It takes a while to master curly hair, so let us share our ancestral knowledge.
Every time someone with straight hair tells me ‘I wish I had curly hair like you!’ I am of course flattered, but most of all, I remind them what a hassle it is to take care of curly hair. It gets frizzy, it gets dry, it is more often than not impossible to style properly and you can easily look like a mad scientist if you don’t pay too much attention.
However, curly hair does look amazing when it’s taken care of, and over the years of having curly hair in different lengths and more or less healthy, I have gathered a few pieces of advice I would give to anybody with curly hair. Here is what the years taught me…
MOISTURISE
Keeping your hair moisturised is the first thing I would advise to anybody with any type of hairr, really. But this gets even more important with curly hair, because if your hair is super dry, the curls won’t hold. It needs some moisture to curl up properly and form those pretty round, shiny locks that we like.
Now, I don’t have any particular products to recommend. What I would say is that you don’t need to use products specifically designed for curly hair. Go for dry hair ranges. I really like Dove hair products, as well as L’Oréal. Typically, I wash my hair three times a week, roughly every two days – mainly because the roots get oily. I use shampoo and conditioner, and I will also do an oil mask once a week. The more moisture, the better.
LESS (PRODUCT) IS MORE
As for leave-in conditioner, mousse, spray and all that jazz, I will only say that less is more. I find that it’s easy to put in too much product and end up with cardboard hair, or very artificial-looking curls. Too much product also causes hair to get oily quicker. I usually only stick to curly hair mousse, which I apply both on wet hair straight after I’ve washed it, and then a couple more times throughout the drying process (I let my hair dry naturally). On second day hair, I will also run a handful of mousse to style it after I slept on the curls. I find that mousse helps give structure to the curls and running your fingers through your hair to style it is the easiest way to have a nice, natural finish.
However, since I have now cut my hair quite short I will try and not use any mousse at all. Time will tell if that makes a difference or not! One thing with curly hair is that you keep experimenting over and over again no matter what.
WASH UPSIDE DOWN
One thing I got from my mum is to wash my hair with my head upside down in the bathtub. That means I never really wash my hair at the same time as I do my body, but it’s a routine I’ve gotten used to and that I love because it gives a lot of volume to your hair. I find that when I wash my hair standing in the shower, all the water weighs down the hair a lot and once it dries, my hair looks a lot flatter than when I wash it with my head upside down.
I also always put my head upside down and run my fingers through the hair during the drying process, because it helps separate the locks and, again, gives better volume. Same when applying mousse. Try it out and see if it makes a difference!
IT’S ALL ABOUT HOW IT FALLS
I used to think the most important in creating your curls was the washing and the products you use, but over the years I’ve found out that actually, it is how you style them that makes the most difference. Curly hair is easy to shape and, both with a little hair product and with your fingers, you can change up how it looks in a few seconds. Arrange the locks, pin a few sections here and there, untangle some areas with your fingers, and you will be able to make the hair fall differently. Of course it won’t necessarily stay put throughout the day, but this is another thing you have to accept with curly hair – it won’t look the same when it is freshly washed after a few hours outside in the wind. You can still make it fall as you want it to and touch it up during the day. Or even better – embrace the wild look and the frizz!
Do you have curly hair? What are your best tips to keep your hair healthy?
Lots of love,
Julia x
