Less is more. It’s been our mantra for as long as we have been a company. But what does it mean?

Shampoo less. We recommend shampooing at least every two to three days. The natural sebum from your scalp is very beneficial to the hair and imparts a natural sheen, but a healthy scalp grows healthy hair and so you must cleanse the scalp regularly to prevent clogged pores and unwanted odor.

Use less. A common misconception about styling gels goes like this… if a little is good to control frizz, more must be better. We recommend thoroughly coating your curls, section by section, with our “Rake and Shake” method for applying gels and styling your curls. But go lightly. Working section by section, it takes just a few extra rakes of the fingers to distribute less gel, more evenly. Shake and release. You’ll be rewarded with breathable, springy, touchable curls when your style is finished air drying.

Cut less. Most stylists will recommend that you return every 6 to 8 weeks to maintain your hair style. Ouidad believes that the proper technique for cutting curly hair is her trademark method “Carving and Slicing”. Admittedly, it is probably not the best name to mention to clients. For some people it evokes images of electric carving knives and Thanksgiving Turkeys. But when Ouidad first began teaching her method to other stylists, there was no official name for her method. The best way for her to describe the mechanics of the technique, from one stylist to another, was to invoke the visual image of carving and slicing the curls. The technique gained such notoriety, so quickly, that it became known by its classroom name.  A curly hair cut by a Ouidad certified stylist is a better value since it will grow out beautifully over the course of 12 weeks or so.

Order less and work less. We strive to make the care and styling of curly hair so easy and enjoyable that you’ll want to wear your hair curly every day, naturally. We have a variety of products in our line to address the needs of the all types of curls; from limp lifeless curls that crave more bounce and life – dry, parched curls that thirst for moisture and shine – to the tightest kinkiest curls, the most delicate of all, that require special handling. So even though you may see 20 or more products in our line, our goal is to keep your life simple and teach you easy techniques you can do yourself and supply you with just the few necessary basic products you need to help you maintain beautiful healthy curls you’ll love to show off.

Peter Wise, COO

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Well, it will grow back!” Or perhaps found yourself re-styling your just styled hair? Pinning back puffy bangs (that looked great on that straight-haired starlet), or desperately trying to tie back hair with a rubber band into a teeny-tiny pony tail due to a bob gone wrong….Ouidad saw these problems happening to curly-haired women everywhere, and so opened a salon dedicated only to curls .  This first salon opened in 1984 in New York City .

Ouidad still offers top professional stylists at her flagship store on 57^th Street who are specifically trained to work on curls.  The goal is to make sure that you can actually work with and love your style, as opposed to crying over it and redoing it later!

One client said,

“The stylist who did my hair really took the time to talk to me about exactly what I wanted from my cut before she actually put her hands on my hair.”

Curly west-coasters started to travel the 3,000 miles to New York to get their hair done with Ouidad. The solution was clear, and Ouidad then opened a salon in Santa Monica, California. Now those west coast clients are echoing the sentiments of New Yorkers! One client put it simply,

“Can I just say, life changing!”

All stylists from coast to coast are trained in Ouidad’s patented carving and slicing method, which prevents gallons of tears shed later because of curls that have been cut too short and blunt, left to frizz outward, so throw away those rubber bands for good and join us in one of our salons or online!  We want to hear from you!