He leaned over and touched one of my curls. "Do you use tiny rollers?" he asked completely serious.   I must have been 12. My decade plus of life lived had only seen me sporting my natural hair (usually covered with a towel) between the washing sink and the styling chair at a salon. This happened quickly just before the blow dryer was turned on and the hot comb heated to "fix" the out of control puffiness haloing my head. Unfortunately, there was no salon in the 20, maybe 50-mile radius. Summer camp hadn't been going on long when some 13-year-old boy, who was playin' too much splashed water (from the nearby lake-gross!) on my hair. My straight hair "Gremlin-ed" itself back to its true form in minutes. Just like that, I was left for the remainder of the week with frizzy ringlets that wasn't even a cool-looking Afro.  I wore hats when I could. I tried braiding it. I even resorted to spraying it with water every hour as though it was a real Jheri Curl. Finally, I let it be, in all its big fluffiness.

"Wait, you don't have a (curly) perm?" my white friends asked. "Why don't you have a (straight) perm?" my black friends asked.  Other female campers would also randomly inquire about the use of combs, brushes and banana clips. They thought they were being helpful.  When I just couldn't take it anymore, I vowed to learn how to "deal" with my natural hair someday! That day has come, my friend.

Decades passed and I have had many failed attempts with gel, mousse, creams, conditioners, oils/grease, keratin treatments and more. I once permed just my edges to get my baby hair to "act right".  I have finally figured out what works for my hair. I thought I would share it with you in case... you're heading to summer camp. 

ReeNoun's Curl Tutorial (it really works)

1. Wash and condition hair with sulfate and sodium-free products.

2. Rinse Conditioner in cool to cold water. (*If you're in the shower, just stick you head under the water! It helps a little.

3. Wrap a cotton t-shirt around your head to soak up excess water. (No towels)

4. Part hair down the middle and then in to 2 more sections for 4 sections total. 

5. Apply Paul Mitchell The Conditioner (Leave-In Conditioner) (Don't be shy! Use as much as you need to saturate your strands. Apply product in a downward motion from root to ends. 

*Get the generic version from Sally's for $5-6. It works just as well. 

6. Apply Garnier Fructise Sleek and Shine serum. It's runny, so pour it into your palm and then apply quickly.  (Don't forget your ends...as they dry first.) 

7. Air Dry. 

8. When 60-80% Dry, "Pineapple" your hair, by making a ponytail at the top of your head. Be sure to tug the curls gently for a good "stretch". 

9. Wait 2-4 hours and release (ahhhh!) from the hair band. Pineapple again before you sleep each night.

Depending on the humidity and your texture, expect curls to last 2-3 days (sometimes 4 days) before you'll need to wash.  By Day 4, my curls start to get pretty frizzy and fuzzy.