Are you thinking of embracing your greys and curly silvers? Then this blog post is for you! Settle down with a cup of tea and read this wonderfully insightful interview, packed with lots of hints and tips for transitioning and caring for curly silvers.
Hello Kathy, thank-you so much for agreeing to share your hints and tips for growing out and maintaining your curly silvers. To begin, what made you decide to embrace your natural curls and grow out your natural silver highlights?
Covid-19! I have always had curly hair but it was never consistent and I ended up straightening it from the age of 20. Originally brunette, I covered the grey as it came in and then as I got older, went blonde with highlights to make it less apparent. In 2020, without access to a hairdresser, I could see the grey that was coming in at my roots was a lovely silver. As I was not going out anywhere I decided to let it grow and see what it looked like. At the same time, I couldn’t be bothered to straighten my hair so one day decided to see what happened if I let it dry naturally. I had some old curl gel in the cupboard so I played with that and was pleasantly surprised that it did not look too bad! Two years later, I have not looked back!
Kathy’s Before & After (click the little arrow on the below Instagram post to see where Kathy’s curls started)
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How long did it take you to grow out to your natural colour? Is there any tips you would give those wanting to grow out their natural curls and grey and silver highlights?
Growing the colour out took around a year, bearing in mind my hair was short. I did however, hate the ‘blorange’ ends where the highlights were growing out, so asked a hairdresser to tone them down with a grey, which helped blend them in for the last few months. It is hard growing it out, and I am afraid people are not always kind, but I would absolutely say PERSIST, as it is so enlightening at the end and so very worth it when you get the compliments!
The curl journey has been longer. It takes time for the curl to start doing its own thing and to be able to see what works for you and what doesn’t. I should say it was about 18 months in, when I felt I had nailed my routine and was getting pretty consistent good curls – though as any curly girl knows, they have a mind of their own and some days just don’t behave! My advice would be to read up about the various curly girl methods and other advice, try a few techniques and products out (individually, so you can see if they work) and then, once you are getting reasonable results, STOP! It is so tempting to just buy every product out there just because you want your hair to look like someone else’s. Everyone is different and what works for others may not have the same effect on you. For example, my very first product was By Selina’s Hydrating Curl Gel, I have tried countless other gels over the months but always came back to it. It is what works for my hair!
Could you tell us a little more about your routine, which products do you use and in which order?
With reference to my comments above, the routine has taken me almost two years to perfect. I now can do it quickly and with consistent results.
- I wash my hair about every 10 days.
- I wash with By Selina Curl Cleanser & Conditioner. Every other wash, I do an Apple Cider rinse to remove any product build up.
- I then condition with By Selina Conditioning Curl Detangler, brushing with a flexi wet brush to detangle. I add By Selina Restorative Protein Drops to my conditioner (my hair LOVES protein!), and leave it in for 10 minutes under a shower cap and towel.
- I add water to the conditioner and ‘squish to condish’ for several minutes until the conditioner is out.
- I then brush through By Selina Strengthening Curl Cream into soaking wet hair, with a Denman or wet flexi brush to get clumps.
- I micro plop with a microfiber towel to remove some of the moisture but not all.
- I then add By Selina Defining Curl Gel, brush through again and micro plop to remove as much moisture as I can.
- I diffuse to 80% dry and then leave to air dry.
What is your routine on days when you don’t want to wash your curls and want to go for a quick refresh?
- Spray with water, run my fingers throught the curls to separate and add a very litte amount of By Selina Strengthening Curl Cream and/or By Selina Hydrating Curl Gel (or Defining Curl Gel if not available!). Diffuse or air dry.
- If curls are quite tangled or frizzy – usually about 5 days in, I just wet more than a spray but less than a total soak, brush through with the flexi wet brush to get the clumps again, add a litte Strengthening Curl Cream, brush through again , micro plop, add Hydrating Curl Gel and diffuse.
Which would you say is your absolute must have product(s) that you absolutely couldn’t do without?
All of them now! If I had to choose one it would be either of the gels, but the Restorative Protein Drops and Strengthening Curl Cream have been a total game changer for me so I would really struggle without them!
Are there any special tips you would share for those wanting to embrace their natural curls and colour?
I think the flexi wet brush and microfibre towel were two critical turning points for me. You get nice clumping curls. Also, if my silver starts yellowing, I add a pea size drop of blue food colouring to my conditioner. Works a treat!
Patience, patience, patience. Don’t listen to unkind words and don’t try and look like anyone else. Persist and you will be glad you did. Stick with the products and routine that seem to work – it will save you a fortune!
Any other information that you think other curlies would find useful when embracing their curls and natural silver highlights?
The curly groups on Facebook especially Curly Silvers, are very supportive and will provide huge encouragement along the way. However, people do put pictures up of amazing heads of curls that may not look like yours – admire, but don’t despair! Your curls and shade of silver are unique to you and will be just as beautiful. It is a journey and one that is WELL WORTH IT! I get compliments on my hair on a daily basis, which I NEVER got when it was coloured and straight!
Thank-you so much Kathy for taking the time to answer these questions and share your curly routine. I know the curly community are going to love hearing about your journey and also definitely be taking away some of your tips to try!
