At Hair.com, we’re big fans of the dramatic transformation. A woman walks into the salon with muddy hair color and walks out with flashy blonde, or six inches of dead ends become a blunt bob. There’s something so cathartic about watching a professional masterfully handle hair.
That’s certainly the case with the work of Yvonne Daly, Mizani artist and brand ambassador. Backstage at a recent photoshoot for the brand, she transformed a head of tight copper ringlets into a blowout fit for a queen. Model Emma wore her hair both straight and curly over the course of the day.
Curious about how you can make a dramatic transformation like this happen in your own home? Daly broke down her best tips for us. Styling very curly hair begins with an understanding of the hair type.
“Considering her texture type, you would think that each individual hair strand is kind of thick, but her hair strands are really fine. Because she has such a tight curl pattern, they get really intertwined with each other,” Daly says. “It’s so important to make sure it’s extremely detangled and prepped before you start your styling process.”
To Daly, that means it’s important to start the morning with the right products. She washed and conditioned Emma’s hair using Mizani’s Thermasmooth line before gently detangling it with the help of Miracle Milk Leave-In Treatment.
When working with a tight curl pattern, experts like Daly generally recommend sectioning the model’s mane into bantu knots—small pieces of hair twisted into knots—to stretch out the curl pattern as much as possible. Once the knots were in place, Daly began applying Mizani’s Thermasmooth Style & Style again on sections starting at the hairline.
“We knew we were going to blow dry her and then we were going to iron her for her second look, so the whole premise of that product (which is amazing) is you can get a blowout in the salon or your stylist can blow you out and a few days later you can put an iron in it and change up your style. It guarantees heat protection up to 450 [degrees Fahrenheit], which is phenomenal."
Once Emma’s hair was fully protected from heat, it was time to start blow drying. Daly’s technique is specific to curly hair, so pay attention. While most professional stylists make sure the roots are completely dry before moving onto the mid-shaft and ends, this technique pays special attention to Emma’s fragile strands.
“The ends are more fragile and they’ll dry quicker because they’re more porous,” Daly says. “So you want to get the root smooth first and then go to the ends and straighten that because you don’t want to overwork that and then break it again. Or cause heat damage, which a lot of people do.
Hair fully blown out, Daly applied one final touch: Mizani HRM Humidity Resistant Mist. With that, the dramatic texture transformation was complete, short of a few casual ringlets for a polished wave.
Intrigued by the idea of becoming a curl pro like Daly? She says it’s all in the education.
“In regards to curly hair, you have to really dedicate yourself to immense education on it. And it’s its own thing.”
Interested in a texture transformation of your own? Use our salon locator to book an appointment with a stylist near you.
Thermasmooth Shampoo
A hair straightening shampoo that prepares hair for smoothing.
25 Miracle Milk Leave-In Conditioner
A lightweight leave-in conditioner with heat protection that detangles, calms frizz, and treats damage and dryness.
Thermasmooth Style & Style Again
A hair smoothing cream perfect for defining curls.
Humidity Resistant Mist Hairspray
A humidity-resistant anti-frizz spray delivering light hold.
