Rating: 
Summary: Celebration of Curly Hair!
Review: I was looking for a good book that gave good tips for treating my curly hair, and this is the best one. This book is all about curly hair- it gives information on caring for curls, good products to use, hair-care tips, a daily routine for curly hair, quizzes, tips on caring for wavy, corkscrew and Botticelli curls, homemade hair treatments, confessions of curly-haired women and girls, and much more. I found the daily routine for my Botticelli curls extremely helpful. My hair has become shinier, less frizzy, and full of life. In fact, before reading this book I was ashamed of my curls and I, like many girls in this book confessed, wanted shiny, beautiful straight hair. However, after reading this book, I am proud of my curly hair, and I wouldn't give it up for anything! This book is perfect for curly-haired girls who hate their curls and are looking for a real confidence-booster. I guarantee that after you have finished this book and followed the routines and tips for taking care of your curls, you will love your hair!
Rating:
Summary: Essential for everyone with curly hair
Review: "Curly Girl" is well-written, easy to undertand, thorough, interesting and original. I read the entire book in one sitting and have read it scores of times since then. Not only does this book revolutionize the care of curls, but it also provides much-needed emotional support and confidence-boosting for women with curly hair. As far as I am concerned, there is no other way to care for curly hair. Since following the methods suggested by Massey my curls have been more defined and less frizzy, as well as shinier, softer, and altogether more manageable. I have also needed to have the ends of my hair trimmed less frequently. Kudos to Lorraine Massey.
Rating:
Summary: Loved This Book!
Review: This book is GREAT! It is a fun read and information about curly hair that I have not seen elsewhere. It is very appealing in format and well organized. The curly girl confessions were very funny to me as I had gone through so many of the same things these ladies did also. If only this book has been available years ago. I started trying the recommended curly hair techniques while I was on my honeymoon in Mexico so I had an entire week away to get used to my new look. My husband loves my curly hair and thinks it looks great. He also loves the soft feel and doesn't have fear of getting his fingers "caught" in hair sprayed hair anymore! My friends and co-workers all thought I got a new perm. I did receive one "don't worry, it will look better once your perm relaxes" comment but everyone else likes it. The conditioner-only/no shampoo thing took some getting used to, but honestly my hair feels clean, smells good and is 100% softer these days than when I used to shampoo and blow dry every day. I like the lavender mist and use it frequently. I use Pantene conditioner for color treated hair and it works great and is good for detangling mine. I highly recommend this book for any curly girl who is sick of spending endless hours of fighting her hair and not being happy with the results, especially in humid weather or on rainy days. I think that natural, soft curls are so much nicer to touch and see than frizzy, blown dry and hairsprayed into place hair. I now go out on a rainy day and my hair still looks great by the time I get to work and still looks great by bedtime! Not bad in the morning either. Thank you, Lorraine Massey, for your research and for writing this book. I hope to have an appointment at your salon some day soon!
Rating:
Summary: Liberate your curls and liberate yourself
Review: a must for those who those who have spent a lifetime fighting their curls. helps you love your curls and in turn love yourself. release the inner curl.
Rating: 
Summary: Uninspiring
Review: I had a straightener put in my hair about three years ago and then again about a year after that. I've since trained my curly hair to respond pretty well to straightening without the chemical straighteners. But it's a pain and I'm afraind I'm really damaging it. So I bought this book trying to inspire myself to go back to the curls. This will sound superficial as hell but the photographs of the naturlly curlies looked like my worst nightmare of what I look like with curly hair. I won't go back to curly until my hair turns into a singed patch of straw or until my arms give out from blow drying and curling ironing. I wish I could say nice things about his book but I can't. I flipped through it looking for a romantiziation of curls but I put it down thinking the models looked tackey and out of style. I feel much more sleek, professional, credible and groomed with straight hair and I'm just not ready to go back. I felt like a muppet with my constantly wild hair. If you are reconciled to your curly hair this is the book for you. If you have gone to straight and want to think the curly thing gives you the look of an untamed, mold breaking, trend setter who looks as if she's just gotten mussed up (if you know what I mean), it's not for you. Rich models can go back and forth with ease. We curly girls can't. The true life models are just that - true to life. And it's not inspiring. Young girls can get away with the wild untamed look. Those of us over 30 (soon to be 40 in my case) just look like frazzled hippies. Sorry.
Rating: 
Summary: 5 stars for fun & attitude; 3 stars for advice & recipes
Review: If you have curly hair like me, then you've likely had more than your share of bad hair cuts, bad hair days, and frizz. "Curly Girl" (CG) gives lots of good advice (and a bit of questionable advice) for getting good hair cuts, good hair days, minimum frizz, and maximum shine. Beyond all the advice, CG is a celebration of curly hair, complete with a time line, celebrity pictures, and "confessions" of women who used to hate their curly hair, but then learned how to take proper care of it and love their hair. I wish this book were around when I hated my hair in the "long and silky" days of the 70s. I blew it dry, and it fanned out just like Roseanne Roseannadanna! On page 37, there's a picture of Roseanne Roseannadanna, with the admonition that curly girls who blow-dry their hair often end up looking like this! I know that much of this advice is good, because I learned it the hard way! The one piece of advice I with which I take the most issue is Massey's recommendation not to wash curly hair, but to use conditioner instead. While it's true curly hair is often quite dry (mine is), conditioner lacks the necessary surfactants to clean hair. Conditioners, depending on the formulation, are designed to do jobs such as moisturize, reconstruct, and detangle, but not clean. Despite my very dry hair, when I've had to go a week or more without shampooing, my hair got greasy. Also, when I use hair gel, which the author recommends as a frizz-buster, I absolutely need to shampoo it the next day. For dry curly hair, I recommend finding a good shampoo and separate conditioner for dry hair, and shampooing and conditioning once or twice a week. Also, Massey says the only way to receive a good hair cut for curly hair is to cut it dry. A good hairdresser like mine can give a good cut for curly hair with the hair wet. Part of my reason for deducting a star is the homemade hair care product recipes. One of them contains glycerine, which draws moisture from inside of the hair strands to the outside, paradoxically drying out the hair. Another recipe is baking soda and water, which Massey claims will remove heavy product build-up and leave hair shiny and clean. A baking soda and water mixture is basic (pH higher than 7). It is the slightly acidic products that remove product build-up and leave hair shiny. Even worse, basic solutions can spilt disulfide bonds in hair, which weaken hair and reduce curl. Others of the recipes are harmless to your hair, but will leave it a sticky mess.
Despite my qualms about the recipes and the no-shampoo advice, I like the book for its fun positive attitude, curly hair education, photos showing many of the author's points, and curly girl confessions. As part of my Curly Girl education, I learned there are 3 types of curls: corkscrew, botticelli, and wavy. Wavy curls. (Which my hairdresser says is a bit of an over-simplification.) Massey goes into a lot of detail about how to tell which types of curls you have and how to care for them. Even if you just have a small amount of wave to your hair, but don't really think it's curly, you can benefit from the book. As for the Curly Girl confessions, I had many aha moments as women talked about hating their hair, making horrific mistakes with it, straightening it, and finally learning to love it. CG is a definite self-esteem booster. :-) I give this book 5 stars for fun, visual appeal and attitude; and 3 stars for advice and recipe quality.
Rating:
Summary: Very informative!
Review: I have been following a modified version of this method for the past 3 months. This book has literally changed my hair. While I had heard of "conditioner only" cleansing before, I never tried it until I bought the book. This, along with Lorraine's instructions on how to dry your hair, has changed my hair from puffy, frizzy, and wavy to shiny and curly (botticelli curls). I love the look and feel of my hair now! You do not have to follow her methods exactly; modify to suit your needs.
Rating:
Summary: An informative and entertaining read
Review: Of course, I don't fall perfectly into one of the three curly types she identifies. I'm somewhere in between Botticelli and wavy. I tried the "shampoo with conditioner" thing, figuring why not, it won't cost me anything. It took me one day to realize it is NOT for me. I wash my hair every day (with shampoo). I have to - my hair gets limp and feels dirty if I don't. The "washing with conditioner" experiment made my hair feel and look lifeless, frizzy, and just plain bad. I know you're supposed to give it time, but there was no way I could stand another day with such horrible-looking and grimy-feeling hair. That being said, I decided to try the wavy hair routine, which allows the use of a gentle shampoo on the scalp. This seems to be working rather well for me. My hair and scalp feel clean, and my hair is beginning to have more bounce and better curl separation. There are several recipes in the book, which use readily available ingredients. (So far I've only made the Lavender Mist, which I love). I also like the fact that she provides you with a list of ingredients to look for in a shampoo, conditioner, and styling gel, rather than merely naming certain brands/lines.
Overall this book is a good resource, filled with (mostly) helpful tips. I also enjoyed the "confessions" of fellow curly-haired gals. After reading this, I have a much greater appreciation for my curls and a better understanding of how to care for them.
Rating:
Summary: FINALLY!
Review: I was in a bookstore looking for something completely different when I accidentally picked this book up. I thought it would be the usual useless information for curly, but after paging through the book I was completely impressed with the way Lorraine Massey understood curly and wavey hair issues. Needless to say, I bought it (and I'm not one to buy books like this). My hair is generally wavy, and I spent the first 15 years of my adult life trying to get it straight. Once I realized that never worked to begin with and that I was sick and tired of burning my hair with hot dryers, I thought I'd try pushing my hair towards the curly side. This book helped me get more of the result I was looking for from my wavy hair. I LOVE THE WAY MY HAIR LOOKS AND I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY COMPLIMENTS I'VE GOTTEN SINCE TAKING LORRAINE'S ADVICE. BUY IT! A small PRICE TO PAY FOR BIG RESULTS.
Rating:
Summary: Educate that hairdresser on fire.....
Review: It's easy to see how I am going to be bringing this book with me to every appointment with a new hairdresser. Most stylists just do not get trained on how to cut and care for curly hair without forcing the hair to imitate straight hair. Having fought with my hair in my youth and wanting to make peace with my curls, I share a variety of the hair stories collected in this book, primarily the one where we all wish we could get along with our curly hair. The tips and info Lorraine Massey has collected in CURLY GIRL are very wide ranging, and will work for professionals as well as the hair owner. She identifies many variations to curly hair and the differences between the types of curl. Her cutting pointers are really spot on, and tips for controlling frizz are practical and really work. I'm really looking forward to seeing what my hair becomes after reading this book. I've experiemented with non-commercial skin care techniques before, and her theory that detergents can safely be dropped from the curly hair care routine permanently is an intriguing one. Botticelli curls, here I come....
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