If you know me, then you know that I’m knowledgeable about curly hair care. I’ve spent years perfecting my hair routine and learning how to take care of my curls, and I’m always more than happy to help whenever someone asks me a question about how to take care of their own hair, too!
Whenever I happen to get asked a question about curly hair, I always start with the basics: Do you even have curly hair? If you aren’t entirely sure that you do, here are some questions I usually ask:
When heat styling, can it hold the shape for a long time, or does it fall flat quickly? Hair that retains shape easily often has some natural curl pattern. Does your hair get puffy when you brush it? If so, then yes, girl, you have curls.
Now that you’re certain you have curly hair, look no further! Here are some of my best tips and tricks for managing your hair and having your best curl days.
using the right products
for damaged hair
If you get anything from this, the one thing that changed my hair for the better was clarifying often. As someone with fine curls, I need to start with a squeaky-clean base or else my hair won’t absorb products well.
If hair is damaged — from coloring, bleaching, or frequent heat use — use products with protein. Ingredients like hydrolyzed silk, hydrolyzed soy, hydrolyzed wheat, collagen, amino acids, and peptides are common protein sources, but using too many protein-heavy products can make your hair feel brittle and dry.
That’s not to say that you should avoid protein; in fact, to have healthy hair, you’ll need to incorporate it occasionally. Look for ingredients like cetearyl alcohol, panthenol, shea butter, and argan oil.
When my hair is feeling dry and brittle, and my curls don’t seem to be clumping together like they normally do, it usually means I’ve used too much protein. When my hair feels limp, it takes too long to dry, and it feels almost too soft, that’s usually a sign of moisture overload, and a good protein treatment is what my hair needs.
Additionally, if your hair is damaged, use heavier products to restore your curls.
After a while, heavy products may weigh your hair down instead of giving you defined curls. That means that you’ve improved the health of your hair, and you can start using fewer (or lighter) products!
my shopping guide
When you’ve reached the stage of healthy hair, you’ve reached what I consider to be the hardest part of your curl journey: finding what works for you. With so many hair products on the market, it can be overwhelming.
I use brands that cater to the varying needs of curly hair, like Curlsmith, Umberto Giannini, Not Your Mother’s, and Bounce Curl. If you have fine hair, choose products that claim to be volumizing and lightweight, while thicker, coarser hair types can still benefit from curl creams.
When shopping for styling products, this is what I keep in mind:
For super soft, touchable curls, lighter-hold products work well. These include curl creams, balms, and foams, though curls likely won’t last as long, and you’ll have to refresh or restyle frequently.
If you want more uniform curls and you absolutely can’t stand frizz, then you’ll want to reach for more medium to high hold products like gels and mousses. These form a crunchy “cast” in your hair that you’ll have to scrunch out with your hands.
For those living in Florida, you’ll definitely want to avoid gels with humectants like glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and aloe vera because they’ll make your hair frizzy due to the humidity in the air. Instead, look for ingredients like polyquats, polymers, PEG-40, and hydrogenated castor oil.
Once you’ve got an idea of what you want to use, you’ll want to test which products work best together. Sometimes, combinations don’t layer well, so I usually mix them on the back of my hand first.
styling technique
putting in product
Now let’s get into the technique. It’s an art form, really.
When styling your hair, you always, always, want to start off with soaking wet hair. This allows your styling products to absorb better, makes for better detangling, and forms better curl clumps.
I start from the mid ends of my hair, so my hair won’t get weighed down. Then rake or brush the product through and scrunch. It’s easier to work in sections to make sure the product gets evenly applied throughout your hair.
With your styler of choice, glaze it over your hair and scrunch again to encourage curl definition.
Before drying, I make sure my hair is exactly the way I want it, since how it looks when it’s wet will be how it looks dry! If you have frizz at this stage, rewet your hair and brush through it again. I gently scrunch the water out of my hair with a microfiber hair towel or cotton T-shirt. For longer or wavier hair, you can also plop your curls for added definition and volume.
drying
After you’ve started to dry your hair, do not touch it! Touching your hair before it’s dry will cause frizz.
At this point, I usually prefer air-drying, but when I do diffuse, I keep the heat and the speed of my dryer on medium to low and use heat protection! I hover the diffuser over my hair. Don’t touch the dryer to your hair until it’s at least 70% dry. You can also start to flip your hair upside down or to the side while drying for added volume. After you’ve finished, I wait at least 10 minutes before scrunching, just to make sure my hair has fully dried!
Voilà! Now you’re left with beautiful and healthy curls.
PRESERVING the curls
To keep those curls intact, I use a silk or satin bonnet and a silk or satin scrunchie or gentle hair tie to pineapple my hair at the top of my head. Shorter hair tends to need to be refreshed more often.
The next morning, I let my hair settle before panicking or doing anything to it. I shake my roots a bit for some volume, then start refreshing by simply gently running damp hands over my curls to reactivate my products, or over any wonky pieces.
Curly hair can feel unpredictable at first, but once you start understanding what your hair needs, it really does get easier. Give yourself time to figure it out, be patient with the process, and don’t stress if every wash day isn’t perfect — that’s completely normal.
Take what works for you, leave what doesn’t, and don’t be afraid to experiment a little. Your curls are unique to you, and learning how to care for them is part of the fun. Here’s to more good hair days ahead!
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