Hair Consultation: How to Find the Right Product for Your Curl Type

As part of Black History Month, I spoke with Nathalie from DEINELOCKEN in Stuttgart. She offers personal hair consultations for all curl types. I was really curious how she finds the right product for each curl type, what she focuses on in her consultations and what her tips are for going "natural".

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Dear Nathalie, what does wearing your hair "natural" mean to you?

I think for me it's about freedom. I want the freedom to decide for myself how I wear my hair: loose and curly, in a simple ponytail, in braids and so on. Conversely, that means I don't want to conform to a prescribed ideal of beauty. My natural curls are as unique as I am, and that's beautiful. In a way they have a mind of their own and maybe don't always sit exactly the way I want, but that's not what counts. What counts is that I feel comfortable wearing them and don't have to worry about whether someone in a meeting or on the street likes my curls or hairstyle.  

And it's not about the trend that is suddenly promoting natural curls as a beauty ideal. That trend helps to mobilise and raise awareness among more people about natural curls and curl care more quickly, but this is about much more: identity, self confidence, long term change in societies that, despite their "progressiveness", still have a lot to learn about humanity and tolerance. It's about everyone being able not only to accept their hair but also to find it beautiful, as part of their own individuality and self expression, and to wear it as it is instead of having to straighten it, pull it back super tightly or wear a wig because their own hair isn't "beautiful". If that happens voluntarily, it's not a problem. But if the decision comes from pressure or a felt obligation to meet a certain ideal of beauty, then that's not acceptable.  

I would be very happy if we reached a point where we still like to compliment beautiful hair, but sometimes simply let hair be hair. What matters is the person, who should simply be allowed to exist as they are. The reason I'm still so committed to "natural curl care" is that there is unfortunately still far too little on offer for truly natural curl care. We need to engage with the topic to create a standard where every hair type can easily find good products that work.  

What do you think are the most important focus points in a personal hair consultation?  

Above all, it's about understanding the individual needs of the person and their hair in order to find the right set of products. It's important that the care products are adapted to the individual routine and work well in everyday life. That means the ingredients of the products and their effect on the hair (moisture, vitamins, proteins, etc.) are just as relevant as the time someone can invest in hair care, how often they wash and care for their hair, or the hairstyle they wear regularly. We have to take all these factors into account so that the care actually works afterwards and is fun :)

How do you find out which product suits which hair?

A little basic knowledge, lots of experience and lots of trying things out!  

There is some basic knowledge about handling curls, care products and ingredients that everyone should have. That's why we offer workshops and free consultations. Then everyone can decide for themselves how they want to care for their hair, but with a certain confidence that they can make a fairly good choice. Here, too, I can only confirm:  

I want to go natural. What is your personal tip: how do I start?

Step 1: My hair, my routine

"Every journey begins with the first step." That's true. The decision for your own curls is the first step. After that, the journey is very individual. Whether you do a big chop, gradually cut off your straightened ends or simply look for the right products, you need to find your own routine that suits you. There's no point imposing an ideal care routine on yourself that doesn't fit. That means using information and videos from the internet, but adapting them to your own hair and time constraints. And that brings me to the second point…  

Step 2: Natural care

So much advertising! Unfortunately, there is far too little choice of high quality, natural curl care on the German market. And marketing and advertising don't make things any easier. So you have to choose carefully which information you follow. We can't give more specific details here, but if you pay attention to a few basic rules about the ingredients in care products and stick to a fairly normal routine with natural products for gentle cleansing, enough moisture and sealing, you've already done the hardest part.

And why should these care products be natural? Because, in our experience, products with silicones, mineral oil, parabens and the like don't work in the long run, and many people prefer to avoid them.

Once you have understood the basics of natural curl care, you can go looking for good, suitable care products that fit you and your everyday life (as described above). Take the first step and adapt your hair care as much as possible to your daily routines or rituals. That way you'll get more out of it, because it's easier and more fun.

DEINELOCKEN provides education so that everyone in Germany can love and have a positive experience of their own hair and identity. More at: www.deinelocken.de