Chadwick Pendley is a texture expert. Despite appearances, the Ouidad Master Artistic Educator knows his way around curls, working exclusively on clients sporting anything from gentle waves to big afros.

MODERN met with Pendley to learn how-to get the best out of every curl. “Two imperative details for curly hair: hydration and moisture, especially before adding heat," Pendley says.  "Most curly girls don’t want to sacrifice their length so learning to elongate curl is vital.” Pendley layers products to both condition and define curls and uses a pulling method with a diffuser to elongate the curl.

Pendley’s tips for perfect curl:

1. Apply products at the bowl (or in the shower when at home) on wet hair. (Pendley advises layering Ouidad Whipped Curls from roots to ends, followed by Ouidad Curl Quencher Hydrafusion.) 

Chadwick Pendley recommends these products should be layered on wet hair before drying.

Chadwick Pendley recommends these products should be layered on wet hair before drying. 

2. Remove moisture from the hair using a towel. Treat the curls gently, simply blotting away as much moisture as possible without disrupting the natural shape.

3. Dry the hair with a diffusor (Pendley uses a BIO IONIC 10X Dryer.) Ideally, in salon, the client leans back in the salon chair to allow the texture to find its natural shape.

Texture expert and Ouidad Master Artist Chadwick Pendley knows his way around curls.

Texture expert and Ouidad Master Artist Chadwick Pendley knows his way around curls.

4. Once dry, remove the diffuser and set the dryer to low air with high heat. Gently pull sections out and hover the dryer over from roots to mids to smooth and stretch to the desired shape.

5. Spray a moisturizing spray to the curls to add moisture and definition, and reactivate the desired shape.

SPECIAL NOTE: Try to get your client to limit how many times she shampoos her hair between salon visits, ideally no more than two times per week. (Pendley suggests advising her to re-wet the hair and apply conditioner to restore moisture to the curl.)

In this video, Pendley chats with MODERN's Maggie Mulhern and demonstrates his technique, shares a few extra tips - and explains how a guy with straight hair got so smart when it comes to texture:

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