You’ve got kids to dress, carpools to drive, babies to feed, not to mention your career. Keeping your curls in check may be the last thing on your mind.
So we checked in with some of the world’s top curl experts—many of them curly moms themselves—to get their top tips for moms on the go.
“It seems like all free time gets sucked into a black hole where it gets condensed into nothingness and disappears,” says Rosie daSilva, Senior Stylist at Devachan Salon and Departure Lounge. “Motherhood is therefore a wonderful time to re-evaluate the things a woman normally spends lots of time on, and to ‘downsize’ the less-than-necessary, time-intensive activities of life B.C. (Before children).”
Get a great curly cut.
“A cut that worked fantastically on long, blow-fried-straight hair will not necessarily translate into a wash-and-go cut for curly hair,” daSilva says. “Be sure that you get your hair cut by a curly expert.”
Find somebody who can create a low-maintenance cut that provides versatility—a cut that works with, rather than against your curls and kinks. Check out our listings of CurlSalons for a curl expert near you.
Prep is key.
“Taking a few extra moments during the preparation stage to achieve your desired hairstyle will pay off throughout the day and night,” says Jonathan Torch of Toronto’s Curly Hair Institute.
“I recommend perfecting certain techniques that allow you to overcome long, drawn-out styling and drying sessions,” Torch says.
While we’d all love the luxury of air-drying our curls, it’s not always possible for moms on the go. A dryer with a diffuser can significantly cut drying time without disturbing the natural curl pattern.
Keep product at the ready.
A curl rejuvenator, pomade, or gel can help keep those ringlets looking good as you shuttle between soccer games, board meetings, and a girl’s night out.
“I always travel with a travel size of Mop Top Refresher & Detangler and Mop Top Pomade,” says Mop Top’s Kelly Foreman, who has three young daughters.
She also carries a spray bottle mixed with one part gel to four parts water.
