How to style your curls by curly hair specialist Teresa Badolato

Teresa Badolato is a curly hair stylist and the owner of Curl Hair and Wellness, a texture-focused salon that has been servicing the greater Main Line Philadelphia area since 2016. We have known Teresa Badolato since 2017, which was the beginning of our journey to embracing our naturally curly hair. She has been our hair stylist since then and has also been a supporter of our small business since our launch in 2021. Teresa was the first hair salon owner to carry our products and we are forever grateful. In this blog, Teresa shares her tips to style your curls using our styling duo. Thank you for sharing your expertise with our familia Teresa.

By Teresa Badolato

The Styling Gel has amazing slip, great one and done product, adds shine, definition, structure and can be a soft hold or medium hold gel depending on application. The Curl Cream can be used in lieu of leave-in conditioner on certain curl types. Soft hold, great slip, adds shine and hydration, with very little structure. I recommend applying both products from ends to roots. They are very versatile products.

Tips for 1A to 2C hair texture
After washing and conditioning, squeeze moisture out so there isn’t a lot of water weight. Wavy hair can be weighed down by too much water left in the hair. If hair is dehydrated, use a dime size amount of cream on 2-3-inch-wide sections, applying from ends to roots. Most of the time I want to achieve more volume in wavy hair and the gel is usually enough to use alone since it’s so hydrating. The cream can also be used alone if less control is desired. The gel should be applied in smaller sections if more structure is desired and larger sections if more volume is desired. The gel will give your style more longevity than the cream so if you wash your hair more often and prefer a soft look, the cream may be the choice for you. Gel is applied from ends to roots, and I can’t stress enough how important this application technique is as too much product on the roots will cause build-up and a flatter root.

Tips for 3A to 3C hair texture
Curly hair needs more moisture than wavy hair, so the cream is used as a base product. Depending on how much hydration is needed, the cream can replace a leave-in conditioner. Taking transparent sized sections, apply a pea size amount of cream on wet hair and layer the gel right on top. More gel means more structure and hold. Use prayer hands or rope climbing technique to assure proper application, from ends to roots. The wetter the hair the more definition.

Tips for 4A to 4C hair texture
Hydration is key with this hair texture. Curl cream is used before the cream and the cream adds an extra layer of hydration. It is important that sections are small, and each section is saturated with water before leave-in cream. Layer enough product depending on the density and volume desired. For more volume, use more cream and less gel. If more structure is desired use more gel and less cream. Use a lot of water per section for more definition and a soft touch at the end. Application is always from ends to roots!

Tips for diffusing your curls
I recommend diffusing the roots first then hovering around the mid-lengths and ends to form a nice cast. Once the cast is formed, you may encourage more spring and volume by cradling the hair in the diffuser or more of an elongated curl by holding your diffuser away. When moving the dryer around, turn the dryer off when approaching the hair and back on when you are cradling the curls. You may also diffuse halfway, and air dry the rest, or fully air dry, depending on personal preference. Medium heat, medium fan, DO NOT TOUCH until dry!

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