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Curly Like Me: How to Grow Your Hair Healthy, Long, and Strong
The simple secrets to growing your curls healthy and long. Tightly curly hair isn't like any other type of hair, and it needs totally different care to make it happy. Do you spend countless hours--and untold dollars--on weaves, perms, salon visits, and products that promise to change, heal, or make your hair more manageable, only to end up even more frustrated? Do you wrestle daily with hair you can't get a brush through? Do you struggle to keep from hurting your child when you comb through her tight curls? Would you like to grow your tightly curly hair long and healthy? If you answered yes to any of these questions, this book was written for you. It gives you the information and techniques you need to celebrate--not fight against--your very curly hair. You will learn how not only to care for your curls, but to cherish them, all the while saving time, effort, and money. Curly Like Me is the off-the-grid, do-it-yourself owner's manual for tightly curly hair: Learn how to wear your own curls in their natural curl patterns Over 250 photographs and illustrations Includes the best products, tools, ingredients, curl-enhancing hairstyle ideas, tips for growing out your perm, and more Shows you pain-free techniques on how to comb and style your curls or your child's curls Over thirty easy, curl-enhancing hairstyle ideas, tips for growing out your perm, and more Helps you save money by avoiding costly treatments, products, marketing misinformation, and frequent salon visits so you can enjoy your own curls without pain, chemicals, or the use of weaves or extensions The story (with lots of photos) of Teri's journey from hair broken by relaxers, texturizers, improper care, trying to force it to conform, and fighting her weave addiction to finally understanding her own curls. End your struggles with misunderstood, damaged hair and begin your journey to thriving natural curls.
- GenresNonfiction
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 15, 2010
19 people are currently reading
215 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
September 13, 2012
This book is a must read for any person with naturally curly hair. Although her tips are mostly suited to African-American type hair, there's quite a bit of useful info for those of us with looser curls. She confirmed my long-held suspicions of the hair industry's view on curly hair- Simply that most salons, products, ads, and companies know little to nothing of curl care. I laughed when she explained how ridiculous a dime-sized drop of conditioner is listed in the directions on most products. Us curly gals have to use at least a palmful of conditioner because of how dry our hair can get.
I'm going to try some of her advice on the weekends to see how well my hair does with fewer products. All she uses is a mild shampoo, a rinsing conditioner, and a heavy conditioner for her hair...simple and effective for her tight curls. She gives a list of products and other book recommendations for us curly gals.
I'm going to try some of her advice on the weekends to see how well my hair does with fewer products. All she uses is a mild shampoo, a rinsing conditioner, and a heavy conditioner for her hair...simple and effective for her tight curls. She gives a list of products and other book recommendations for us curly gals.
December 27, 2013
I usually don't write reviews but I was skimming books in the library one day and came across this gem. I am Sudanese (of east African) descent and had no idea how to take care of my naturally curly hair. I would brush it constantly and have to trim it on a regular basis because it was so damaged.It was poofy, annoying, and I struggled with my hair for a long time. I decided to try and use the methods in this book to learn how to better take care of my hair. I have saved time, money and my hair looks amazing. I have been using the methods in this book and I see an incredible difference with my hair. It has grown considerably, and I have little to no split ends. I love it and I am forever grateful I have found this book. It has helped me understand that my hair is beautiful, different and all mine.
January 21, 2012
A must read for curly headed girls.
March 5, 2011
Curly Like Me / 978-0-47058-614-3
I always thought I had "very" curly hair, simply because that's what everyone said to me growing up. Thanks to Teri's book, however, I realize that the straight-haired people around me were working from small reference pools - my hair *is* curly, but it's not "very" curly like Teri's, whose hair forms such tight ringlets that a pencil can barely fit through them.
I enjoyed this read immensely - the author spends a great deal of time explaining the biology of curly hair and why it's a completely different kettle of fish to straight hair, and she has this incredibly affirming message for loving yourself (and your curly kids!) and taking care of your hair. The point is really brought to bear that hair has to be cared for carefully - as it's not "alive", it can't heal or repair itself, and it's not okay to treat your hair roughly "just this once" because it's never just one time.
The hair care advice here is fantastic, but I'm afraid that the really important stuff is definitely limited to VERY curly hair. The foundational suggestion - leaving conditioner in your hair and not rinsing - simply will not work with my hair; I had a greasy slippery mess of a head, and my hair did not absorb the conditioner like Teri's apparently does. Still, this book needs to exist for everyone with very curly hair, so I don't hold the fact that my hair didn't fit this book against it.
Despite everything, I still got a lot of value from this book. The scientific explanations are great, the breakdown of shampoo and conditioner components is very useful (although readers should know that Teri does recommend silicone, which is apparently a touchy subject), and the writing style is lovely and uplifting. I also really loved all the many pictures and illustrations - so much care went into this book and it obviously shows.
If I had one criticism of this book, it's that several sections repeat themselves, since the book was written so that each chapter can be taken as a whole, if you're impatient and don't want to read straight through. It's understandable that would lead to some repetition, but it was noticeable at several points. It's a small complaint, though, and overall I'm glad I bought this book.
~ Ana Mardoll
I always thought I had "very" curly hair, simply because that's what everyone said to me growing up. Thanks to Teri's book, however, I realize that the straight-haired people around me were working from small reference pools - my hair *is* curly, but it's not "very" curly like Teri's, whose hair forms such tight ringlets that a pencil can barely fit through them.
I enjoyed this read immensely - the author spends a great deal of time explaining the biology of curly hair and why it's a completely different kettle of fish to straight hair, and she has this incredibly affirming message for loving yourself (and your curly kids!) and taking care of your hair. The point is really brought to bear that hair has to be cared for carefully - as it's not "alive", it can't heal or repair itself, and it's not okay to treat your hair roughly "just this once" because it's never just one time.
The hair care advice here is fantastic, but I'm afraid that the really important stuff is definitely limited to VERY curly hair. The foundational suggestion - leaving conditioner in your hair and not rinsing - simply will not work with my hair; I had a greasy slippery mess of a head, and my hair did not absorb the conditioner like Teri's apparently does. Still, this book needs to exist for everyone with very curly hair, so I don't hold the fact that my hair didn't fit this book against it.
Despite everything, I still got a lot of value from this book. The scientific explanations are great, the breakdown of shampoo and conditioner components is very useful (although readers should know that Teri does recommend silicone, which is apparently a touchy subject), and the writing style is lovely and uplifting. I also really loved all the many pictures and illustrations - so much care went into this book and it obviously shows.
If I had one criticism of this book, it's that several sections repeat themselves, since the book was written so that each chapter can be taken as a whole, if you're impatient and don't want to read straight through. It's understandable that would lead to some repetition, but it was noticeable at several points. It's a small complaint, though, and overall I'm glad I bought this book.
~ Ana Mardoll
Want to read
November 7, 2011If your articles and book existed when I grew my perm out as a teen, I would've known not to comb/brush my curls out after shampooing. Until I was almost 14 my hair was very long, full and relaxer-straight. I wish my parents had a book such as this before I got my first perm at age 4. They could've spared me the big hair-altering mistake I made, at age 25, when I got a chemical wave to appear more "Black" (lol... 'sounds ridiculous now when I reminisce about it).
Your book is on my list to read, but your documentation of your hair history is profound. From your articles I learned to properly apply and leave a creamy conditioner in to define and add shine to my dry curls. I plan to let my son use it as a tool since he has natural curly hair, too.
Your book is on my list to read, but your documentation of your hair history is profound. From your articles I learned to properly apply and leave a creamy conditioner in to define and add shine to my dry curls. I plan to let my son use it as a tool since he has natural curly hair, too.
March 27, 2014
Awesome book for women with curly hair, easy to read and very accurate. I recommend it.
May 2, 2025
As I was reading this book I realised how much there is to hair, and that it is only natural that things did not work out for me. this is not a book for my hair type as it cannot absorb products easily. I do need to try more products to check what works though I have settled for water which works sometimes. Now I have more clue as to what could affect hair, and how it is structured. I went over a lot of Youtube videos while reading this also, and learned about how there are so many factors to hair. Literally everything effects it. I did not even consider how swimming did something to it before.
Some childhood memories came up, and indeed I was very not clear what to do with my hair as every product did not work the way it was supposed to. People sometimes tell me that my hair doesn't look washed right now, but they should have seen it then because I always was covered in oil like in a pan. I wash it super regularly, and even washed it then so it is so these comments are so interesting to hear. This book is definetely not for my hair because the main tip here is to apply as much product as possible when even little product beyond few drops is too much for me.
I feel more educated about this. Hopefully it becomes more clear some day. I know what curly haired people live like right now, and it's interesting. It sounds like a more extreme version of the experiences I had. I know that there are people who have great experiences with their family members, and their experiments with hair although I cannot really relate to that. It always felt like I was alone in it. It feels like it should be basic, but there isn't even a hard science around it. You hear myths around it, and unproven studies. It is like a maze.
As I go through a spiritual journey in this life I would like to crack this case one day haha.
Some childhood memories came up, and indeed I was very not clear what to do with my hair as every product did not work the way it was supposed to. People sometimes tell me that my hair doesn't look washed right now, but they should have seen it then because I always was covered in oil like in a pan. I wash it super regularly, and even washed it then so it is so these comments are so interesting to hear. This book is definetely not for my hair because the main tip here is to apply as much product as possible when even little product beyond few drops is too much for me.
I feel more educated about this. Hopefully it becomes more clear some day. I know what curly haired people live like right now, and it's interesting. It sounds like a more extreme version of the experiences I had. I know that there are people who have great experiences with their family members, and their experiments with hair although I cannot really relate to that. It always felt like I was alone in it. It feels like it should be basic, but there isn't even a hard science around it. You hear myths around it, and unproven studies. It is like a maze.
As I go through a spiritual journey in this life I would like to crack this case one day haha.
January 15, 2023
I have struggled with finding good resources for how to take care of my hair, so when I found this book at my local library I was excited. The author's lighthearted and witty comments about the hair care industry and its cluelessness about curly hair made me giggle while I followed the tutorials. I have only been following the tips in this book for a week, but I have already noticed a massive change in the way that my curls behave. A great help to a curly-haired girl in a straight-haired family.
Read
July 2, 2019I learned alot from this book. I learned how to wash my hair correctly. No more matted hair. : )
May 31, 2019
Love this book. It helped me so much when I was trying to figure out how to care for my daughter's curly hair. We went from a frizzy nest to beautiful curls. And her website is totally worth checking out for reviews on different products to use on hair.
January 15, 2011
I love this book. It is not hype and my sister has been doing this for years, lol. I've always tried to wear my hair naturally but it would always puff out. Now, I'm relaxer free and loving it. The freedom of not worrying about getting my hair wet is more than I could ever explain. Plus, I don't have burns on my hairline and in my scalp from relaxers anymore. The information about products is a good enough reason to purchase this book. Who knew it would take almost 30 years for me to be FREE!! Thank You again Teri...
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February 28, 2013
Wow, this book is thorough. I appreciate the fact that the author has done SO much research and put SO much thought into how to take care of curly hair. I also appreciate the fact that my hair is NOWHERE near as curly as hers! Still, there were a lot of good pointers in here for anyone with curly hair.
April 11, 2015
I loved this book! I've been doing so much wrong things to my wavy hair for so long. Even my mom didn't know how to fix my hair! I noticed the difference in my hair after doing what the author said to do with your wavy/curly hair. My hair's very wavy and has a big volume!!! Thanks so much for helping me out with my crazy afro!!!!
May 10, 2010
I edited this book, so yes, I may have a bit of a bias on this one. However, the author has an amazing story and some of the best tips for curly hair out there. This is a book about learning to love as well as enhance your naturally curly hair.
June 22, 2010
Great resource for curly haired girls! This book is filled with helpful information about hair product ingredients, tools, DIY hair styles for curly hair and suggestions for clips and combs. I'd recommend it to any curly girl looking for better ways to take care of her hair on her own.
July 12, 2010
Great book for people with curly hair and want to go au naturale. I found this book to be extremely useful and has plenty of handy tips regarding curly natural hair care and how to grow it out properly. If I would have had this book back in my teens it would have changed my life!
May 30, 2012
Great resource for curly/natural hair women. I especially liked the fact that she told HER story along with the scientific facts presented. Women who have chemically altered their hair for most of their lives and want to go natural will definitely be able to relate.
December 31, 2015
Great book! It reinforced a few things I learned in other books. I would highly recommend for anyone who is starting from zero info about curly hair, as well as to someone who is well versed but may want to hear a new perspective. The author is very personable and real.
October 21, 2011
A well-written, friendly guide to hair care for truly curly hair.
August 16, 2012
Repetitive at times, but overall a good and well researched book about a cheap way to maintain healthy curly/kinky hair
August 30, 2013
So happy to have discovered this! This has changed how I do my hair & I love it!
November 15, 2013
Good book, but her hair is sadly not like mine. The conditioner leave in method didn't work for me, but there is a lot of great info in her book. A good resource.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2014
The book that changed my world view on how to handle and care for curly hair.
April 15, 2021
Thank you for this book Teri! I’m always reading the ingredients lists of hair products and researching before I buy any hair products after this read...love your hair and it will love you back💆🏽♀️
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews