They’re frizzy. They’re unruly. They transform in the blink of an eye – or shall I say blink of humidity. Yet, you wouldn’t trade them for the world because you know deep down, your curls are a blessing and envied by many. It took me many years to begin to embrace the natural state of my hair but that didn’t come without a little effort. You have to give love to get love in return! Here are some of the little things I have learned over the years that have improved the love/hate relationship I have with my hair.
1. Generic shampoos and conditioners just won’t work
Our hair needs special attention. It needs products made especially for it to prevent dryness and added frizz. A recent discovery I have made is OGX Quenching Coconut Curls. The shampoo doesn’t dry me out, a little bit of the conditioner goes a long way, and it leaves my hair smelling like a piña colada!
2. Shampoo your scalp. Condition your ends.
Us curly girls know we can’t wash our hair everyday – it would get destroyed. But when we do, we also have to be careful. Our hair is fragile so getting right to the point during a wash is necessary. I suggest only shampooing your scalp because that is where all the grease, dandruff, and hairspray is. As you rinse it out, it will reach the rest of your hair so don’t get skeeved out. Trust me! Then, focus the conditioner on the rest of your hair, specifically your ends. The split ends or heat damage you may have will need that conditioning.
3. Skip the towel. Use a t-shirt!
This trick has been going around the internet for some time now and that’s because it’s logical and it works. Towels are just too rough for drying and t-shirts absorb the water just as well.
4. Lay off all the products.
Using too many products will just weigh your hair down. I like to put in an oil after I wash for some added hydration and I follow that with Miss Jessie’s Pillow Soft Curls lotion, a.k.a. the holy grail of curly girl products. I put a healthy amount in while it’s wet and give myself two fairly loose french braids. In the morning, my hair is curly and mostly dry. I add a mist of hairspray and I’m out the door. Just a remider, this simple process actually works for the girl whose hair either terrifies or excites hair stylists. I’m sure it will work on you!
5. Consider a keratin treatment.
I was about to give up all hope, blow my savings on wigs, and just quit trying to make this hair work. That was until I got a keratin treatment. It didn’t take away my curls or make any drastic changes to my hair. All it did was smooth everything out. I don’t battle with frizz anymore and my natural curls don’t need as much maintenance. Blow drying takes half the time and my hair accepts the flat iron and curling iron so much better. Overall, if you’re tired of unruly hair but you don’t want to give up your curls with relaxers, keratin is the way to go.
6. Make blowing out easy by starting with a tight bun.
Blowing out curly hair is a mess. It takes forever and often ends with a straight poofball instead of your usual curly poofball. I also struggle with the paranoia of setting off the fire alarm in my apartment causing campus police to come and see me with my half straightened hair and embarrassed red face. To avoid some of that nonsense, I started putting my hair in a tight top bun after I get out of the shower. Your hair is most moldable when it’s wet so what this does is straighten out your curl a bit. When you’re ready to blow dry, your hair won’t be as curly which will eliminate some time trying to straighten out your curl. Don’t forget to use a heat protectant whenever applying heat to your hair!
7. Know that every curl is different, beautiful, and unique. Us curly girls have been bestowed with these locks for a reason! We were born to embrace them and maybe stir up some jealousy in other people too!