Personal care and hygiene don’t have to be complicated. You visit a dental clinic if you want to keep your pearly whites. If you want to maintain your nails, you go to the salon. Most concerns related to personal care and hygiene don’t seem complicated. But not when it comes to the hair.
You see, nails are generally the same. People get pedicures and manicures all the time to keep them clean and healthy. But with hair, it’s different. And girls with curly hair know that it is.
Most straight-haired girls have no problem walking into the supermarket and getting a shampoo. They have plenty of brands, scents, and functions to choose from. With curly hair, you can’t just use any product. Your curls need more love and attention because they are different. If you are only hearing this for the first time, you should keep reading. In this article, you’ll learn how to take care of your curly hair.
Understand Your Hair
There are different types of curls. If your hair is wavy, you belong in the spectrum. If you have coil-like crowning glory, no more questions need to be asked.
But that is not everything there is. You have a curl range. Once you start taking care of your curly hair, you will find that one day your hair is wavier than most days. Or your hair can be coiled now and then lose its coils the next day.
It depends on your hair’s state, leading to the second point.
Understand What Your Hair Needs
A curly hair’s best friend is moisture. And naturally, its enemy is heat. To keep your hair healthy, you have to use products that help lock in moisture.
Moisture keeps your hair free from frizz which is a problem that many curly girls have. And if you have been using regular shampoo and conditioner, this is your sign of stopping. Most hair products available in the market contain sulfate and silicone.
Sulfate is actually damaging to your hair because it strips away your hair’s natural oils. Silicone is used in products to add bounce and to lock in moisture. You’d think that is a good thing. Well, it can be, but not for your hair type.
Silicone builds up over time and your hair strands. Can you imagine what a stretched spring looks like? That’s what silicon does to curly hair. It weighs it down, preventing your curls from taking the shape it naturally has.
Aside from moisture, your hair also needs protein for strength. You need to develop a routine that will incorporate both moisture and protein because they don’t usually come together in a product.
When using a product, you have to be careful about specific ingredients. There are derivatives of sulfate and silicone that have different names, and you have to know them. This is to make sure that you help you stay away from harmful ingredients.
Example of Simple Curly Hair Routine
If you’ve been using hair products with silicone and sulfate, you have to get rid of the buildup and residue in your hair. You have to start on a clean slate. You can use regular baby shampoo to do your final wash. You can also use dish soap, which removes grease and buildup.
After washing, use a moisturizing hair mask for 20 minutes or longer. That is day 1, and you can now proceed to a regular curly hair routine moving forward. Loraine Massey, the creator of this routine, likes to call this the “curly girl method“:
- Use clarifying shampoo: You don’t have to shampoo every day because even curl-friendly shampoo strips hair oils as well. You need natural oils to help keep your hair healthy and shiny. Use shampoo when there is a buildup of products on your scalp.
- Use moisturizing conditioner every wash: Again, you need moisture to help your hair clump together perfectly. You can use hair gel to lock in the moisture while your hair is still wet. Once it dries, you can crunch out the cast the gel has formed.
- Use a hair mask at least once a week: Don’t forget the protein. You have many choices for protein-rich products. Hair masks that contain coconut and avocado are good choices. When drying your hair, you cannot use heat as it makes your strands stay away from one another resulting in that lion-like frizzy look. Instead, you can use a diffuser on the lowest heat setting possible.
It will take a series of trial-and-error before you understand what certain products your hair likes. Trust the process, and you will eventually witness how much potential your lovely locks have.