Maintaining curls can be a lot of work. It takes understanding, patience, and consistency that discourages many people from even trying to develop a routine. When you don’t try to maintain your curls, they frizz up or get tangled in knots that you spend hours trying to comb. On top of that, your own curls can be your worst enemy. In elementary school, your hair gives you nicknames like Spaghetti Head or Lion Mane, anything silly that kids could come up with. As you grow up, people will peer at you like you’re an exotic animal and ask, ‘Can I touch it?’ And you either have to let them down or endure being petted and tugged at.
So, the relationship you have with your curls is a complicated one. I still go through phases where I strongly desire to chop them all off or get a keratin treatment that will straighten them out. However, at the end of the day, my curls are a part of who I am; they are me, and I am them. Therefore, I grudgingly love and appreciate this part of my genetic makeup.
Over the years, I got tired of a bad hair day meaning a bad day overall. I was sick of detangling my hair for eternity in front of my mirror while I felt tears of frustration well in my eyes. Thus, I got to work. I wanted to buy products that were not popular or trending, but that suited my hair specifically.
To do this, you need to know what kind of curls you have. And I am not talking about 2a-4c type curls. I mean, does your hair have low or high porosity? Does it need products with high protein? To figure this out, just reflect on how your hair reacts to water. If it gets wet quickly in the shower, it has high porosity. This means moisture enters the hair quickly but leaves just as fast. High porosity hair dries quickly and is brittle, likely due to damaged cuticles. Low porosity is the opposite. With tightly bound cuticles, the moisture is slow to enter the hair but is retained a lot more efficiently. You can also have medium porosity that has loosely bound cuticles that absorb water without losing it too quickly.
Usually, high-porosity hair needs more protein, which gives it strength, while low-porosity hair might need less protein. In curly hair products, protein looks like strengthening agent, such as hydrolyzed keratin, hydrolyzed wheat protein, silk protein, collagen, and soy protein. It is also important not to overload your hair with protein and use it in moderation based on your curls’ needs.
There are also ingredients you should avoid in hair products. Things like sulfates, silicones, and alcohols can be too harsh on our hair, stripping it of its natural oils. Curls are naturally drier than other hair textures; therefore, it is important not to add to that.
Now that you know what to look for in hair products, you need to know what to get. Of course, different things work for different people, so these are some general basics to try out.
A wide-bristle brush to detangle your hair efficiently.
A leave-in conditioner to soften your curls and make combing them easier.
A curl cream to define your curls and let them form into their natural shape.
A gel to hold that shape.
And a mousse to give volume to them.
Personally, I like to go in the order of the aforementioned list. I make sure my hair is soaking wet (when scrunched, it makes a squelching sound) so the curls hold onto the products. If you want more volume, I recommend ditching the middle part and brushing your hair as if you’re doing a slick back, as well as sectioning your hair in layers from bottom to top.
Lastly, especially if you want bigger, voluminous curls, end with a diffusing hair dryer. There are different techniques for drying your hair; I like to start with the roots, and when those are completely dry, move on to the mids and ends.
I could go on and on about the science of curls and all the factors that come into play. I could give you ten more steps to add that might aid in giving you healthier curls. But what’s more important than all of that is what you want. You can ignore half the things I said if you know different methods that make you feel confident. The point is to see your curls as a cherished extension of you rather than a nuisance or embarrassment. When you learn to love your curls, you learn to love yourself just a bit more.