avoid the pyramid shape.
Cut the hair dry- Anytime you cut the hair dry it will result in an uneven haircut because every time you wet and style those curls will end up in a different position. Hair should ALWAYS be cut wet, using Diametrix technique, which allows diagonal angles and inner-lock the curls.
Cut hair without an elasticity test- Elasticity test on curls should always be done to see how the curls bounce. Good stylists should be able to judge how the curl is going to dry and the length of the hair once the curls are dry.  
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Styling
Detangled curls using a brush- curls should be detangled using a wide-tooth comb to help eliminate frizz and breakage. The best time to detangle is in the shower with conditioner in your hair.
Used brushes or combs on dry curls-Hair should not be combed once curls are dry, as this will cause frizz and curls will lose definition. Brushes should never be used on curly hair in general.  
Didn't pre-section the hair before applying styling products-Presectioning into 5 sections: lower nape, center back, side, side and top, will help to ensure that the product is evenly distributed and that you have absolute control of the style with no frizz.[pagebreak]
Diffusing
Didn't use a diffuser-  Using a diffuser is a MUST when drying curly hair, this helps to avoid fly-aways.
Touched the curls while diffusing- Hair should not be touched until curls are at least 80% dry, this helps to avoid frizziness and out of control curls
Dried the hair with head upside down- It is best to dry hair tilting head to side, allowing curls to hang while diffusing. Flipping hair upside down will create expansion of the curl, resulting in a "pyramid" shape
Dried hair without styling products- No styling product, no style- the hair will just be dry, frizzy and curls will lose definition. Styling products according to your hair texture will help to smooth and define curls. 

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