Dennis Stokely’s “Back to HAIR School”: Embracing & Loving Your Hair’s Natural Texture, #CURLYHAIRDONTCARE

LA-STORY.com welcomes contributing editor, DENNIS STOKELY back for Fall 2015. Dennis last blogged about his favorite/ultimate hair color, “California-Bombshell-Blondes.” Now, he switches gears and gives us the 411 on rocking over-the-top, glamorous, big-sexy-CURLY-hair!

This might see out of the ordinary to some but really it’s not. Curly girls want great hair styles too. This post came about after a series of discussions between Dennis Stokely and I about curly hair — and more specifically a photo of me when I had curly hair. I could tell his “wheels” were turning and this is what he came up with– FABULOUS!!!

Dennis Stokely with Cynthia Bailey from the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” rocking big-sexy-CURLY-hair and fashion designer, Christian Siriano from Project Runway.

“MAD ABOUT THE CURLS” by Dennis Stokely

Creating red-carpet hairstyles has always been the most fulfilling part of my job. And working with celebs in Southern California is especially exciting and, in no small part, because of the world’s most spectacular weather. The almost “no-humidity-air” is a hairdresser’s secret weapon to creating hairstyles with almost any texture and being confident that the hairstyle will make it down the red-carpet looking flawless.

What to do when your client wants to take a walk on the curly side and embrace her hair’s natural texture? Enter Brittany Johnson, my drop-dead-gorgeous model for this blog. Brittany is an observational artist/yoga instructor with cutting-edge style, an art degree from the prestigious Savannah College of Art and Design, and a perfect example of how a young professional can look classic, hip & modern.

I have used every trick in the book and developed a strong skill-set to achieve countless glamorous hairstyles: velcro-roller blowouts, curling iron sets, flatirons, hot-rollers, chemical perms & relaxers and lots of products to smooth, shine & protect the hair’s newly created texture. I was so excited recently when Brittany walked into a dinner party looking incredibly glamorous with her big-sexy-CURLY-hair! When I asked her how she created her look, she told me, “This is how my hair grows out of my head, it’s natural!” My response, “Oh Lord, do tell!”

I had cut Brittany’s hair once before and spent over an hour blowing it straight. It started to rain outside and shortly after, the moisture in the air re-moistened the cuticle and her texture started getting curly. Without getting too technical, “Hair School 101” teaches us that hair texture is changed by reforming the hydrogen bonds, which is achieved in three ways, with water & heat -which is temporary, and with chemicals – which is permanent. So re-creating your favorite celebrity hairstyle requires a big commitment of time and money because of everything involved to create the desired texture and then create the hairstyle. Embracing your hair’s natural CURLY texture is an exercise in deconstructing routine styling habits. Rocking a glamorous hairstyle is just a matter of giving yourself an amazing shampoo, conditioning treatment and letting your hair air-dry to its natural God-given-glory.

It’s all about moisture!

For most girls with thick, curly hair wanting Brittany’s look should shampoo their hair sparingly. Brittany (with ethnic hair) shampoos her hair about every 3 weeks. Girls with caucasian hair should shampoo weekly or bi-weekly. Brittany’s routine gets great results and she met with me recently and shared her secrets.
–She starts with a pretreatment a day or so before the shampoo.
Basically, she combs (using a wide tooth-comb) conditioner through her hair and leaves it in for at least 24 hours.
–When she shampoos, she gives her hair and scalp a vigorous scrubbing, sometimes twice.
She is careful not to get the hair “sweaky clean.” You don’t want the scalp raw from over scrubbing (leaving a slight layer of natural oils protects the skin).
–After shampooing, she adds more conditioner and loosely braids her hair in big sections and lets it air-dry overnight. Once the hair is dry she loosens the braids and finger-styles to perfection.

When I met with Brittany, her hair was clean and dry. To achieve Brittany’s look, I refreshed her curls by loosely braiding big sections then wrapping a silk scarf around her head and let it set for about 15 minutes. I unwrapped the braids, used oil on my fingers and twisted the ends randomly to create separation. I absolutely LOVE this rock-star, big-sexy-CURLY-hairstyle and it is definitely trending in my Style-File, must-haves, for Fall 2015!

Recommended products: (to achieve Brittany’s look)

Shampoo – Kinky Curly “Come Clean“

Conditioner – Taliah Waajid “The Great Detangler”

Dense Hair Oil – The Fullmonti “The Elixur Hydration System“

Lite Hair Oil – “Bumble and Bumble “Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil”

Hope you find these tips, products and trips useful. If you have questions feel free to reach out to me on social media!
Dennis Stokely

A round of applause and a big “thank you” to Dennis Stokely for coming up with “cult favorite” products for curly girls and some great styling recommendations!! We will be featuring Dennis Stokely’s posts on a monthly basis!

Stevie Wilson,
LA-Story.com

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