Growing up with curly hair, I never appreciated it as much and actually used to hate my hair — to the point where I felt more confident with straight hair! It wasn’t until high school where I truly started embracing my curls and owning them. As time went by, I’ve noticed more of a trend with curly hair and over the past year or so, there has been a spark within the curly hair community for women to finally start embracing their curls!
Fast forward to now, there has been a curly haired movement all over social media. Because of this, I’ve watched many Youtube videos and have followed a few hair influencers to gain more insight about having curly hair. I never realized how many rules, tips and tricks there were on how to maintain and upkeep such curly locks. Truth be told, I’ve found it to be overwhelming to keep up with all of these curly haired rules as someone who has curly hair themselves.
So, instead of following a huge list of do’s and don’ts here’s just a few personal yet simple tips that I’ve learned on how to keep up with the curly world, so it doesn’t feel as intimidating!
1. Don’t wash your hair everyday — but when you do, wash it in the morning so your curls are ready to take on the day.
This is a tip that I’ve finally realized and adjusted to. Being that I shower at night, I would also wash my hair, throw it up in a bun and go to bed. Then in the morning, I would have to re-wet my hair all over again. Doing this routine seemed to take a toll on my hair, where it started becoming very flat and my curls weren’t as defined. So, I decided to keep my night shower routine, along with adding in morning showers just for when it’s wash days for my hair.
2. After the morning wash, end with a wash and go.
After you’ve washed your hair, it’s time to get those luscious curls ready for the day! To towel dry your hair, I recommend using a microfiber towel or an old t-shirt since it lessens frizz. Afterwards, brush your hair out with a comb and choose whichever product that works best for you!
I advise using 2 products (or more if needed) such as a leave-in conditioner first and then proceed with a mousse, cream or gel. When it comes to applying product to your hair, I find it beneficial to flip your hair over and then apply whichever product you have to avoid weighing down your hair. Then, comb your hair once again after applying each product so this way it is evenly distributed throughout your hair!
Don’t stress so much on what products you should and shouldn’t use, especially since hair products can be so expensive and being in college is already financially draining as it is! So my best advice is — use whatever product YOU want or you feel that works best for YOUR hair.
3. 3 words: use a diffuser!
If you prefer not to air dry your hair or just have a lot of hair, like myself, I advise using a diffuser! For those who don’t know what a diffuser is, it’s something you attach to your blow dryer that disperses the air evenly which prevents your curls from being disturbed or becoming frizzy when being dried.
4. Put your hair up in a “pineapple” when going to bed.
A “pineapple” is a term that simply means tying all of your hair up in a loose ponytail at the top of your head. Sleeping with your like this allows your curls not to be disturbed as much throughout the night of tossing and turning in your sleep and makes it easier for you to refresh your hair in the morning.
5. For days that aren’t wash days, just quickly revive your hair.
Since some of us curly girls don’t wash our hair every day, we still have leftover product in our hair from previous days. However, this makes our hair routine not only a little bit easier for us, but also faster! When getting ready for the day, just simply take your hair out of your ponytail, wet your hands with water, and finger comb the water throughout hair to reactivate your curls and the leftover products. Afterwards, you can add a little bit more product of your choice, so this way your curls look good as new!