Lorraine MasseyCríticas

This book had such polarizing reviews I had to read it myself. It reads like a terrible coming out manual. Aside from that there are sections of good advice and atrocious advice within. Rule number one is keep hair hydration in balance. This is good. The suggestion of finding a botanical conditioner and saturating your hair with it is not. This will result in 2 things: thinning from blocked follicles, and rotting (when combined with the gel/mousse on wet hair tip).

If you want to invigorate curls all you need is 1 part natural healthy conditioner that works for your hair to 3 parts water in a spray bottle (this is leave-in conditioner the custom way). For me, I do a coconut oil and cornstarch or baking soda deep conditioner monthly in the summertime. The part about avoiding silicones and waxes is good. The part about using a microfiber towel/t-shirt/pillowcase to dry hair doesn't make any sense.

My hair takes four hours to air dry if, and only if, I scrunch it in a cotton absorptive towel first. if I used one of the books options here my hair would take more like two days to dry. I usually just gently squeeze it out before leaving the shower then blot it with the towel. The tip about brushes is not quite right. Some hair textures can't be brushed. Others can. I can only brush my hair after it's dry. If I do it wet I lose more hair and have more pain. Also on no planet shout styling product be put on wet hair, it will rot over time. Ultimately you know your hair better than a stranger does.

PS. If you deal with dandruff like I do (my hair is hella thick), wash your hair more often concentrating on the scalp. massage as long as you can stand it. Do a massaging water wash first, followed by a cleansing wash with your non clarifying shampoo.

Wavy hair here! Funny thing is that it keeps getting more curly as it grows! I have already switched to a no-sulfate shampoo due to reading this book. I love my curls and everyone else's! Don't fight it, love it!

I really liked the comprehensiveness of topics covered for curly hair, including washing, styling, cutting, coloring, dealing with chemo, etc.

You have to wade through an exhausting number of hair-related puns and "confession" sections from different people bemoaning their hair before they tried the curly girl method. I ended up skipping them. The book does outline effective methods that are very different from mainstream advice and products, but the year 2020 makes it very difficult for me to relate to a story about hair ruining a date when it went poofy in the rain as "traumatizing." That said, if you are struggling with your hair and looking for a self-help type of boost, those sections would be great.

I had started using Massey's curly girl method based on information from the Reddit community, but the book definitely includes additional, easy-to-understand information, methods, and recipes broken down by specific curly hair type that I plan to use.

I fight my curls on a daily basis, so I'm hopeful that this book will help me to embrace them fully instead! I appreciate the clear, concise directions for recipes and hairdos.

This book was not helpful, to say the least. I picked it up thinking it might offer some good tips on how to handle my curly hair, but it was more like an “As Seen On TV” ad about curly hair, and it was full of contradictions and non-sequiturs.

For example, it said in one chapter to NEVER use elastic bands in curly hair - only use scrunchies. Then in the style chapter it tells you to use an elastic band to achieve a particular hair style. Another example is how the author pushes so hard to be rid of almost all hair products (including shampoo), but then says to use a variety of products (including a “hair cleanser” aka shampoo) during and after washing, throughout the day, and before bed. That’s way to much junk sitting in my hair, and way too much work to maintain.

The book also gives straight up bad advice. For example, using conditioner on your scalp has been condemned by all my hair dressers because it can irritate the scalp and cause dandruff. The “hair cleansers” recipes contain ingredients like lemon juice and baking soda, which make hair dry and brittle. And judging a stylist on whether or not they have curly hair is just nonsense.

It was also quite disturbing how cult-like the tone is about curly hair, and how it seems like life should revolve around naturally curly hair. Several of the “confessions” inferred that fighting naturally curly hair practically ruined several people’s lives. However, the “confessions” weren’t without their share of contradictions either. One of the folks said she preferred straight hair, and another was happier just shaving her head.

I do not recommend.

I was hoping this book would be more along the lines of little helpful hints for handling, cutting and styling hair. This is in there, but it's maybe 1/4 of the book. Most of the book reads like a self help book: Cast off the shackles of straight hair and love yourself! I realize that we as women put a lot of time and effort into our hair and how it does or doesn't look can definitely hurt or help the self-esteem but holy crap this book made me feel super mentally stable!

This book may also not be aimed at me, rather people who straighten their curly hair and have never tried to manage it on their own. At least the first half of the book is just a repeat of the following "rules": quit using harsh shampoos, quit straightening your hair, condition/moisturize your hair and quit dragging the curl out of it with constant brushing. Apparently I am some type of curly hair prodigy because I managed to figure this out in high school. This seems to be most of what Lorraine teaches people, based on this book, so that was a pretty useless chunk of the book. I thought this was common sense for managing your hair that most girls figured out in teenage years of experimenting. Apparently I was ahead of the curve.

The hair cutting area is a disappointment as well. Basically you learn where to cut in the curl and to use sharp scissors. I was hoping for something a little more involved to tame my messy, thick hair. Mostly I learned I need to move somewhere with a population large enough to support hair studios that do more than straighten and dye hair all day long. There are some fun styles in the book that I may go back to in the future but overall this book was a repetitive line of very basic hair care.

I'm giving it a three because maybe it really will be helpful to some people and maybe some people need this "coming out" for their hair. I am just not that person. For me it was overall a lot of writing for not a lot of learning.

It's too early to say whether it will help my hair or not. It's extremely informative and well written, however.

3.5 stars

Lorraine Massey’s Silver Hair: Say Goodbye to the Dye—and Let Your Natural Light Shine! A Handbook is empowering and inspiring. (And how about that long title!) Massey is famous for her previous book, Curly Girl, which is also designed to empower women to choose their hair’s own natural style. Considering I’m a silver-haired woman with natural curls, reviewing this book is an obvious choice for me.

When I was deciding to let my silver shine through and stop dying, I found another book to inspire me. I used to stop and peruse the pages, wondering what my hair would look like once the dye was gone. I found Massey’s book similarly fun to review, and can imagine how it might answer that “what if?” question for someone not quite decided.

Massey gives copious lighthearted instructions about how to make the transition to your natural color. She uses pictures and stories from real-life women who’ve decided to dramatically change their hair. Hair colorists weigh in, as does style maven Stacey London.

Sometimes Massey verges on insistence rather than encouragement, which might be off putting for some women. “You must go natural to be your true self!” or some such sentence. Truly, you can be yourself with hair dye or without, just as much as you can be less authentic with or without hair dye. For me, the insistence wasn’t an issue, since I’ve already gone all in. Here’s fair warning if you aren’t quite sure yet.

I’m anxious to try some of Massey’s tips for keeping silver hair in tip-top condition. But I have to admit the idea of using a drop of blue food coloring in my conditioner is slightly terrifying. Other concoctions have unfamiliar herbs, but most have ingredients readily accessed in your kitchen or garden. I can’t wait to tell my Asian husband that I have a use for the water he rinses the rice in!

About once a week, a woman asks me if my hair color is natural. Then she says, “Oh I want to do it, but I’m so nervous!” Often we have a long chat. I suspect that in the future I’ll be referring people to this book for more information and ideas.

Thanks to NetGalley and Workman Publishing for an advance reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

More reviews and a picture of my own progression to silver hair at TheBibliophage.com.

Out February 6, 2018

My thanks to Netgalley and Workman Publishing Company for the ARC to read and provide my honest review
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Description
More women–in and out of Hollywood–are either going gray or talking about it. Silver Hair shows how to toss the bottle, take back the hours and dollars you spend on the colorist, and emerge a truer, more beautiful version of yourself.

Silver Hair will show you how to decide if you’re ready to give up the hair-color servitude, what method of going gray will be most comfortable to you, and how to keep your hair and total look beautiful and youthful. With photos taken of real women over one year of growing out their color, including author Lorraine Massey, you’ll see the various ways to grow out gray, from “all natural” – minus the skunk line! – to low-lights, silver streaks, a pixie cut, and dyeing your hair gray as your natural silver emerges. And in a section on “how to stay gorgeously gray,” you’ll find tips on caring for silver hair (complete with homemade hair care recipes) and how to complement your silver hair with clothing and makeup.

Along with the photos and techniques, there are dozens of stories of the amazing transformation these real women experienced–way beyond the hair on their heads: embracing new relationships, careers, and confidence.

Available Editions
EDITION
Paperback
ISBN 9780761189299
PRICE $16.95 (USD)

MY BOOK REVIEW:

I think every woman worries about this at some point in her life, whether she is graying prematurely or later in her life when she is covering her gray roots. I found this book rather fascinating to read, but for my life I cannot understand why some of these women preferred to look older than they actually had to. Sure, sure, some of you will say that not all look old and some even look great and I agree. I completely understand freeing up oneself from the costly dyeing and upkeep of hair, and how bothersome letting roots show can be.
I come from a family that is notorious for premature graying, mostly the men though. What I noticed that the book didn’t cover too much is that there are actually two types of graying. There is the snow white “graying” that my dad became early. It’s actually the nicer of the two. Then, there the gunmetal gray, that all it accomplishes is making a person look old. Plus, if you note, a lot of the women have amazing features, high cheekbones, bright eyes, lovely attributes that keep the woman looking relative young looking. What about those who are blessed with a rounder face, sagging jowls, what about them? Or, how about those with a few extra pounds? Trust me, gray is not flattering.

I think some gray with complimentary tones gray with black, gray with white, those looked fantastic. But not all of us have the skin tone for it. While interesting and liberating, I think this book is somewhat unrealistic and fanciful. After all, not all of us are silver model worthy. Kudos to those women who did this and yes, with makeup artists and fashion experts, they do look just wonderful! But I think when my time comes, I’ll just think twice about doing the silver thing.

Silver is the new black, blonde and brown… From the author of Curly Girl, Silver Hair, comes a guide to letting your hair go silver. Massey, a hairstylist for three decades, includes testimonials and pictures from herself and from women of various ages who decided to bite the bullet and let their hair go natural. Her message to those who want do it is to “embrace your natural hair and do it for you and no one else”. One myth is that silver hair will age you or look unprofessional.

See my complete review at The Eclectic Review

Stop torturing your curly hair! I did after I read this book. Unfortunately my hair had endured 40 years of torture by the time I figured out what it was trying to tell me. In two words: I'M THIRSTY. So I stopped brushing, combing, shampooing, conditioning with anything drying, and frying it with hot appliances. If I leave it alone (as in, condition it well, squeeze it in a towel, drop it and let it try without touching it with anything) it is gorgeous. Who knew?

Grabbed this on a whim at the library - although it gets a little too preachy and "learn to love yours curls" for me, it does have some good advice. You could probably shorten the actual advice to 20-30 pages though, and I skimmed through quite a bit. She makes some good points about caring for curly hair, and I'll definitely give some of her techniques a try.

My hair looked better after I read this book. It's a pretty cute/funny read too.

REVIEW NOTES: from the article link below: "The gist: People born with curly hair suffer horribly at the hands of well-meaning mothers and hairdressers who deem their hair unruly and something to tame. They grow up hating their hair, and, as a result, themselves. Then along comes Massey in 2001 with the first edition of "Curly Girl," preaching the good word of embracing one's curl by tossing the shampoo, daily washing routines, hair dryers, flat irons, combs and brushes. This second edition of the popular how-to guide is updated with a chapter for men and a DVD.

Locked in: The book is brimming with easy-to-follow illustrated instructions on all aspects of curly hair care, starting with how to identify your curl type and following through with care for each curl type, and even how to cut your own hair. Plus, it includes DIY recipes for making your own cleansers and practical advice on what to look for and what to avoid in products."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/02/12/LVKI1HJSLK.DTL#ixzz1....

Even as someone who has loved my curly hair for a long time, this book taught me a lot, especially about what products to use and not use for my hair. There are parts of it that aren't necessarily relevant to me (for example, there's a whole chapter on why you shouldn't chemical relax your hair and how to grow out your curls after such an experience ... never done that), but it's still a completely wonderful book!

This is a good motivational book for those who are natural in a world where straight is still seen a more manageable. I think Massey does a great job at encouraging readers to accept the hair that they have and when they do they will experience the freedom from the constraints brought about by stressing on how to tame the hair. I liked it even though it could have been longer.

A must have for anyone with naturally curly hair. Overall an excellent resource.

If you are even vaguely curly, there’s a lot to like about this book. It’s put together in a chatty, informational way, with testimonials from women who’ve learned to love their curls, after a lifetime of trying to tame them. Massey is a curly girl herself, who’s done the research to find the best way of caring for it, and there are some surprising recommendations. Most curly girls can skip shampoo, cleansing their hair through scalp massage with conditioner. Brushes are out, too. Massey’s tips and techniques are going to take some practice, and getting used to, but I’m already loving the increased curl and definition in my hair, as well as the ideas on putting it up and tying it back.

This handbook for women with naturally curly hair is written by Lorraine Massey, founder and co-owner of Devachan salon in New York. I can think of no better person to write it than a fellow 'sufferer'. She holds nothing back, even publishing pictures of herself during 'bad hair' days.
Massey gives advice for three types of curly hair; how to care for it, cut it and style it. But the book is so much more than that. The subtitle is: A Celebration of Curls and it is just that. This book is full of pictures of women-next-door and their reformed manes. By the end of the book I was inspired and proud of my hair. How could I ever think of lobbing it all off? This book really was a mood-lifter for me. I will definitely try some of her techniques. I wish this book had been available to me 25 years ago. I recommend it to all Curly Girls.

I get a lot of compliments on my curls, thanks in large part to some of the tips I learned from this book. A must-read if you have curly hair... You won't use all the tips, but you're bound to find one or two that are helpful.

life-changing!