My friend recently permed her hair and cut it short. It's been several months now and the curls are starting to look a bit limp. Instead of using a curling iron on it every morning are there any good shampoo and conditioner recs that will give her back some of the curl?? Thanks!

My hair is naturally curly, but when I started co-washing (conditioner-only washing), it really cut down on frizz and brought out even more curl. The basic concept is to use a thin, silicone-free conditioner (Suave Naturals or V05 Moisture Milks are my favorites) and to really massage the scalp to get it clean -the conditioner contains some surfectants that remove dirt, oil, etc. without stripping the scalp and drying out the hair. My hair has really, really improved since I cut back the amount I shampoo severely. I shampoo once a week with Nexxus Therappe shampoo or Creme of Nature Detangling shampoo (the latter is super-cheap and is usually found in the ethnic haircare section). If I feel like my hair needs a deep conditioning, I like Nexxus Humectress conditioner and also Walgreen's Biolage knock-off Bioinfusion Hydrating conditioning balm. I also use a gel instead of a mousse now as I find my hair my curly and shiny this way.

"Curly Girl" by Lorraine Massey is an awesome, awesome book and finally helped me accept and love my curly hair. It's geared toward those with naturally curly hair but I'm sure those with perms could also pick up some good tips.

I also forgot to mention -naturallycurly.com has a ton of information on the co-washing method I mentioned, and I have learned sooo much from visiting their forums.

I forgot to add: before I stopped using silicones, I really liked Herbal Essences Totally Twisted shampoo, conditioner, and mousse.