Curly hair is difficult to keep up with so here are some tips to keep that frizz in check, that volume up, and those curls in place. Especially with humidity, chlorine, and salt water season coming up. These tips apply to ALL curly hair types!
Stop straightening your hair!
If you want to straighten your hair, use a protective cream and use a hairdryer over a flat iron. Or invest in a wig. The heat damages your hair causing more frizz and unruly curls.
Get a haircut!
Trim regularly! You don’t want those split ends making your hair frizzier than it has to be. Especially if your hair is on the longer side, I’d suggest getting layers. That will help give you more volume on top and get rid of that triangle-head-hair. It’ll also just keep your head lighter and make brushing it easier.
Sleep with your hair in a bonnet or use the pineapple method!
The pineapple method is common to prevent tangles while you roll around at night. All you need to do is tie your hair up onto the top of your head, like a pineapple. If your hair is shorter, definitely invest in a bonnet.
Use satin!
Get a satin bonnet and/or a satin pillow case. These are life savers! They don’t suck the moisture out of your hair like cotton does and they don’t snag on your curls, keeping them nicely shaped for second, third, or fourth day hair.
Brush with a comb!
Start from the bottom up. When your hair is wet and conditioned, take that comb and start in small sections working your way up. Those tangles can get crazy after a few days without washing.
Get a microfiber towel and scrunch!
A cotton t-shirt is a good alternative until you can afford one, but microfiber is the best material to use to dry your hair after a shower. Make sure to scrunch up and never rub or pull roughly on your hair!
Scrunching with a Devacurl Microfiber Towel
If you use a blowdryer, get a diffuser!
Air drying is the best way to avoid frizz, but using diffusers when you’re in a hurry or don’t want wet hair all day is a great way to dry curly hair! Turn that hair dryer on high heat, low speed and scrunch. The diffuser will spread out the heat evenly throughout your hair and will help you avoid heat damage and frizz. Don’t blow dry while your hair is soaking wet. *Tip: Dry your hair about 70-80% and let it air dry the rest of the way.
Most importantly: find out your hair porosity!
Hair porosity is how well your hair absorbs moisture. If your hair’s cuticles are wide open, you have high porosity. If your hair’s cuticles are closed tight, you have low porosity. (*Note: high porosity can be caused by heat and chemical damage.) This is extremely important in figuring out the type of products that are likely to work well with your hair. If you don’t notice any real big problems with your hair, it’s likely that it’s in the medium range of porosity levels. How do you know what porosity you have?
Low Porosity:
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Your hair takes forever to dry.
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You see water drops sitting on top of your hair in the shower or rain / it takes a while for all of your hair to get wet in the shower.
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Products seem to sit on top of your hair / your hair seems greasy a lot of the time and you get a lot of product build up.
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Dying your hair or any kind of treatments take a long time.
High Porosity:
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Your hair dries extremely quickly.
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There’s continuous frizz.
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Your hair tangles very easily.
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Lighter products likes creams and milks don’t seem to help much.
There are lots of different ways to keeping up with either of these types of hair so don’t worry.
Low porosity hair loves fewer and lighter products. If you can stick to one or two at the absolute most, you’re golden. Play around with creams, gels, sprays, and oils. Make sure to use a limited amount and figure out what works best for you. Argan oil, apricot kernel oil, and almond oil are a few lighter oils to try out.
High porosity hair loves protein. If you want to try those DIY egg treatments, go for it. You want to use a leave-in conditioner, a cream, and an oil? Do it. Try heavier products and ones that say they contain protein. Don’t be afraid to try out different orders of applying these products too.
A fellow Scottie wrote an article with tips specifically for natural hair that may help you out.
*Tip: Heat opens hair cuticles and cold closes them. Try rinsing your conditioner out with cool water to lock that moisture in.
Bottom line: EXPERIMENT! There are so many products to try out. And you can find plenty of good ones in a store down the street from you. Just promise me you won’t settle on a common hair company with a little section for curly girls. Those usually work best on waves or very light curls.
A huge thank you to Bianca Renee Today for most of the knowledge accumulated here. Check out her youtube channel for weekly curly hair tips, hair product reviews, and Foundation Fridays.