As a curly-haired girl, I have struggled all my life with one problem: How in the world do I care for the rat’s nest that sits atop my head? However, thanks to Jewish summer camp, home of the curly-haired girl, I learned that this is not a unique problem. The tips I learned are not limited to those who have hair resembling the “before” picture of Mia Thermopolis in The Princess Diaries, but are also for anyone whose hair has a curl of any sort. My life-changing tips are as follows:

1. You have to wash your hair. However, you mustn’t do it on a daily basis. Wash your hair only three times a week. Curly hair texture is dryer and in less need of constant washing. My issue has always been that my hair is naturally oily. If you have this unfortunate trait, I suggest washing every other day (or about 3-4 times a week), but still not everyday.
2. When buying shampoo, make sure that your bottle has NO SULFATES! This is imperative, as those nasty chemicals can damage a girl’s natural hair texture and health.
3. Once in the shower, take a dab of shampoo (don’t overdo it), and use your fingernails to scrub it into the scalp. The suds will naturally run down the hair below the scalp and is all the washing it needs. It’s your scalp that collects all the dirt, not the luscious ends.
4. After rinsing out shampoo completely, take a sizeable glob of conditioner, and apply it only to the bottom of your hair. This means only from the bottom of your earlobes to the tips. To comb your hair, just use four fingers to remove knots.
5. Never, and I mean NEVER, wring your hair out. When rinsing out shampoo or conditioner, scrunch your hair in order to rid it of suds. This will leave the natural curl just they way Mother Nature intended.
6. Rinse conditioner only partially, leaving in some extra in order to make your hair more healthy and have a natural shine. The left-in conditioner also doubles as a hair gel, keeping hair soft and creating those picture-esque curls you always dreamed of.
7. Finally, exit the shower and scrunch hair to rid yourself of excess water. Never use a towel to dry your hair off, as it will cause unwanted frizz. Instead, opt for a cotton T-shirt, as it does the same job, minus the frizz.