Meet Tiffany, the Curl Whisperer

Called "The Curl Whisperer" by her clients, Tiffany Anderson is author of "Live Curly, Live Free - Unlocking the Secrets Behind the World of Beautiful Curly Hair." Tiffany is owner and creator of Live Curly Live Free salon at 2914 Beach Blvd. South in Gulfport, near St. Petersburg, Fla. She can be reached at (727) 323-2875 or info@livecurlylivefree.com. 

As a girl with curls herself, she knows firsthand the problems associated with curly hair because she's battled the same problems her entire life. And, unlike many stylists, she understands the importance of cutting curly hair dry so the curls retain their individuality, knows certain ingredients in most common shampoos and conditioners are a recipe for disaster for curly hair, and believes virtually anyone can learn to style their curls so they are soft and flowing―not wet and crunchy―and will hold their shape without frizz. 

Order the book here: http://livecurlylivefree.com/e_book.htm



 Want to get in on The Secret?
Live Curly, Live Free, The e-book, is available for Kindle, iPad and Nook formats. In it, Curl Whisperer Tiffany Anderson-Taylor tells us all we need to know to have healthy, happy curls.

The $39.99 Temptation

It has happened to the best of us. We'll be happily about our days, and a product catches our attention. 

It promises smooth, shiny, silky hair. A dollop of this miracle potion and all our worries will disappear. We'll have the perfect hair, which will lead to the perfect mate, the perfect home, the perfect job.

We pick it up: $39.99 for a 3 oz bottle.  Outrageous? Perhaps. But $39.99 for what will turn us into beauty queens? A bargain. We proudly carry the miracle bottle to the counter and hurry home to transform ourselves.

At home, the buzz quickly fades into disappointment. Yet another product cluttering up our cabinets, another product that failed us.

* * *

There's a better way: Accepting   Embracing   no, LOVING our curls. That's what happens when we Live Curly, Live Free. The way to beautiful hair. With no fuss, no chemicals, no $39.99 3 oz miracle cures. 

Because  our curls don't need any of that. There's no feeling better than being free.



Want to get in on The Secret?

Live Curly, Live Free, The e-book, is available for Kindle, iPad and Nook formats. In it, Curl Whisperer Tiffany Anderson-Taylor tells us all we need to know to have healthy, happy curls.

They're Stylin' It!

Want to get in on The Secret?

Live Curly, Live Free, The e-book, is available for Kindle, iPad and Nook formats. In it, Curl Whisperer Tiffany Anderson-Taylor tells us all we need to know to have healthy, happy curls.

A Little Animation Fun

Tired of spending hard-earned cash on gels and creams that promise perfect hair ... but never deliver? If you've been here a while, you might say no, being that you're living the happily curly life. 

But we think you might still enjoy this little video we put together!



Live Curly, Live Free, The e-book, is available for Kindle, iPad and Nook formats. In it, Curl Whisperer Tiffany Anderson-Taylor tells us all we need to know to have healthy, happy curls.

How Many Strands Do You Have?

Who has the most hair? Typically, blondes average the highest density, with about 140,000 strands of hair. Next are the brown-haired ones, with 110,000; then black-haired with 108,000; and finally redheads, with only about 80,000.

Understanding your hair density (which refers to strands per square inch) and the hair type (which has to deal with the individual strand) can help you choose the right products and the right cuts and that can make all the difference. We explain all that in Live Curly Live Free: Unlocking the Secrets Behind the World of Beautiful Curly Hair.

If your hair is fine but thick, for example, the texturized razor cut works. But try that on fine thin hair, and the look could be disastrous.

For products, gels work best on very thick hair, because they help minimize the volume; and mousse works better on thin hair, because it helps add the appearance of volume. 





Live Curly, Live Free, The e-book, is available for Kindle, iPad and Nook formats. In it, Curl Whisperer Tiffany Anderson-Taylor tells us all we need to know to have healthy, happy curls.

Quick Break from Curls

Not the smartest move in the world, if you ask us, but some people go to extremes to stray from their curls and straighten their hair. But we certainly understand occasionally considering taking a break from our curls and shocking the world. We recently came across an article in The Frizky website highlighting 12 celebrities who did just that.

Topping their list is Carrot Top, whose signature orange curls brought him much fame (or perhaps infamy). It took four hours of "pulling, yanking and tugging" to get the sleek look. End result? He looks like the bride of Chuckie, the website writes! What do you think? 

Who else made the switch, at least for a brief moment, to straight hair? Taylor Swift, Annalynne McCord, Robert Pattinson, Beyonce, Julia Louis Dreyfus, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kevin Jonas, Jennifer Beals, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts and Minnie Driver. 

Now the good news? They all eventually find their way back to their natural curls! Because, after all, what better way to be than to Live Curly, Live Free?


Live Curly, Live Free, The e-book, is available for Kindle, iPad and Nook formats. In it, Curl Whisperer Tiffany Anderson-Taylor tells us all we need to know to have healthy, happy curls.

Silicones Not All Created Equal

We talk a lot about silicones, and how we should, for the most part, avoid them. But as with many things in life, silicones are not all created equal. Here's your Live Curly Live Free primer. Print it out and take it with you when you go shopping for hair products! And make sure to pick up a copy of our book, so you can unlock ALL the secrets about curly hair.

    
Silicones generally end in "cone,"  "conol," "col," or "xane" and are found in many hair products. A silicone with the abbreviation "PEG" or "PPG" in front of it is water-soluble and will not build up.

Here are some silicones that are not soluble in water, which means they build up on the hair and require a surfactant-based shampoo to remove:

• Cetearyl Methicone
• Cetyl Dimethicone
• Dimethicone
• Dimethiconol
• Stearyl Dimethicone

Here are silicones that are not soluble in water, but whose chemical properties allow it to repel further deposit, helping to prevent buildup:

• Amodimethicone
• Cyclomethicone/Cyclopentasiloxane
• Trimethylsilylamodimethicone

 
Here are silicones that are slightly soluble in water, but can, over time,  build up on some types of curly hair:

• Behenoxy Dimethicone
• Stearoxy Dimethicone

 

And here are silicones that are soluble in water -- which means they're  generally considered safe to use. Also safe are those with  "PEG"  or "PPG" in front of them:

• Dimethicone Copolyol
• Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein Hydroxypropyl Polysiloxane
• Lauryl Methicone Copolyol

Live Curly, Live Free, The e-book, is available for Kindle, iPad and Nook formats. In it, Curl Whisperer Tiffany Anderson-Taylor tells us all we need to know to have healthy, happy curls.

What's in Your Shampoo?

They say "Don't judge a book by its cover," and a similar thing applies to hair products. Don't judge a shampoo (or conditioner or gel, etc.) by its bottle. Fancy labels and high price tags don't necessarily translate to good products. What DOES matter is what's in those products, so the most important part of the label? It's not the brand or the sparkly letters or the miracle promises. What matters is the stuff in tiny type -- the list of ingredients.

And that's why professional salon products especially formulated for curly hair are often the best, since they have the ingredients you need and avoid the ones you don't. But the stuff you find at the local drugstores? They can be great, too, if you know what you're looking for.

The rule of thumb for bouncy curls: No sulfates, which is a type of surfactant, aka detergent.

Sulfates
      A surfactant—sometimes referred to as a detergent—is a substance that, when dissolved in water, gives a product the ability to remove dirt from surfaces such as the human skin, textiles, and other solids. There are several types of surfactants, from harsh to mild, and sulfates are in the most harsh class. Common sulfates as found on hair product ingredient bottles include:

• Alkylbenzene Sulfonate
• Ammonium Laureth or Lauryl Sulfate
• Ammonium or Sodium Xylenesulfonate
• Dioctyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate
• Ethyl PEG-15 Cocamine Sulfate
• Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
• Sodium Cocoyl Sarcosinate
• Sodium Laureth, Myreth or Lauryl Sulfate
• Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate
• TEA-Dodecylbenzenesulfonate

Milder surfactants—less drying and recommended in lieu of sulfates — include:

• Cocamidopropyl Betaine
• Coco Betaine
• Cocoamphoacetate
• Cocoamphodipropionate
• Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate or Cocoamphodipropionate
• Lauroamphoacetate
• Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate

Now, makes sense that we wouldn't want harsh detergents messing with our curls, right? Next week we'll talk about proteins! Meanwhile, you can learn more in the Live Curly Live Free e-book, Unlocking the Secrets Behind the World of Beautiful Curly Hair.

Live Curly, Live Free, The e-book, is available for Kindle, iPad and Nook formats. In it, Curl Whisperer Tiffany Anderson-Taylor tells us all we need to know to have healthy, happy curls.

Take the Curly Pledge

 

 

Print, post & show your Curly Pride!
Feel free to post on Facebook & Twitter, too.

Live Curly, Live Free, The e-book, is available for Kindle, iPad and Nook formats. In it, Curl Whisperer Tiffany Anderson-Taylor tells us all we need to know to have healthy, happy curls.

More A-List Celebs Sporting the Curls

From tumbling curves and retro waves to afro-ringlets and vintage curly bobs, Hollywood is rocking the curly scene these days.

Blake Lively: Are those curls real?

"After years and years of straightening her curly mane, Halle Berry now embraces her super-shiny corkscrew curls," Glamour magazine says in its website, in an article featuring more than 50 A-List Curly-Haired Celebrities. It's a list with the likes of Kate Winslet and Katie Perry, Nicole Richie and Julia Roberts!


Now, you're probably looking at these names and thinking, "She has straight hair!" And that's true. Some girls just aren't lucky enough to be blessed with naturally curly hair.  Can you blame them for styling it that way, though?
Among the other women featured sporting the curls include Emma Stone, Solange Knowles, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Bell, Fergie, Blake Lively, Kelly Rowland, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Cat Deeley, Ashley Greene, Whitney Port, Lily Cole, Kristin Wiig, Jessie J., Mischa Barton, Liv Tyler, Courtney Love, J-Lo,   Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Amanda Seyfried, Georgia May Jagger, Mila Kunis, Mollie King, Dianna Agron, Lady Gaga, Caroline Flack, Kelly Brook, Hilary Swank, Helena Bonham Carter, Lea Michele, Kimberley Walsh, Nicole Kidman, Sarah Harding, Natalie Portman, Kate Moss, Taylor Momsen, Fearne Cotton, Christie Brinkley, Tinsley Mortimer, Beyonce, Elizabeth Jagger, Deborah Messing, Scarlett Johansson and Emma Roberts.



Live Curly, Live Free, The e-book, is available for Kindle, iPad and Nook formats. In it, Curl Whisperer Tiffany Anderson-Taylor tells us all we need to know to have healthy, happy curls.

Don't Blame the Curls

You can have pretty hair, too.

We'll let you in on a secret. Curly hair is not the problem. The problem is that most people, including many stylists, just don't understand the curls. And that often results in bad hair cuts, ineffective styling techniques and products that just don't work.

So we turn to flat irons and blow dryers and chemical treatments and anything, anything at all that we think will control the frizz. That all leaves our hair dry and damaged. So we spend more money on products. It's a vicious, expensive cycle. And the only winners are the product manufacturers.

It doesn't need to be that way. As impossible as it may sound, when you have the right cut, the right type of products, the proper styling techniques, and the understanding of curly hair basics, your curls will  change from frumpy, out-of-control frizz to shiny, healthy, frizz-free curls. The results are almost immediate. 

Ready to be in on the rest of the secret?

Live Curly, Live Free, The e-book, is available for Kindle, iPad and Nook formats. In it, Curl Whisperer Tiffany Anderson-Taylor tells us all we need to know to have healthy, happy curls.

Vacation!

Live Curly Live Free the salon will be closed Thursday, July 19 through Monday, July 30. We will re-open on Tuesday, July 31 at 10:00 a.m.

Curly Girls' Public Enemy No. 2

A few weeks back we wrote about sulfates, which may be in fact be every Curly Girl's Top Enemy.

A close second on our Most Wanted List are silicones, particularly non-water soluble ones. 

For the prettiest of curls,
keep away from silicone!

Now, Curly Friends, take a deep breath. We know silicones seem innocent, perhaps even like they should be our friends. They smooth down the hair shaft and make the frizz go away.  But they're just a temporary fix. Worse yet, they also suck out the moisture from inside the hair, dehydrating curly locks and creating more frizz in the long run.

And because they can't be rinsed away with water, they also build up on the hair shaft and generally require a surfactant (detergent)-based shampoo to remove. Which leads to boring, dry hair. And dry hair won't hold the curls. Yet another vicious cycle in the minefield of curly hair health. In our book we explain more about how all this works, and how to keep curly hair beautifully frizz-free.

Top rule here: You absolutely, positively must use a conditioner that's silicone-free or has acceptable, water-soluble silicones in it to condition your hair. No exceptions, no substitutes. And don't be skimpy when it comes to shampoos. Apply liberally, and let it sit for a few minutes so your hair can absorb what it needs. Rinse out any excess with cool water. Cool water, like acid-based products, will shut your cuticle down and help keep all that healthy product inside your hair shaft where it belongs.

 

Live Curly, Live Free, The e-book, is available for Kindle, iPad and Nook formats. In it, Curl Whisperer Tiffany Anderson-Taylor tells us all we need to know to have healthy, happy curls.

Disney Adds Another Curly-Haired Heroine

Major kudos to Disney and Pixar on their summer blockbuster Brave. 

10,000 Curly Points for Disney-Pixar!

The heroine, Scottish Princess Mérida, is a spunky, fiery and passionate teenager, armed with a bow and arrow and her trusty horse, Angus. Mérida is defiant, yet kind; unruly, yet caring. She's ready to take on the world and set her own fate.

And she has brilliantly red, incredibly curly hair. If Mérida’s curls were straightened, according to the Disney Wiki, her hair would be four feet long and reach the middle of her calf. We here at Live Curly Live Free, of course, are loving the heroine's healthy, bouncy curls. We applaud Disney's and Pixar's efforts to make it happen: It took six research engineers and artists more than three years to bring the groundbreaking strands to life onscreen, movie officials told USA Today.

And we absolutely LOVE the scene in which Mérida sits, against her will, awaiting her suitors. Mérida is looking miserable, her hair bundled under a cap. But then when she releases a curl, she starts to set herself free.

Mérida is expected to join the Disney Princess franchise, and if she does she will be the 11th princess, and only the second with curly hair. (The first, Tiana from the Princess and the Frog, was introduced in 2009.)

* * * *

"We've never seen anything like Mérida's curly hair," Claudia Chung, the movie's simulation supervisor, says in the USA Today article.

We invite Chung to take a seat at our salon, or grab a copy of our book. We'll help release her inner curls.

Live Curly, Live Free, The e-book, is available for Kindle, iPad and Nook formats. In it, Curl Whisperer Tiffany Anderson-Taylor tells us all we need to know to have healthy, happy curls.

It's OK to Jump In!

It's officially summer, which means it's officially Swimming Pool season. And that most often means chlorine, which, as we all know, is not very hair-friendly. 

Go ahead. Take a dip! Yes, you can get your hair wet.

So what's a Curly-Haired Girl to do? Skip swimming and sit there, sweating away, in the 95+ degree heat? No way! Let's jump in! But first things first: Rinse your hair with plain water. That will help prevent chlorine water from penetrating into your hair shaft and doing some real damage.

OK, so you got caught up in the excitement, and -- gasp! -- forgot to rinse? Here's a quick at-home treatment that can help reverse the damage. 

 

Chlorine Buster
This remedy will help reverse any chlorine damage to unprotected hair.
 

Combine:
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup pureed, peeled cucumber

Massage well into hair from scalp to ends, then cover with a plastic processing cap. Process for 30 minutes hour at room temperature, then cleanse hair with a non-sulfate cleanser.

Want more at-home tips and tricks? Make sure to pick up the latest edition of Live Curly Live Free: Unlocking the Secrets Behind Beautiful Curly Hair.

Live Curly, Live Free, The e-book, is available for Kindle, iPad and Nook formats. In it, Curl Whisperer Tiffany Anderson-Taylor tells us all we need to know to have healthy, happy curls.

Corkscrew or Ringlets? It Doesn't Matter

I have clients with corkscrew curls and I have clients with wavy curls.

As for me, I've always been told mine are spiral ringlets. 

Drop the labels and start
understanding your hair.

We could go on and on, talking about curl patterns and classifications, even giving our curls fun names and descriptions. But you know what? None of that matters.  None of that is going to help you care for your hair. The "kind of curl" has nothing to do with which products you should use or which styling methods you should embrace.

The only thing that matters when it comes to the care of curly hair, like we explain in the book, are your particular hair properties: texture, porosity, elasticity and density. Your wave pattern has absolutely nothing to do with any other hair property. 

Our curls, after all, need to be free. They won't be ruled by labels.

That means knowing if you have “corkscrew” or “spiral” curls, or you are a “5K” or “9T” means a big fat nothing when it comes to the big picture.

Live Curly, Live Free, The e-book, is available for Kindle, iPad and Nook formats. In it, Curl Whisperer Tiffany Anderson-Taylor tells us all we need to know to have healthy, happy curls.

The Problem with Sulfates

Does this belong in your hair?

Sulfates are harsh, drying cleansers found in most regular shampoos. They are extremely damaging to curly hair because they strip it of its natural moisture, making it frizzy and unmanageable.
 

The biggest problem with sulfates is that it is very difficult to rinse your hair and scalp completely clean of them, and that means you leave behind a heavy detergent deposit. In Live Curly Live Free we explain how over time, this continues to build up and damages your hair follicles. Bottom line: This can result in hair loss, comedone (blackhead) formation and irritation.

The good news is that over the past several years, sulfate-free shampoos have become more and more popular. The bad news? Many manufacturers are replacing the sulfates with such things as sodium cocoyl sarcosinate, which can be just as drying to curly hair as sulfates are. 

What this all means is that for happy, healthy, shiny hair, it's not just grabbing a sulfate-free shampoo.  We'll be digging deeper into all this in future blogs.

Live Curly, Live Free, The e-book, is available for Kindle, iPad and Nook formats. In it, Curl Whisperer Tiffany Anderson-Taylor tells us all we need to know to have healthy, happy curls.

Curly Hair A-List

Here's a little-known fact: More than 65 percent of the population has curly hair, yet curl prejudice and ignorance runs rampant through our society.  Straight-haired actresses often get the lead roles, portraying the professionals and the elite, whereas their curly-haired counterparts are given minor parts at best. 

But that's all changing, with more and more celebrities flaunting their curls. And we're talking the A-List here, with the likes of Beyonce Knowles, Scarlett Johansson and Jessica Alba.

* * * *

Also aboard the curly train is Disney, which introduced its first curly-haired princess with the 2009 release of The Princess and the Frog. Meet Tiana, a "smart, tough and determined" waitress from New Orleans who "can hold down three jobs and still have time to dream." 

Like it or not, Disney plays a great role in society and especially in little girls' perceptions of what's pretty, which in turn reflects on how they see themselves. Curly-haired Tiana has been a great addition to the Disney Princess line, and we hope they give her some curly-haired friends soon.

Live Curly, Live Free, The e-book, is available for Kindle, iPad and Nook formats. In it, Curl Whisperer Tiffany Anderson-Taylor tells us all we need to know to have healthy, happy curls.

It's Almost Summer! Rejoice!

Summer isn't technically here, but it's close enough, so it's time we start talking about HUMIDITY.

Now, if you're new to the Live Curly, Live Free world, you might be dreading this time of year. Heat, humidity, you're thinking that all means FRIZZ, right?

Not at all. You just need to adjust your daily routine a bit. The most important thing to know is that humidity has little impact on how our hair acts and responds. What does make a difference is the dew point, which we go into detail on in the Live Curly Live Free e-book. The dew point is the true measure of the amount of moisture in the air:

• If the dew point is 45°F or below, then there isn't much moisture in the air and your curls will need some help with an extra dose of leave-in conditioner. 
• If the dew point is 45°F-60°F, there is a normal amount of moisture in the air and you can go about your normal routine.
• If the dew point is above 60°F, it will start to feel humid. The higher the dew point,
  the more moisture is in the air, so the less leave-in conditioner you'll need!

Pay attention to the dew point and start playing around with the amount of product you use. Soon you'll figure out what works best when, and you'll spend less time fussing with your hair and more time playing with your curls.

Live Curly, Live Free, The e-book, is available for Kindle, iPad and Nook formats. In it, Curl Whisperer Tiffany Anderson-Taylor tells us all we need to know to have healthy, happy curls.

Product Recommendations

As I have posted earlier, Live Curly Live Free will discontinue their product recommendation option with our hair analysis service at curlwizard.com effective June 1.

FYI, as an alternative, I have created product recommendations at Pinterest | The Curl Whisperer which will allow me to deal with rapid product formulation changes more easily. I have also included links to important curly hair information sites like naturallycurly.com and curlynikki.com with articles about curly hair care, etc., which will be expanded in the coming week.

Please note these recommendations are under my personal information and not directly under the Live Curly Live Free name as we are still strongly believe anything that falls under the LCLF name should be brand-neutral, in keeping with our philosophy.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Curl Wizard Site Closing Effective June 1, 2012

Effective June 1, 2012, the Curl Wizard site will become inactive and we will no longer be offering hair analysis services WITH PRODUCT RECOMMENDATIONS.

And no, we will not be leaving you in the dark about what products are good for your type of hair, either! Please take a moment to read on.

This has been such a wonderful service for both us and for our clients. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to our curly friends all over the world who have taken the time to let us know what a benefit our hair analysis service has been to them.

Over the past several months, however, we have noticed a rapid acceleration in product changes as the amount of acquisitions of small, independent product manufacturers by large beauty industry corporations has sharply increased. Several products that we have recommended since we launched the service in 2010 have been re-formulated since then. It has become increasingly difficult for us to keep on top of this and change our profile information to reflect the increasingly rapid changes.

The amount of effort to maintain the product profile information aside, however, what has us concerned going forward is, as more and more large beauty industry corporations take over the small, independent product manufacturers, the more rapidly the product recommendation profiles we are providing will become “stale.” The large corporations like to make products more profitable and the best way to do that is to re-formulate a product with cheaper—and not necessarily better—product ingredients. It is our belief that we are looking at a rapid increase of this trend over the next several years.

It is one thing for us to provide product recommendations in good faith that the products will be successful for our clients over the long haul. We know there is always a chance a company will re-formulate their products and we are quite upfront about that. However, in all conscience, we cannot continue to provide a paid service that we cannot guarantee will provide our clients stable and reliable information long-term.

To that end, while the hair analysis service itself will still be available on Live Curly Live Free, we have opted to discontinue the product recommendation profiles on Curl Wizard effective June 1 and have instead created boards at Pinterest that include free product recommendations, curly hair information, curly hair articles, pictures, etc. In keeping with our philosophy that the Live Curly Live Free name itself is and should always remain “brand-neutral,” the boards are under the Curl Whisperer name: Pinterest - the Curl Whisperer.

In that way, it will be easier for us to both maintain the integrity of the product considerations we make available and also to give our clients an easy way to check on changes to those product recommendations.

Again, thank you so much for your kindness, your suggestions and your support. We look forward to continuing to help women everywhere on their personal journey of curly hair freedom.

The Live Curly Live Free team