Living with Curly Hair in Singapore
My “usual” hair”, pre-CGM. Taken after a haircut. Looks like 2A curls. 😬
The best curly hair I’ve ever had during my CGM experiments (taken June 2020). Looks like 2C curls! 😍
This is a topic that’s troubled me ALL MY LIFE. When I was a young child, my ringlets were beautiful and super cute. Some time around the age of 10, they became an unmanageable, frizzy nightmare. I was embarrassed by how untameable my hair was. Nobody told me how to manage it and I was completely clueless as to where to start looking for help.
This battle with my frizzy, curly hair has plagued me on and off for YEARS. The only time my hair has looked reasonably good is in temperate climates where the humidity is low. Also on airplanes, where the air is super dry. If I could take a portrait, it would be on an airplane where my hair looks its best. Really.
Fast forward to 2020, I was spending most of my time indoors to avoid COVID. My wandering mind and curiosity led me down multiple rabbitholes. One of the first things I wondered about was, what the heck can I do to manage my curly hair?? So began my journey in to the world of the Curly Girl Method (CGM). Thanks to the Internet and r/curlyhair I began to understand my hair type and what I should do to manage it.
It’s clear to anyone with curly hair in Singapore that there’s an extreme lack of information on how to manage your curly hair in the tropics, including where to get a haircut. If this is you, I hope this rough guide will be of some use to you. As you can see from my before/after photos above, it’s possible to get the curls of your dreams.
Start here!
If you have curly hair and want to start understanding it, get started here:
- Figure out your curl type
- Figure out your hair porosity
You need to understand all of the above before you can begin to look for appropriate products for your hair type. If you read forums and product reviews without understanding your hair type, you will buy products that are completely unsuitable for you. Or you’ll follow a routine which isn’t suitable for your hair.
As for me, my hair is 2B/2C curls (with 3A aspirations), fine texture, low porosity. My fine hair means that I can’t use “heavy” products which will weigh down my curls. My low porosity hair means that it’s hard for moisture to get in, and products I put in it will have a hard time being absorbed, both of which add to weighing down my curls. SIGH.
What is this CGM thing anyway?
In 2007, Lorraine Massey wrote Curly Girl: The Handbook, for people with naturally curly hair. Basically, there are ingredients you should avoid, and there are recommended methods to manage your hair. I haven’t read the book myself, I just started reading a bunch of blogs (check Resources below). I won’t reinvent the wheel by stating the do’s and don’ts here. Read these articles to get you started:
Where to get a curly haircut in Singapore
- I first saw Candice Heng in 2017, when my (also curly-haired) friend recommended her. Candice used to co-own a hair salon in Tanglin Shopping Centre called Summerview. Sadly, the landlord wanted to increase the rent in 2019 so they closed down the hair salon. Candice now freelances from another hair salon, still in the Tanglin area. She’s a friendly, experienced hairdresser with no website, so the only way to contact her is by phone: 83169986. I’ve had long hair and short hair during the years I’ve patronised Candice. I personally feel that she’s much better with cutting and styling short hair than long hair.
- In 2019 I tried Curly Ann in Adelphi. At the time, I had long hair and was looking for a hairdresser who could trim my long curly hair. I really wasn’t impressed. I’m still wondering whether I should go back and give her a second chance. What’s interesting is that I saw her Instagram says that she is NOT a CGM salon.
- In 2020, feeling adventurous, I searched on Google for what other curly hairdressers I could try. I came across Paul Ashton at Hera Salon in Tanglin. I’m happy to say that my haircut was great, and he knew how to handle it well. 8 months later, my hair is due for another cut but it generally still looks pretty great. Sadly, I was informed that his contract ended and he left Singapore. Hera Salon recommended Desmond Yap as an option for curly haircuts.
- UPDATE: I had a haircut with Viji from @curlyheavensg and it was great! I wrote an article about my experience here.
Hair care for the humidity in Singapore
- I’ve never tried it, but co-washing (conditioner washing) in Singapore’s weather sounds like a terrible idea because it’ll get greasy quite fast.
- Holistic Enchilada wrote a good article on tips for humid conditions.
Resources
This is a list of various sites and bloggers I’ve found helpful during my CGM journey.
- I recommend hanging out on r/curlyhair because there are so many resources, including “start here” lists for beginners.
- Science-y Hair Blog - I learned a lot from this blog about the science behind why
- Holistic Enchilada - a blogger with informative content. Great for CGM basics. She does push her affiliate links hard though, which is mildly annoying. She lives in Florida.
- Curl Maven - formerly known as Curly Cailin (which a lot of people misunderstood to be her name). Another great blogger despite the affiliate links. She lives in Ireland.
- Isabella Demarko - a YouTube vlogger who has some great videos on her experiments with CGM. I tried Boucleme after watching her videos.
- CurlScan - don’t know if the product you’re looking at is CGM-friendly? Check CurlScan.