She sits down, and her posture says she expects things to go badly. With coily hair, the difficulty is almost never the final step. It's everything that comes before it, and no one has ever taught you.
Training in coily and curly textures is no longer a luxury specialization; it's a necessary catch-up. The good news is that it's learned quickly: a few days working on models is enough to cover the essentials, because it's less about learning hairstyles and more about understanding the hair itself. This guide covers what actually changes at the backwash and in the chair, what distinguishes a serious training course from a hairstyle catalog, and the funding available. Our masterclasses also allow professionals to assess the method on a model before booking a full module.
Why the knowledge gap persists
The standard on which we were all trained describes a round fiber that grows straight, is softened by water and combed through. Coily fiber is elliptical and twisted, and each of its curves is a point of fragility. Everything we have learned to do mechanically, from detangling under water to emulsifying shampoo across the entire head, works against it. It's not a nuance of technique: it's often the exact opposite of the learned motion.
The result is evident in both directions. On one hand, a large portion of clients give up on salons and style their hair themselves for hours, in front of tutorials or at a friend's house. On the other, perfectly competent professionals turn down appointments, not out of principle, but because they don't know where to begin. This is what we most often see in the field: colleagues helpless in front of a hair type they have never been taught to handle, rather than ideological refusals.
"I dream of going to the hairdresser like everyone else." This is the phrase that comes up most often in our workshops, and it says exactly what is missing.
The commercial consequence is underestimated. A client who finally finds a salon where her texture is understood will never leave and will bring her friends along; conversely, a poorly executed cut is visible for months and becomes a topic of conversation. See also why knowing how to style coily hair should no longer be a specialty.
What changes at the backwash and in the chair
The difference is not in the finish, but in the order of operations and in the state of the hair at every moment. Four moments account for almost all the difficulty.
The diagnosis, before touching
Reading a texture, estimating porosity, spotting a breakage zone, a receding hairline, or a sensitized scalp: this is done dry, with the hair loose, by parting the sections. A client rarely arrives with a complete history, and it must be reconstructed: what has been done in the last six months, any extensions applied, any coloring or straightening. The opening question is the simplest of all: can you tell me your hair history?
Detangling, where most breakage occurs
This is the point of vocabulary that causes the most damage in the profession. It is repeatedly said that you should not detangle dry hair, and that is false. What causes breakage is a comb passed through dry, unprotected hair. The Rituel Texture® instead begins with detangling with the fingers on dry hair, section by section, holding the roots with one hand, smoothing the strand with the thumb of the other, then rolling it into a loose bun to prevent it from tangling again. At least six sections, eight for very dense hair, never more.
The comb only comes into play afterward, on hair coated with mask, from the ends toward the roots, and you return to the fingers as soon as resistance appears. A backwash without prior detangling is the most costly mistake in the profession: it creates knots in ten minutes that no one can undo without damage. See detangling a client without damage.
Washing, in two steps and by zones
The complete routine begins with a gentle clarifying cleanse, which removes the film of products accumulated since the previous session, then comes Le Shampoing Réparateur, which cleanses on a clean base. A single wash leaves half the work undone. And you do not emulsify as you would on straight hair: you work by section and by zone, the product goes down with the water, you squeeze the buns during rinsing rather than rubbing them.
Then comes Le Masque Réparateur, warmed between the hands, applied from the ends toward the roots, section by section. Ten minutes of processing time is enough, under a cap if you have one. The fine adjustments, especially how porosity changes the processing time, remain a salon matter: they are passed on in training, not in an article.
Drying and cutting
Protective drying is done with a hairdryer, after applying La Crème Coiffante to damp hair, in small sections, from the roots to the ends, in bouncing motions. Sustained heat, but never stationary: no brush, no stopping on a zone, the end held between the thumb and index finger and dried last, very lightly. La Crème Coiffante protects the fiber from heat, which is what makes this drying possible. The diffuser, meanwhile, is only justified in rare cases on coily hair: it is not the standard tool we have made of it.
Cutting comes afterward, on stretched and dry hair, with the Peigne de Man Dol': cutting on wet hair is like working on a length that does not exist once the texture returns. And you never cut on a hair type that the client almost never wears. The second method from the house, the Rituel Définition®, meets another demand, that of clients who wear their hair loose and defined.
Recognizing a serious training course
The range has expanded in recent years, and not everything is equal. Five criteria are checked before booking, by reading the program and asking two or three questions over the phone.
What to check
- Trainers specialized in coily, curly, and curly textures, and not generalists who have added a module to their catalog.
- A program based on the hair itself: understanding why a motion works, and not just reproducing a list of hairstyles.
- Practice on real models, with several textures on the same day. Without this, you leave with only theory.
- Practices that respect the fiber: no systematic straightening to make the work easier, no comfort chemistry.
- An explicit order of operations, reproducible from one client to another, that your team can apply without you.
The four Les Ateliers Crépus modules
Les Ateliers Crépus has been training hairdressers since the first workshops in Lyon, where professionals who distribute the range simply asked to be shown the motions. The training was born from this demand, not from an abstract educational project. It is now offered in four short, independent modules, which can be taken in order or separately.
I have trained hairdressers from the Paris Opera, the Comédie-Française, the Théâtre du Châtelet, and film sets. What struck me was their meticulousness. Once they understood how to prepare the hair, they discovered that coily hair is quite easy to work with, and they got right to it.
Ghana Elin, founder-
01Rituel Texture® TrainingThe complete treatment service, from diagnosis to styling, in the order of the six steps. This is the foundation: the other modules build on it. One day.
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02Cutting TrainingCutting, structuring, and highlighting a coily or curly texture, on stretched and dry hair, with the orange-slice cut. One day.
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03Styling TrainingPreparing, braiding, twisting, accessorizing, and making a hairstyle last several days without tension on the hairline. Two days.
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04Coloring TrainingDiagnosing before coloring, applying a color or balayage to an already weakened fiber, and knowing when to refuse. Two days.
Funding the training
Two funding systems cover the profession, and they are not aimed at the same people. For your employees, the branch's skills operator is OPCO EP, the Skills Operator for Local Businesses, under whose jurisdiction the collective agreement for hairdressing and related professions falls. For yourself, if you are an artisan business owner, a collaborating spouse, or a family assistant, it is FAFCEA, the training insurance fund for artisan business owners, that comes into play.
The amounts, caps, and required documents change every year and depend on both your branch and your staff size: check the current criteria with the organization before setting your dates. The rule that does not change is anticipation: a file must be submitted before the session, and a request submitted too late cannot be made up. Write to us; we provide the necessary documents to put it together.
Join the network
Trained salons can become partner salons and be listed on our Find a hairdresser page, where clients look for a professional trained in the Rituel Texture®. It is a long-term partnership, based on a verified mastery of the craft and on the quality of the environment you offer.
