Growing up as the only curly-headed kid in my family, I never knew how to properly style my hair. In fact, I was nineteen when I finally learned how to take care of my hair and let me tell you, it led to a full on transformation.
Going from straightening my waves everyday to letting my natural hair come back to life was a rough process that took more than five years.
Letting my curls shine in all their glory was a learning process, but with the help of my hairstylist, here are the hacks that brought them back to life:
- Ixnay on the shampoo-hey
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The biggest problem for my hair was that I was over-washing it. Your hair needs natural oils to be strong and retain moisture, so shampooing your hair more than necessary dries out your curls and makes them frizzy. I went from washing my hair everyday to twice a week. This dramatically reduced my frizz and helped my curl pattern become more distinct.
- Lots and lots and lots of conditioner
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In conjunction with decreasing how often I washed my hair, I also increased the amount of conditioner I used. This might seem like a recipe for an oil-y hair mishap, but I was surprised to find that my curls were doing better than ever. Also, if you feel like your hair is dirty after the gym, simply rinse it with water and run some conditioner through. This will clean your hair without stripping it of the oils it needs. Moral of the story: conditioner is your best friend, embrace it.
- Ratty old t-shirts and micro-fiber towels
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When it comes time to dry your curls (after applying a cream or gel or both), grab an old t-shirt or a micro-fiber towel and scrunch those curls, baby. These two towels will also play a part in reducing frizz. Normal towels are coarse, increasing your frizz. If you don’t have a diffuser, let your curls air dry for best results.
- Find a hair-stylist that knows how to work with curls
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This is perhaps the most important hack. I have had more than my fair share of bad haircuts. Trust me, I’ve had a bob up to my cheekbones. When you look for a hairstylist, make sure they have worked with curly hair before. Looking at transformation pictures can be really helpful. DevaCurl can be an incredibly beneficial website for putting you into contact with a stylist that will take your curls to the next level. I happened across this site when looking for a new hairdresser and it changed my hair’s life forever.
Everyone loves a good glow-up and now is your hair’s time to shine.