Carleen Sanchez

Naturally Curly Hair and Color Artistry by Carleen Sanchez in Reno, Nevada

Hard Water and Curly Hair: An Easy Fix

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Hard water and curly hair… do not mix! I am based in Reno, Nevada. In Reno, we have a problem with hard water in our water system.

Hard water can weigh down and coat your waves & curls, robbing you of that curly bounce you love so much.

Beat those hard water bad guys & install a water filter and use a diluted apple cider vinegar rinse 2-4 times a month.

I like the Braggs brand Apple Cider Vinegar with the “mother” in it.

Use one tablespoon to one cup of water. I recommend placing it into an old conditioner or shampoo bottle so you can squirt it on your head.

You do not want to get it in your eyes as it stings like crazy! These tips should help you make hard water and curly hair coexist peacefully!

Carleen Sanchez

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Carleen Sanchez Curl & Color Expert
1002 Broadway Blvd, Reno, NV 89502
775-721-2969

DIY: How to Plop Curly/Wavy Hair

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Wondering how to plop curly/wavy hair? Check out this easy DIY.

Plopping is a technique for naturally wavy and curly headed people to enhance curls and to get the hair out of your way after you get out of the shower. I think it is a necessary step if your hair is longer than your shoulders and especially needed if you have looser curls or waves.

Check out the image below for step by step instructions on how to make a head wrap to plop curly/wavy hair.

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Tip One: I’ve found L\XL Men’s T-shirts to work the best for my big head.If you have a smaller head a smaller shirt will work.

Second tip is how your hair should look when you have put your hair slinky style into the head wrap and secured it to you head.Now you are plopping!

You will have a hair horn or bump right above your forehead.

Now get pretty for your day! I like to plop my wavy hair for at least 30 minutes.

Then I take it down gently and my curls are partially dry.

I then clip my roots for volume and choose to air dry or diffuse dry completely before scrunching out the crunch and revealing beautiful waves.

Want more info on how to plop curly/wavy hair as well as more tips on caring for naturally curly hair?

The plopping and clipping curl queen who I learned most of these techniques from is Brianne Prince.

Want more information on other curly hair techniques? Find more tips and tricks on my blog. On it you can find free curly hair resources with links to websites and blogs with amazing info from my Curl Colleagues (THE BEST curl artists around the world and Curly Hair Artistry members).

Carleen Sanchez demonstrating proper plopping style. Looking Fresh!
Carleen Sanchez demonstrating proper plopping style. Looking Fresh!

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Carleen Sanchez Curl & Color Expert
1002 Broadway Blvd, Reno, NV 89502
775-721-2969

The Curly Girl Method Transitional Struggle is real!

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The swavy girl transitional struggle is real! Really really real.

I had been preaching the benefits of following the Curly Girl Method to my guests for about 6 months before I started to take my own medicine. Immediately the doubtful thoughts started to flood my brain.

Will my hair actually change? Will it improve? Should I go back to my old ways?

My hair had a very loose wave to it that on a good day was “beachy,” but to me it just looked damaged. It was damaged from years of repeat heat & brush abuse with a couple keratin smoothing treatments thrown in to add to my mess.

Why is my scalp greasy? My scalp was re-balancing and adjusting to my new Silicone Sulfate and Paraben free cleansers and conditioners. Within a month, the grease was gone.

Can I really put this much product in my hair? Before I went curly girl, I used a leave in Conditioner, silicone based oil and heat protection hairspray in small amounts. In going curly, I use a completely different regime of products on wet hair, IN the shower, in large amounts. Each time I showered, I would ponder if I should just blow it out and get the Victoria Secret curling iron styled look I used to wear. It was an internal struggle. First World problems, right? I really wanted to brush it and blow it out and curl it with my flat iron! But I resisted the urge and held tight to the curly girl method, and my waves started to reward with frequent good hair days.

Say NO to Heat Damage, blowouts and brushing and Say YES to moisture and hydration! Now for the first time in my life I LOVE my hair! It is my favorite accessory.

End the daily struggle with fighting your waves or curls, get started on your transitional journey.

Hot tip! “The Curly Girl Handbook” by the original Curly girl Lorraine Massey is a wealth of curly/wavy knowledge. It’s the Curl Encyclopedia.

Carleen Sanchez Logo

Carleen Sanchez Curl & Color Expert
1002 Broadway Blvd, Reno, NV 89502
775-721-2969

Loving your Curls: 3 Reasons to Embrace your Curly Hair

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LOVE YOUR CURLS! Did you know that only 4 in 10 people with curly hair actually love and wear their curls? That number should be 10 out of 10!
Here are three reasons you should be loving your curls:

Love your Curls

1. TIME: The average person spends ten days a YEAR straightening, blowfrying and heat styling their hair! Embrace your curls, hit the snooze button and enjoy that extra time you’ll find you have each morning.

2. HEALTH:Your hair will grow faster and most scalp conditions will clear up when you adopt the “Curly Girl Method” routine for your curl type. Check out my blog post on the “Curly Girl Method” here. “The Curly Girl Handbook” by Lorraine Massey is a must for every wavy and curly girl. It is the foundation for “the curly girl method” which says NO to abrasive brushes, high heat tools, and products containing sulfates (they dry out hair & scalp), silicones (liquid plastic that suffocates the hair), and parabens (cancer causing preservatives).

3. UNIQUENESS: Wearing your natural texture and celebrating and loving your curls is a wonderful and beautiful feeling.
Only you can do you, so love your curls!

Carleen Sanchez Logo

Carleen Sanchez Curl & Color Expert
1002 Broadway Blvd, Reno, NV 89502
775-721-2969

How to Fix Frizzy Wavy Hair

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So you think you have the wavy styling thing down but you keep ending up with frizzy wavy hair and you’re not sure where you went wrong? My biggest problem when I started this curly journey was that I couldn’t stop touching my hair while it was in the drying phase,

AKA I was the “Crazy lady with gel crunchy looking hair.” I kept having to move it around or I would try to scrunch it while it was drying with the diffusor or my hands to make it curlier. I had to learn the most important lesson in the drying phase: LEAVE IT ALONE!

Now, after I get out of the shower I “Plop or Plunk ” my hair on the top of my head with a t-shirt or scarf for 20 or so minutes.

plopping
Demonstrating Plopping or Plunking. Hair is gathered like a slinky on the top almost forehead section of your head.

This allows the gel and other magical products I put on my hair in the shower to start to dry and create a soft damp crystallized “Gel Cast”. It also keeps my wet hair off my shoulders and my hands out of it. (BONUS TIP: If I am lying in bed with my boyfriend at this point he wont keep feeling creepy wet hair.)

I then let my hair down after 20 or so minutes. I clip my roots for volume and to allow my scalp to dry faster. I either air dry the rest of the way or diffuse with a dryer on medium heat. If you see hairs flying about at this stage, turn your dryer down.

At this point I have a much harder “Gel Cast ” since my hair is completely dry. This is when I “scrunch out the crunch.” Using my hands I scrunch my dry curls the same way I applied product in the shower to curl it up and I also mini massage my scalp to increase volume and enhance my waves. And BAM, no more frizzy wavy hair!

crunch

This leaves me with the natural waves I was born with and I love.

Carleen Sanchez Logo

Carleen Sanchez Curl & Color Expert
1002 Broadway Blvd, Reno, NV 89502
775-721-2969