I know I have spent a lot of time straightening my hair into
submission but would also like to embrace my natural hair.
I personally have tried countless ways of styling my natural
curly wavy hair and many times was left with a stiff, frizzy mess.
Curly Hair Tips
Try to avoid using shampoos with harsh chemicals — known as
surfactants — such as sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS).
This strong ingredient is great for removing dirt and oils,
but it can also strip your hair of its natural oil, leaving it frizzy and dry.
The next step to avoid using conditioners and other products
with silicones and silicone-based compounds that can smooth your hair, but they
also seal out moisture and can create buildup.
Some common silicones include dimethicone and
cyclopentasiloxane. basically, if an ingredient ends in “-cone”, it’s not good
for curly hair.
Brushing the hair can break up the natural curl pattern and
can cause breakage leading to frizziness — instead, use a comb or “finger-comb”
through the hair when applying conditioner.
Curly Hair Method
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all of the information out
there.
Although there are a lot of options, if you’re following this
method, you only really need two products to start:
Styling the Hair
Styling starts as soon as you finish rinsing out
conditioner.
At this point, you should squeeze out the excess water from
the hair several times and before wrapping the hair in a microfibre towel, scrunch to encourage your natural curl pattern to form.
Apply a curl sculptor or curl cream, this will help enhance
the natural curl of the hair.
Then apply a Hair Gel (lots of it), this will define the
curls while giving the hair a strong hold.
Allow the hair to completely dry.
The key is to have completely dry crunchy hair for the next
step.
Drying the Hair
It’s always best to let your hair air-dry wherever possible.
If you don’t have time to let your hair dry naturally, the
next best thing is to use a hair dryer with a diffuser attachment on the low setting.
A diffuser helps to circulate the air from your hair dryer
so it won’t break up curls and cause frizz.
Now it’s time to “Scrunch out the Crunch”.
Scrunch, scrunch, scrunch the hair until it isn’t crunchy anymore.
If you want extra insurance,
you can apply a small amount of product to the hair.
This is also great for second say hair, just mist the hair
with water and scrunch!
This method has
worked for me but you can build your own routine over time to include other
products like leave-in conditioners, curl enhancers, and hair oils.
If you have wavy or curly
hair and you follow this method, you’ll find your hair holds a curl, has volume
and is soft – not stiff and crunchy.
~Jennifer
