Curly hair, unlike straight hair, tends to lack moisture and dry out quicker, making it more difficult to care for.
Hair follicles impact the amount of curl in your hair. Curly haired people have more oval or asymmetrical follicles. Your genetics, of course, decide this.
If you want to add more bounce and sparkle to your natural curls, we’ve got the tips and techniques you need to maintain your hair healthy.
How to Maintain Naturally Curly Hair
With curly hair, you should constantly focus on products that assist provide moisture to the hair and avoid any hair product that will dry out or weigh down the hair.
Select the appropriate shampoo and conditioner.
Look for a shampoo and conditioner that are made particularly for curly hair.
In general, seek for items that contain the following features:
Coconut oil, jojoba oil, sunflower oil, and avocado oil are examples of natural or essential oils.
aloe vera, keratin, shea butter, silk hydrolyzed, and animal proteins
Plant extracts containing panthenol and provitamins
While you may not want to wash your hair every day, if you do, choose a moderate shampoo with softer cleaning agents and extra conditioning ingredients.
If your hair is greasy or filthy, use a harsher clarifying shampoo once or twice a week. Always use a conditioner after shampooing to help seal in moisture.
Treatment before shampooing
If you have really coarse or curly hair, you should consider a pre-shampoo treatment.
Contrary to common opinion, conditioning is not required simply after washing. Conditioner may be used both before and after shampooing.
Curly and coarse hair loses moisture rapidly. In principle, using a conditioner before washing protects the hair strand so that the shampoo does not strip the hair of its natural oils.
Is the water hot or cold?
Hot water tends to remove moisture from hair, leaving it dry. Using cold water to wash your hair and avoiding hot water will help you keep moisture and strength.
Do not over-shampoo.
People with curly hair should avoid shampooing every day. Shampooing can deplete the hair of essential natural oils.
You may need to test out several cleaning regimens to determine what works best for you. In general, shampoo every other day or every three days.
Select the appropriate brush or comb
Curly hair is frequently dry and fragile, and it can readily break when combed or brushed. To minimize breakage, brush or comb curly hair in the shower.
Begin by breaking up any knots with a wide-tooth comb. You may also comb your hair while the conditioner is still in it to make it simpler and guarantee that the conditioner coats all of your strands.
Invest in a high-quality hairbrush with natural bristles rather than artificial bristles. A boar bristle brush can aid in the distribution of natural oils from the scalp to the ends of the hair.
Another approach is to forego using a brush or comb entirely. If you have exceptionally bouncy curls, consider using a leave-in conditioner and raking your hands through damp hair.
Curly hair with heat styling
Most hairdressers will advise you to let curly hair air dry because using a blow dryer can produce frizz and damage.
If you wish to use a blow-dryer or straighten it every now and then with a straightening iron, you should use a heat-protecting spray or treatment first. To seal the cuticle and make it more resistant to heat damage, look for a spray containing silicone or keratin.
When blow-drying, keep your hair dryer 6 inches or more from the surface of your hair, according to studies.
To assist decrease the amount of direct heat that strikes your hair, install a diffuser attachment to your blow-dryer.
Split ends should be avoided.
Split ends are difficult to eliminate entirely. Furthermore, the only method to fix them is to cut them off.
The greatest technique to avoid split ends is to treat your curly hair gently.
To avoid split ends:
- Brush with a detangler to avoid tugging and yanking.
- Avoid pulling your hair back into tight ponytails or buns.
- Make use of a wide-toothed comb.
- Heat tools should be avoided.
- Get your hair cut by a competent stylist every 2 to 3 months.
How frequently should you wash curly hair?
If you want to hop in the shower and wet your hair every day, you should definitely avoid using a cleaning shampoo every time.
On other days, you can just rinse with water before using a conditioner. Use a gentle shampoo on other days to avoid depleting the hair of its natural oils.
Use a basic clarifying shampoo every 1 to 2 weeks to help eliminate any style product accumulation.
Curly hair sleep routines
Sleeping on your back can place undue strain on your hair follicles, leaving your curls untidy, frizzy, and knotted.
If you have curly hair, sleeping on your side or stomach is most likely the best way to keep your curls healthy. Wrapping your head in a hat or scarves while sleeping can also help preserve your curls.
Use a hair mask, essential oil, or leave-in conditioner before bed to tame your curls and add hydration as you sleep.
Curly hair hair masks
You may make a DIY hair mask using simple household items. These masks are intended to be applied to the hair overnight and rinsed away in the morning.
Honey, coconut oil, banana, and avocado masks give hydration to your hair and perform nicely when applied overnight.
If your curls are really dry, use a hair mask once or twice a week.
Hair oils for curly hair
Natural oils do not easily go down the hair shaft, making it difficult to keep curls nourished. Using natural oils before going to bed can assist with this.
Any of the following oils may be effective:
- olive oil
- coconut oil
- Argan oil,
- avocado oil,
- jojoba oil
- grapeseed oil castor oil
- Curly hair leave-in conditioners
Before going to bed, spray on some keratin-containing leave-in conditioner. This may assist to repair damaged hair strands and make styling your hair simpler in the morning.
What you should not do if you have curly hair
Because curly hair is sensitive, avoid the following:
- Sulfate, alcohol, harsh chemicals, and fragrance-containing items using clarifying shampoo
- sleeping on your back more than once a week using heat styling tools more than once or twice a month washing with hot water in the shower twisting your hair into a tight ponytail or bun all the time fine-toothed combs trying to detangle dry hair
Curly hair hairstyles
You should avoid tying your hair into a tight ponytail or bun. As a result, the curls lose their shape. Furthermore, a tight hair tie can easily cause breaking.
Try the following curly hairstyles:
- a long ponytail or a bun
- Wear it down with loose braids half up/half down, letting your curls air dry naturally with the help of an overnight hair mask or leave-in conditioner.
You may also request that your stylist add some lengthy layers to assist reduce some of the bulk and form. Long layers will keep your curls tamed while still weighing them down a little.
The Bottom Line
The first important thing to remember about curly hair is that it is prone to drying out and seeks moisture.
You should avoid washing off its natural oils and, more than likely, invest in hair products that provide moisture to the hair in the form of oils, butters, proteins, and natural plant extracts.
Curly hair, when properly cared for, may seem healthy, lustrous, and defined.
