Are you a natural curly? I am. I have struggled with my hair for as long as I can remember. Those days are now distant memories, and if you would like bad hair days (even in the pouring rain) to be a thing of the past, keep reading. Sadly, I can only speak for natural curls, if you are blessed with straight hair, this article will not help you.

While in college, I once desperately Googled "Curly Hair Help". Two websites were listed that changed my hair life forever. The first one was www.ouidad.com. Ouidad has developed an array of shampoos, conditioners, gels, and serums to help achieve perfect hair. I have tried everything that was listed in my curl profile - you can do the curl profile too, it is on her site. I have to say, my hair only likes one of her conditioners and one of her gels, both which happen to be Curly Girl "friendly".

What is Curly Girl friendly? Lorraine Massey wrote a groundbreaking book titled Curly Girl, and it is packed with awesome advice. I tried her "Curly Girl" method too, and I did not get the results she and many other curlies did. However, I found some of the information on caring for curls useful, as well as her homemade recipes.

Ouidad's products are fairly expensive and everyone pushes the Deep Treatment, which I found to be quite useless. Another note on Ouidad's products: Don't freak if at first you are frizzier. This is natural, your hair is recovering. I used her stuff for about six weeks before my curls calmed down, and then they looked awesome. However, humidity of any kind would wreck my curls. So, I kept looking.

The second website I found was www.naturallycurly.com. It was from reading the articles and discussion boards on this website, that I learned how to care for my hair, which sometimes requires doing seemingly outlandish things, but getting amazing results.

If you are new to your curls, I recommend the naturallycurly website and the sections on Ouidad's website that discuss caring for your curls. My regimen may not work for you; hair is unique and delicate, so you have to do what works for you.

First things first - and most curlies agree - either stop shampooing, or slow down your shampoo consumption. Massey advocates using a thin, runny conditioner and scrubbing the scalp and roots with that, then using a richer conditioner for the length. I cannot follow that method, I get over conditioned and lose my curls into a mass of (extremely soft and very healthy feeling) frizz.

I shampoo two to three times a week. I use an organic shampoo though, and when I feel I have build up, I use Ouidad's Water Works Shampoo. I really recommend sticking to natural products. NaturallyCurly can help you find excellent brands, and even which ingredients to avoid.

Conditioner is your staple, so find a rich one that doesn't weigh you down, but still nourishes your hair. My preference is Ouidad's Balancing Rinse. I really agree with Massey's ideas of certain ingredients causing harm to hair, and Ouidad's Balancing Rinse happens to contain none of those ingredients.

Most curlies rinse out about eighty percent of their rich conditioner, then follow up with a leave in conditioner. Again, too much moisture for my hair. I rinse out about half to sixty percent of the my rich conditioner and then I add the honey.

Yup, I put honey in my hair. This is one the many awesome things I learned from naturallycurly.

I keep an eight ounce glass jar (doesn't mildew) on my shower shelf, and a jar of honey. I put about one tablespoon of honey in the jar, fill it with very warm water, snap on the lid, and shake it to melt the honey into the water. I don't measure, I just pour some honey until the bottom of the jar is covered, not a lot, otherwise the crunch factor is very high. DO NOT RINSE. The honey rinse is my leave in.

On rainy days I add a dash (one tablespoon MAX) of apple cider vinegar with the honey, fill the jar with warm water, shake well, and pour over my hair. Again, this is after the conditioner has been rinsed about sixty percent out, but DO NOT RINSE the apple cider/honey mixture. My hair tends to be a bit crunchier with the vinegar. Oh, don't worry about the smell, you should only use a splash of vinegar and the smell dissipates.

Honey will give quite a few benefits, namely hold. I still use a light gel after I have squeezed the excess water out of my hair, but without the honey I have a fifty-fifty chance of a good hair day. With the honey, it is one hundred percent. I have had to experiment with how much honey to use, and you will too.

Honey will also give you the most wonderful highlights. I have dark hair, with gold glints throughout, and I am constantly asked where I get my hair done.

Yes, you can get crunchy with honey, and no amount of scrunching out the crunch will work. I have solved this by adding a half a teaspoon of almond oil with the honey.

When using oil, honestly, less is more. Massey recommends mixing a bit of almond oil with water in one of those misters used for cooking, and misting the mixture as needed. Either way works, it is up to you how you want to apply it. The exact recipe can be found in her book. I prefer to add it to my honey rinse and be done with it.

After you get out of the shower, dry your hair carefully, by gently patting down the length with a cotton towel (an old t-shirt works best) to remove excess water. Apply your gel (I use Ouidad's Tress F/X) when the hair is still soaking, then gently scrunch it in with the t-shirt. I actually use a Curl Cloth, which you can find at www.curlslikeus.com.

If you need to diffuse dry, and you get a few fly aways or even a bit of frizz, try a touch of pomade, I use Ouidad's Clear Control, to fix it.

Remember, hair is unique, so my routine and products may not be exactly right for you but I hope that you check out the websites and book metioned here for a wealth of information on curls.

I also hope you stay away from the straightener, and embrace your curls.

All my best!