Neapolitan women with curly tresses have been able to avoid the hit-or-miss treasure hunt for a good stylist experienced in cutting curls, which generally have a life of their own, since 2008, when Salon Zenergy’s “curl specialist”, Mida Ademaj, began sharing her expertise in shaping and styling coiled tresses that come in loose, spiraled, tight and kinky varieties.

In 1984, Ouidad, a pioneering stylist in the curly hair industry dubbed the “queen of curl” by beauty editors, opened the first salon in the country catering exclusively to curly hair. Since then, she has developed and patented cutting and styling techniques and a line of award-winning curl-optimizing products. In 2000, a Certified Salon Network program was started to provide specialized knowledge and training for other salons.

“Curls are going to move, lay different each day, and humidity needs to be taken into consideration,” said Morgan Willhite, the artistic director of Ouidad. While the carving and slicing Ouidad technique used by Ademaj sounds more like a chef’s approach to a Thanksgiving turkey, the results are healthy and manageable curls.

Ademaj’s prescription for beautiful curls varies depending upon how she identifies them. Loose curls have a lazy, stretched-out, S-shape and non-uniform pattern, inconsistent from root to tip and possibly flat at the crown. Classic curls have a consistent pattern and defined rounded spiral shape, which can become tighter when cut. Tight curls have a small, corkscrew-like pattern that is fine and light in weight. Because it is lighter, the hair shaft of these locks expands and can lose its S-shape pattern, appearing as dense, kinky and unmanageable.

Kinky curls have an angular, Z-shape pattern, which is so tight that it can cause the hair to shrink up to 75 percent of its length. “With kinky curls, many stylists assume that the hair is coarse and strong. However it is almost always baby fine and delicate,” says Ademaj, who notes that no matter the length or the curl pattern, the average appointment time for assessing, diagnosing, cutting and styling is between 60 and 75 minutes.

An appointment with a curl specialist can be transformational. “I can leave you in love with your hair, rather than frustrated with it,” explains Ademaj, who also is certified as a Vidal Sassoon stylist. “With both certifications, I am expert at styling any type of hair. I also am skilled at organic hair color.”

Salon Zenergy is located in the Hibiscus Center, 2950 Tamiami Tr. N., in Naples. For more information, call 239-298-2569, email [email protected] or visit Facebook.com/Salon-Zenergy.