Green Hair Care, Part 2: How to Dry and Style Your Fabulous Curls

Okay, so I know it's been quite a while since the first part of this series, but if you're still hanging on wondering what to do with your hair after you've washed and conditioned it, not only am I duly impressed by your dedication, your patience is about to pay off in a big way... it's time to dry and style!

I'm really sorry, but this guide only applies to curly-headed people as yet. If anyone requests it, I would be happy to do some research on what works best for other types of hair.

Here are the supplies I use:

• wide-toothed comb,
• flour sack towels (these are cheap and work perfectly) or a t-shirt,
• for fancy days:
• hair gel,
• a blow dryer with a diffuser attachment.

First, let's talk about each implement and its intended purpose. Then, we'll get into the actual steps. Check it out after the jump.

Flying time and my "no-poo" adventures

What do you know... I got sick for a few days, then family came into town for Thanksgiving, and now it's the end of November and I don't understand how that happened. I feel like I spent the last week stuck inside a hamster ball. I'm all disoriented and have a bizarre urge to drink from a drippy water bottle.

For all 0 of you reading this, I'm back now, and I think the next topic I'm going to tackle will be hair: a little bit about hair in general, a lot about curly hair in particular.

Here's a few things about my hair routine that will give you an idea of where I'm going with this:

• I almost never use shampoo (once per month, if that, and that's only if I end up using a hair product that can cause buildup).
• I make my own hair gel.
• Diluted baking soda and diluted vinegar are my cleanser and conditioner, respectively.

For an idea of why I have chosen to do such a crazy thing, please see this insanely informative post. For those of you who would prefer to not read through all of that just now, here is a basic rundown:

• Shampoo contains harsh and harmful chemicals such as mineral oil and sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate.
• Shampoo is a detergent which strips your hair of its naturally occurring oils, which help keep your hair healthy.
• You truly do not need shampoo to keep your hair clean, and you can save moderately-sized bucks by going without.

Tomorrow I will begin a two-part series on green hair-care, beginning with cleansing and conditioning. Some of what I cover will apply more to those with curly hair than those without, but I will try to keep everything generally informative for all hair types.