The Ultimate Guide to Naturally Curly Hair
My fellow curly girls, ever wondered how to tame your naturally curly hair? While finally accepting the fact that I have naturally curly hair and that it’s not going anywhere anytime soon, I have explored a variety of products and methods and present to you the ultimate guide to naturally curly hair! Now is the time to embrace what your momma gave you and hopefully these small tips and tricks help you to find a routine that lets your curly hair free.
NO Parabens, Sulfates, OR Silicones
The biggest change in my routine was to eliminate products that contain parabens, sulfates, and silicones. Sulfates and parabens are known to strip your hair of its natural oils leaving your hair more brittle and dry while silicones are known to basically clog your hairs pores stopping your hair from receiving moisture. The combination of these three products is terrible for the health of your hair. This combination is especially unhealthy for naturally curly hair because our hair texture is very different from that of straight and slightly wavy hair. Curly hair tends to be course and typically lacks moisture so when those stripping ingredients are put onto our hair, all of the natural oils and moisture are taken away. This results in dry, brittle, and unmanageable curls. My personal favorite shampoos and conditioners come from the Garnier Fructis Treat Line.
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Deep Conditioner
Going right along the moisture train, my next biggest tip is to add a deep conditioner into your weekly routine. Personally, my hair is so thick that on the days I wash my hair I tend to use a deep conditioner instead of a regular one because I need all the extra moisture I can get. Now remember, when looking for a good deep conditioner, find one without parabens, sulfates, and silicones. Silicone is the most regularly seen ingredient out of the three in conditioners. A deep conditioner will become your new best friend in taming your curly hair as well as it’s frizz. I tend to always pick up a deep conditioner that has some sort of anti-frizz component or smoothing component to it. My deep conditioner of choice is the Garnier Fructis 1 Minute Nourishing Hair Mask. This item can also double as a leave-in conditioner and definitely won’t disappoint in the fragrance department.
Fix Your Hair Sopping Wet
So what happens after you’ve showered with your sulfate, paraben, and silicone-free shampoo and conditioner? You add your leave-in products to your hair while it’s still incredibly wet. You heard me right, you put your products into your hair while it’s sopping wet. This technique allows for the product to spread more throughout your curls. I know it sounds crazy, but once you’ve tried this method you won’t be able to do it any other way. My curls are incredibly defined and bouncy by following this technique. Before AND After I’ve applied my products in my sopping wet hair I brush my hair with a special curl defining brush known as the Denman Brush.
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Leave-In Conditioner
Now, what styling products do I use, you may ask? One of the two most important products I use for styling is a leave-in conditioner. This provides moisture to your hair in the form of a styling product versus a product that rinses out of your hair. A leave-in conditioner is what is used for defining the curls, hence why it is one of the most important products you use in terms of your naturally curly hair. While I mentioned above you can use the Garnier Fructis 1 Minute Nourishing Hair Mask as a leave-in conditioner, I typically tend to choose a different one. My leave-in conditioner of choice right now is the L’oreal Paris Elvive Total Repair 5 Protein Recharge Leave In Conditioner. Now this may be shocking, but this product contains glycerol, which acts a lot like silicon. Everyone’s hair reacts to products differently, and my hair actually works better with this leave-in conditioner versus the ones I’ve tried without it. Leave-in conditioners allow for your curls to remain soft, yet defined throughout the day.
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Gel
After applying my leave-in conditioner, the next step is to apply a gel. The gel is used to set the curls once the leave-in conditioner has defined them. You should always look for a gel that is water-based as it is much easier to wash out of your hair when it is water-soluble. The gel I use is the Biotera Alcohol Free Defining Gel. Now, the gel will make your hair kind of crunchy once it dries, so you’ll need to scrunch the crunch out. There are days I choose not to use a gel, but on those days my hair is always frizzier.
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T-Shirt Drying
You’re gonna think I’m crazy with this one, but next, you dry your hair with a cotton t-shirt. Take the t-shirt and squeeze the excess water out of your hair. Yes, you are going to do this even though the hair product is already in your hair. Now, you’re going to plop your hair in the cotton t-shirt and allow it to air dry while it sits on your head, kind of like if you loosely wrap your hair up in a towel. The shirt will absorb the excess water from your hair without causing the friction that a normal towel would. A regular terry-cloth towel causes frizz in curly hair due to the friction. An alternative option to towel drying is using a blow dryer with a diffuser. The diffuser is best used when put on a low setting with no heat just cold air as naturally curly hair responds well to methods that don’t use any form of heat. Heat causes major frizz.
