Just about a year ago, I wasn’t doing much for my curly hair. I used shampoo and conditioner in it and combed some gel in, but it would never dry with spiral-like curls. I didn’t even know my hair had the capacity to curl like that. (For reference I have a 2c/3a hair type. If you want to find yours click here for an in-depth article and here for a quiz!) So yeah, I didn’t know much about curly hair. Here’s a before and after to show you how much hair can change!! ?
Now, around a year later, my hair is the curliest it’s EVER been. I’ve scoured the internet for tips and tricks, and here is all the best info I found! (Disclaimer: These are my curly hair tips, not my entire routine—that will be another blog! ?)
Curly Hair Wash Tips ?:
- Don’t wash your hair every day! Or even every other day. I only wash my hair twice a week so it doesn’t get stripped of its natural oils. (If you worry that your hair won’t hold up that long, don’t worry! If you use products correctly everything will be fine.)
- Ditch the sulfate shampoos. Sodium Laureth Sulfate is found in most common shampoos; it’s what make shampoos lather up so much. But the ingredient is too harsh for curly hair and can be a main cause of frizz. (My current favorite is Garnier Fructis Curl Nourish Shampoo)
- Shampoo your scalp and only your scalp. The shampoo will run through your ends when you wash it out and that’s more than enough for them. If you wash the ends of your hair frizzy chaos will ensue!
Curly Hair Styling Tips ?:
- Don’t comb your products into your hair. At least for my hair type, if I comb products through my hair, the curl pattern is RUINED ?. (For people with naturally tighter curls, this might not apply.) So, I only comb my hair when it’s soaking wet to detangle it, and then I smooth products down my hair while my head is upside down (and still soaking wet!).
- SCRUNCH. After I comb conditioner in my hair while it’s is soaking wet I scrunch. After I smooth products in my hair I scrunch. To get extra water out of my hair when I’m done with products, I scrunch it into my t-shirt. Scrunch, Scrunch, Scrunnchhh.
- Use a T-shirt to dry your hair and not a terry-cloth towel. Cotton t-shirts are great for reducing frizz, because the material is smoother than a traditional towel. You can also buy a microfiber towel if you want, but who doesn’t have old t-shirts lying around?
- Use a diffuser. I didn’t even know what a diffuser was until a year ago. Basically it attaches to the end of your hair dryer and diffuses the air, so your hair won’t get blown every which way. Keep the diffuser in one spot until that section is dry and then move it to the next spot. If you move it around too much it will create frizz. Dry your roots first and then gently pile your curls into the diffuser to dry them (and diffuse with your head upside down/to the side).
If you have any questions or tips of your own, leave a comment below! Happy styling!
From,
Me 😀