Are your curls being too stubborn? Going natural is very liberating and very frustrating too especially if your hair is just too frizzy and dry. It’s not easy to take care of curly hair, but when you see how gorgeous your tresses look, the effort is definitely worth it.
There are many challenges in taking care of curly hair. You have to fight against frizz and brittleness of the strands. You also have to battle humidity and external factors too. Your hair is so unpredictable that you won’t know how it’s going to look in the morning. Some days, you’ll wake up with puffy hair that seems all over the place. There are also days when your hair looks as if you’re ready to walk the runway. Your hair behaves differently every day, you ask yourself if it is still worth it.
Having great hair these days has nothing to do with chance. The products you use, your hair care routine, your habits, and the environment are the factors that affect how amazing or awful your curls will turn out. Embrace your curls and deal with these challenges head-on. Don’t worry, we’ve got tips that will help make it easier for you.
#1 Fighting frizziness
All curly hair has the potential to be a ball of frizziness. Frizziness makes your hair fly away, forming a halo of stringy strands. Many factors can affect the state of your hair. For frizziness, humidity and lack of moisture are major catalysts. Frizz happens when the cuticles of your hair are raised, allowing moisture from the environment to swell the strands.
Your hair becomes curlier or frizzier the more it swells. Hair loses its smooth texture and shape, giving you puffy hair. Frizzy hair is dry and has a static appearance too.
#2 Achieving consistency
Sometimes you get great hair, and there are also days when you can’t seem to tame your hair. The lack of consistency will push you into a love-hate relationship with your curls. However, you don’t have to worry about having good hair once you know the trick to keeping it soft and manageable. Keeping your hair healthy will help control hair damage and prevent hair concerns from happening. Using suitable products for your hair will help too. Achieve consistency and wake up to beautiful curls.
#3 Finding the balance between protein and moisture
Is your hair dry and very brittle? It must have high porosity. Porous hair is more likely to break and get damaged. Your hair gets porous due to the frequent contraction and swelling of the hair shaft. It’s quite common for curly hair to be weak and brittle. However, frequent breakage is a sign of hair damage. This happens when you moisturize your hair with conditioners that do not provide protein to hair.
Hair shaft swells when it is wet or when it absorbs moisture. It contracts as it gets dry. The ability of the hair to expand as it absorbs moisture is called hygral property. When you continue to moisturize your hair frequently, it will develop into hygral fatigue. Your hair loses elasticity and proteins, making it break easily. It is important to prevent hygral fatigue to strengthen hair.
#4 Getting rid of knots and tangles
Curly girls don’t want you touching their hair. Other than messing with the perfectly styled ringlets, curly hair is often full of knots and tangles that your fingers are sure to catch on one. These tangles are precursors to breakage. Forcefully removing them will not only hurt. They cause hair breakage that may develop into split ends and other kinds of hair damage too. Brushing your hair with the wrong tools can also worsen the damage.
#5 Trying to keep moisture in
One of the main problems of curly girls is that no matter how much conditioner you apply to hair, it will still feel rough and dry. Curly hair is naturally dry and brittle compared to wavy hair or straight hair. In order to condition this hair type, you need rich moisturizers that seal the water content to the hair shaft. Porous hair is more likely to get dry faster compared to normal curly hair. You can improve the porosity of hair by using protein-rich conditioners.
#6 Cutting back on long styling hours
Combing hair is a painful experience, using too many styling products make your hair crusty, and cutting your hair short is a risk you’re never willing to take. Just drying your hair takes a lot of effort. Styling it into the form that you want will take you hours. Too many hours if you ask the experts. Instead of investing hours on styling your hair, ditch the products and tools you won't need.
#7 Using suitable hair products for curly hair
Regular shampoos and conditioners will damage curly hair. Your hair needs specific formulas that can help prevent hair concerns such as breakage, damage, and frizziness. You should also keep in mind that not all curly hair products work for you. Your hair has different components and needs that you have to consider before using a product. Sometimes, buying products especially for curly hair can be expensive. You can buy from brands that cater to your curly hair needs without ripping a hole through your wallet. These tips will save you money and effort too.
TIP 2: Use leave-in conditioners. Leave-in conditioners can save you from spending lots on creams, serums, and oils. They have thick and rich formulas that seal the moisture to hair while making it softer and shinier. Leave-in conditioner saves you from the trouble of buying and applying several moisturizing products.
#8 Protecting curly hair from weather changes
Say hello to humid and rainy days with a smile. Anyone who has curly hair knows how frustrating it is to style your hair only to lose its shape during rainy days or when humidity rises. Moisture in the air is a great thing for your skin, but not for your curls. Weather it out by using the right product that will hold your curls, rain or shine.
TIP 2: Secure your hair in a loose low bun with bobby pins. This helps maintain the shape of your hair so you can still get defined curls after you take the pins out. A few twirls and a small amount of leave-in conditioner or moisturizer bring your hair back to life.
#9 Improving stringy ends
Straw should not be a word that describes your hair. However, the tips of your hair often lack in attention and care that it ends feeling like straw. Curly hair, aside from being really dry, is also very frizzy. Especially for the tips of your hair that doesn’t receive enough moisture. Stringy ends make your hair look frizzy and damaged.
TIP 2: Apply a second layer of moisturizing products on the tips of your hair. It will not only help moisturize the tips, this method is effective in preventing flyaways too.
#10 Looking for the perfect wash and go method
Curly girls are well-versed about wash and go. This is a practice of wearing your natural hair without using styling tools or products. With this method, you only need to wash and condition your hair without shaping and styling. Finding the perfect method and products takes time. It all depends on your hair and the shape that you want. If you want fluff, then go for moisturizing products. If you want definition, curl-defining formulas are the best choices.
#11 Defining the shape of your curls
Curls without definition look like a messy bunch of static hair. Your hair has a natural shape. Various factors like lack of moisture and humidity make your hair loose and undefined. Even when hair is not frizzy, curls can still lose shape. Styling your hair can sometimes disturb the natural twists of your hair.
TIP 2: Dry your hair properly. Lots of curly girls notice how curls look sleek and defined when wet. However, as hair dries, it loses its shape. The problem lies in how you dry your hair. Rubbing your hair is a big no-no. It causes friction that increases the frizziness of hair. The towel you are using can also affect your curls. Use a microfiber towel to gently pat your hair dry.
#12 Growing curly hair out
Big curly hair sure is sexy. However, you will notice that for some reason, it doesn’t seem to grow long. A possible cause could be stunted hair growth. Hair grows at its optimum rate with enough nourishment. A healthy scalp grows strong and shiny hair. It might seem like your hair does not grow, but it does. The problem with curly hair is that it’s so brittle that breakage is almost normal. This prevents your hair from growing long. If you want longer and stronger hair, make sure to use the right products that will stimulate its growth.
TIP 2: Use protein-rich hair products. Your hair is made up of protein. Applying products rich in protein helps to strengthen hair and improve its resilience. It increases the elasticity of your hair too in order to reduce breakage. Start with your shampoo, as it is your hair’s main source of nourishment.
#13 Increasing the volume of thin curly hair
Volume is not a problem for curly hair unless your roots are over-conditioned. Yes, that can happen even for curly hair. A common misconception in hair care is that moisture = oil. The moisture that your hair needs is actually water. The oil that your scalp produces smooths out your hair and seals the moisture in the shaft. This is why some curly hair looks so thin and limp. You can bring back hair volume with quick hacks.
