By far the number one question I get asked about myself/ my appearance has something to do with my curly hair. You see we curly haired girls know the struggle. Products have been packaged and repackaged to us full of promise and hype and they just don’t deliver.
The thing is curly hair is temperamental and moody. And very very picky. Things that work for one curly head, don’t necessarily work on the other. Its almost as if each and everyone of us has to curate her own arsenal of products to get her curls looking and feeling just right.
One of the reasons for this is there are so many type of curls, then you have to consider the texture and one must also take into consideration how much hair she does or doesn’t have. All this can drive a lady crazy! That is why so many of my curly haired sisters give up and straighten out their gorgeous curls!
So in solidarity, I have decided to share my arsenal of products at the moment. I must mention that when I go through changes in life my hair reflects that immensely (at the moment I’m pregnant with my second child) and so when choosing my products I have to take all that into consideration. I encourage you to be mindful of what is happening to your body as many of those things affect hair texture, growth and manageability. Also drinking loads of water and eating right is not only reflected on your body and skin but on your hair! So if you haven’t been on you’re A game in that regard it’s time to shape up.
STEP 1
A moisturizing shampoo works great on my curly hair and it doesn’t cause too much tangle and has just enough slip for hair to be more easily detangled just in case. Remember curly hair is dry hair, you need to constantly put in moisture for the health of the hair.
I must mention that I wash my hair once a week (unless I feel like I have used too much product and it has started to weigh my curls down, then I wash start from the beginning)
STEP 2
An extremely hydrating conditioner. My secret is that I don’t use conditioners, I feel like they do nothing for me. I condition my hair with hair masks. In my opinion they deliver the amount of hydration my hair needs. Most of the time, after using a regular conditioner, my hair feels blah… like it could use some more moisture, so I have given up searching for the best conditioner and just committed to great hair masks and they seem to be doing the job. I do this weekly.
I also must say that although I wash my hair once a week, I could be using a mask 2 or 3 times a week deepening on how fresh I want my curls to look. Nothing better than fresh bouncy and defined curls.
STEP 3
Styling products. These I believe are the most important factors in the look of the curls. Because a styling product has got to deliver definition, but it it must not weigh the curl down.
Here are three products that I am using at the moment with fab results. Some times I use the “leave in conditioner” instead of the styling product. And sometimes even get better results.
STEP 4
Isn’t actually a step I always do, as I do by how the hair feels. If I feel like the ends are looking particularly dry and there is no shine to the curl the I use an oil. But I’m not religious about it. Also I have noticed, That the more often I use an oil, the more frequently I have to get my hair washed.
STEP 5
Use a diffuser. Or in the very least a blow-dryer on a very low setting. The most important time for a curl to set is when it is still wet. You DO NOT want to disturb the curl pattern during this period. You have to dry it first then you mess around with fluffing it up and styling in accordance! But the hair must be dry first.
The one thing I want leave you with is that you have to try a few things before you find out the right mix that works for your hair (as with everything else in life) but don’t be discouraged because curly hair is beautiful and special. Wear it like a crown!
*there is a video with this routine, breaking things down step by step. So do check back regularly.
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Till next time we talk shop,
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Also published on Medium.
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