Curly Hair Method

Welcome to Blank Canvas Hair and Body Curlies.

My Name is Julienne Macarthur-Lewis, I’ve been hairdressing for over 35 years now and still love my craft and all it entails. Helping clients find their hair happy place, whether be curly, coloured or re-styling.

The best investment you can make on your curl journey is to invest in a curly girl hydration lesson session to teach you all about The Curly Girl Method, product usage and application.

Each client is a true individual so I approach each client and their hair that way. Curly Girl cuts are generally done dry curl by curl with visual free hand work in combination. 

Curls tend to live were they live but also have a tendency to be different each time we wash and style them. Hair also tells us where it needs to be cut by its wispy, spidery ends, dryness and  stringy split ends.

This means I’ll discuss the best approach for your hair, dry curl by curl/free hand, damp or a combination of curl by curl checking damp more on this later). It comes down to your curl type, style and shaped of course how you’d prefer to have it done.

I am curly trained by Amanda Rickman of Purely Curls in Brisbane and one day hope to add training by Lorraine Massey herself after training was cancelled due to Covid19. 

I have spent 18 months working on what my personal preferences and in relation to products and their application. I believe in what I often refer to as a real life approach to curly hair.

Curlies tend to live by the mantra of No Sulfates, No silicons, No parabens, No heat , No brushing, No hot tools No blowdrying…….. but in the real world of life, work, partners, kids, extra curricular activities and parent mode and chaos life can throw at you can make it a challenge even under the best of circumstances!!!!!!!!

Please take a breath and stop stressing………. right now …….. Have you taken a breath? Are you ready to get a slightly different aspect?

Ready? This is a method, it takes time to learn and perfect, it takes time to find your product fit, your hair won’t change after a week! It will continue to change over weeks, months and even years as you hone your skills, so don’t over think it or be harsh on yourself.

The reason we avoid sulphates , silicones and parabens are that sulphates are doing stripping hair of natural oils, silicones leave a plastic film of you hair and block moisture from getting into the hairs cortex (the water reservoir) of your hair. 

However sometimes we need to remove product build-up, scalp build-up or even hard water mineral build up from your hair. 

Treatment and product suggestions can be found in the files of most curly Facebook groups. From natural remedies to slightly more traditional ways. The beauty is you can choose what suits you, your life and circumstances.

Please don’t beat yourself up if your not getting it right straight away! 

While we should avoid sulphates, heat and the like please don’t beat yourself up if you want to blow dry or straighten your hair for that special event! (yikes did a curly hairdresser just say that?) yes I did, because I believe in being real and practical and finding the balance within ‘The Method’.

This might mean I’m not the hairdresser for you and that’s ok, we don’t all need to agree. My job is to bring knowledge, skill and assist any way I can to me that means be kind to yourself, be practical, adaptable and flexible.

I know many of you have had bad cuts! Thinned out beyond words, layers done badly, straightened before cutting. We have all heard, or been on the receiving end of these types of cuts! If I’m totally honest I used to (prior to Curly Girl). I used some of these outdated ways myself……. It can leave us feeling devastated……. But the good news is its hair, it keeps growing so not all is lost. It can and will recover.