Image via chicagonow

We saw all the stars come out to say goodbye to talk show host and living legend Oprah Winfrey during the final week of The Oprah Show.  After 25 years of life-changing television, Oprah left us with her legacy with The Best of Oprah farewell shows, and Ouidad is delighted to celebrate Oprah too, being the big curly hair fans that we are! We wanted to highlight some of Oprah’s best curly hair moments over the past 25 years. Let’s take a look…

From the beginning Oprah has loved her curls and donned many a twisty looks through all the years of her groundbreaking show. The cascade of Oprah’s styles, from a fancy curly updo with a little color, to when she preferred to relax her curls and make big waves.

It might come as a surprise that Oprah’s naturally curly hair is often straightened before a final curly look is set.  Kinky hair like Oprah’s, and many other African-American’s, is the tightest curl pattern on the curly hair spectrum.  But because kinky hair is incredibly versatile, a looser curl pattern can be achieved by straightening the hair before curling it to the desired look. So ladies like Oprah can flaunt lots of curls – for that professional look in the daytime and a more glamorous style for a night of excitement.  Just ask Andre Walker, Oprah’s hairstylist of 24 years!

There’s no doubt Oprah’s history-making show will be missed.  After all, it’s where we saw some of the most memorable surprises and those “favorite thing” moments.  But perhaps most importantly, we’re thankful that Oprah has left a lot of curly hair memories for us to remember too!

The beloved pompadour always makes a big style statement, no matter who wears it. It’s simply one hairstyle that has managed to successfully transcend class and gender over the centuries. From the legendary Queen of France Marie Antoinette, wearing her pompadour sky-high along with her cascading curls; to the one known simply as “The King,” who preferred his slicked back with just a bit of a poof – the pompadour has always been in vogue.

So while it’s safe to say that pompadours are not a new trend, the hairstyle has recently been rising above many curly hair patterns and textures: kinky hair fans love that extra oomph at the top of their ‘dos! And singers like Janelle Monae, Jill Scott, and Shingai Shoniwa are leading the pompadour’s popularity, showing that they fit well into the curly set!

The pompadour’s history with both long and short curls alike has proven that it is a seriously fun style that’s never out of style. And since it’s a look that can be beautifully achieved whether your curls are wavy, kinky, or any curl pattern in between, it’s a style that is always sure to make a big statement. And that’s the kind of curl confidence that makes Ouidad proud!

Image via bglhonline.com

“Hair is like religion and we each have our own rituals.”

~Michaela Angela Davis.

Glorious African-American curls – Ouidad celebrates your wonderful patterns, from loose and wavy to tight and kinky and every curlicue in-between. We’re also smitten with your many possible textures….every fine, medium and coarse strand is unique and beautiful! We also love how lustrous and manageable those twists are, as they respond to all our important hair rituals—those precise procedures we follow when doing our do’s. It’s the way we keep them looking fabulous!

Our rituals are a part of our hair routine; it might be the quirky idea that we must rinse our hair three times after we shampoo—no more, no less. After all, we are convinced there is no better way to get the perfect S shape!

Or, perhaps it’s the way we dare not deviate from holding our diffuser in the exact same way when blowing our hair dry, just to make that corkscrew pattern more defined.

Or the way we swear that Ouidad’s Deep Treatment formula turns a simple intensive conditioning into bona fide “me’ time. (It does have a way of getting our curls to make the zigzag pattern we love so much!)

No matter what ritual you follow yourself, Ouidad can always help you bring out the beauty in your African-American hair. We would love to find out more about how you care for your hair.  What’s your kinky-curly hair care rituals?

Ouidad wants to know which red carpet curls you’re looking for in 2011…will it be a long, curly style?  An up do?  A creative combination of curly styles?  Or that straightened-but-still-curly look? Check out below and take our poll!

Loved Garcelle Beauvais’ long and kinky carefree curls!

Image Via Life.com

Or Hope Olaide Wilson’s elegantly braided up do?

Image Via About.com

What about Jill Scott’s creative braided updo combo?

Image Via Life.com

Even Gabrielle Union’s straightened style was full of curls.

Image Via TV.Yahoo.com

Bad weather is a reality this time of year—and so, unfortunately, are bad hair days. The cold temps and harsh winds can wreak havoc on your kinky tresses, plus cause dryness and frizz that keep your curls from looking luscious. So how can you keep your hair from getting weary this winter? Prevention is always the best remedy. And Ouidad has solutions to keep bad hair days at bay:

Protect…

A silk-lined hat can be a kinky curls’ best friend this season, an excellent way to protect delicate curls when temperatures plunge. And to ensure that your ringlets are ready to brave the elements, choose a lightweight conditioner. Ouidad’sMoisture Lock Leave-in Conditioner does the job without weighing your curls down.

Avoid…

It can be easy to overdo it with too many products keeping your hair looking great; Ouidad always says less is more, because product build-up can cause locks to look limp and lackluster. That’s why Ouidad’s Shine Glaze Serum rinses easily, so dullness is never an issue.

Remember…

Curls can lose nutrients, especially when they’re dry and weather damaged. Luckily, health and beauty can be restored with deep conditioning. Ouidad’s Deep Treatment Intensive Conditioner lays a nourishing foundation for manageable curls.

We’ll always have bad weather days to endure, but you can rely on Ouidad solutions to control them and help put the bad hair day blues behind you!

Tessa Thompson’s Tight Curls

What do the talented stars of Tyler Perry’s newest film For Colored Girls have in common? A number of accomplishments and talents to be sure – but being the devoted curly hair fans that we are at Ouidad, what caught our attention most was all of the impressive curls. Each one of the twelve main stars is naturally curly!

In fact, we’ve already turned the spotlight on a couple of these curly clad stars for rocking their lovely locks with that curly confidence that Ouidad loves—like Kerry Washington and Janet Jackson. But with so many different styles of beautiful curls in this impressive cast, we wanted to highlight these talented names and curls to our list:

Thandie Newton’s loose curls

Kimberly Elise’s soft waves

Loretta Devine’s fabulous spirals

Whoopi Goldberg’s lovely locks

For Colored Girls tells the story of nine different women, as they move in and out of one another’s lives. The all-star cast also includes Phylicia Rashad, Anika Noni Rose, Hill Harper and Omari Hardwick.

If you’re as proud to show off your natural curls as much as these stars are, Ouidad can help.  Ouidad products are formulated to shampoo, condition and style tight and kinky curls with the care that African-American curls deserve, so you can love to wear your curls too!

Images via: thirstyroots.com, naturallycurly.com, connect.in.com, thirstyroots.com, and cbsnews.com

The Holidays are in full swing again, a season thanks and reflection. And leave it to Ouidad to put a curly twist on the holidays – reminding us to be grateful for the bounty of our beautiful twisty curls!

Even with the unpredictable weather it brings, this is a beautiful time of year. But the transition to colder, dryer days is rarely a smooth one for curly hair; the alternating cold, wind, fog, frost and snow are enough to confuse anyone’s curls.

However, there are plenty of good hair days this time of year, when you sport kinky curls. In a time when everyone is shampooing less and protecting their hair more, kinky curls can really stand out and look fabulous!  Here are some reasons to be thankful for your kinky-curly locks:

• Less is more when it comes to shampooing. Ouidad says that it’s unnecessary to shampoo your kinky curls every day; in fact one shampoo a week is advised. Just be sure to use a moisturizing formula like Ouidad’s Curl Quencher to moisturize, soften and protect your delicate kinky curls.
• Wearing hair in protective styles can prevent damage caused by cold, windy and dry weather.  Kinky hair always looks good in braids, twists, and locs—which all protect hair from the severe environmental elements.
• Curls look their best when they are left to dry naturally. Kinky hair can soak up moisture better than other curl types.  And when you need to blow-dry, use Ouidad’s air diffuser to provide a steady source of gentle heat.

Kinky curls are truly something to be thankful for!

All my Ladies if you feel me
do it do it whip your hair
Dont’ matter if its long, short
do it do it whip your hair!

The music video is upbeat, fun, and features some mighty fine curly hair along with some impressive dance moves! Just like with the Sesame Street’s new Muppet character singing about loving her hair, Willow brings it on. Never before has hair pride been so prominently featured in songs and videos as in 2010… and Ouidad is loving every minute of it!

Before you whip your own hair back and forth, check out Willow’s YouTube channel below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Thanks Willow, for adding your hair to the cause of happy singing and dancing!

Ouidad fans everywhere would agree that Ouidad’s personal success is quite a story of female empowerment. After all, pioneering and leading the curly hair industry requires a lot of hard work, dedication, and style.

We see some of that same hard work and dedication in Melanie Brown, the former Spice Girl, who has been just as successful on the stage as she has been on the screen and in the recording studio. Melanie has got some serious curly girl power of her own!

After a stint on Dancing with the Stars (season five), Melanie returns to the spotlight in the new reality series Mel B It’s a Scary World airing on Style Network.  The show chronicles Mel B’s family life and business affairs, and not unlike our very own Ouidad, you’ll see that Mel B is a savvy businesswoman, loving wife and mother. (And even though she sports a temporary blowout on the show, we are impressed with how she transitions her hair from curly to straight. Looks like someone’s been taking advice from the Queen of Curls!)

If you are also tempted to temporarily try the straight look (if you must!) you should take Ouidad’s straighten-up-if-you-must advice too.  After all, it’s the only way to not cause damage and breakage.

And knowing that your fabulous curls will return as soon as you shampoo will help you keep up your confidence, and remind you that you, that like Mel B, that you can have some serious curl power of your own!

Ouidad Facebook Fan

Well, no one craves great-looking-curls-done-right more than our very own Ouidad.  Lucky for us, no one knows more than Ouidad about how to make our curls look great.  And the key to Ouidad’s philosophy is to keep it simple.  Here’s how to bring your curls back to the basics with a little curl 101:

Since kinky-curly hair is often fine and delicate, knowing how and when to shampoo is important; simply rub fingertips against the scalp when shampooing, and run fingers down the hair to get it clean and detangle it.  Remember, one shampoo a week will do for kinky-curlys.

All curls need moisture, so lock it in with Ouidad’s Moisture Lock conditioner…and to keep those styling products in your bathroom down to a minimum: Ouidad suggests the Climate Control and Curl Quencher Gel mixture to provide the ultimate moisture for your kinky hair.  Less is more!

Now that you’ve boned up on the basics, make a commitment to replace that variety of hair products piling up in your cabinets with just a few essentials.  Remember, the basics are enough to keep your hair looking its best, and Ouidad makes it simple!