Get Curly Hair with These Simple Steps

I mean disclaimer; in order for this to work, you need to have some form of natural wave. And yes, your mother telling you that you had curly hair as a child counts.

With a few simple wash-day steps, I can guarantee you will be able to get those curls back.

Wash Your Hair Upside Down

I flip my head over the bath/shower to wash my hair. This way the water isn’t weighing down the hair from the roots, gravity is on your side.

Swap Shampoo for Poo!

Not that kind! If you find your hair gets dry a few days after wash day, swap harsh shampoos for a co-wash or cleanser. That way you can remove the product build-up and still have clean hair. It also means you’ll avoid the hair being stripped of its natural oils.

De-Tangle with Your Fingers

This is the best way to prevent breakage and to feel your way through the knots with your hand. A wide-tooth comb won’t capture all the knots and a normal comb/brush may do more harm than good.

Opt for Styling Products

As a bare minimum, use a curl cream or a leave-in-conditioner. Curls often need some help with moisture, the pattern means our natural oils can’t travel down the shaft from the root. The right styling product will also prevent frizz-free curls.

A mousse is also a good starter product to get the curls going and it will also create a case, sealing the moisture in.

Scrunch and Pulse

A great way to encourage the curl pattern is using a scrunch and pulse method. Once you’ve applied your leave-in, again with your head flipped forward, cup sections of the hair and scrunch towards the root. Pulse your hands and gently release.

Use a Diffuser

By far the quickest way to voluminous curls is to diffuse. You can get inexpensive attachments that will pretty much go on any hairdryer. Diffusers distribute the heat and air to help to dry without disturbing the curl pattern.

Flip the hair upside down and cup the curls with the diffuser head. Be gentle moving the diffuser around in the section, I even turn off the hairdryer before removing it from that part of the head.

Establish Your Curl Type

Once you’ve found roughly where your hair sits in the below chart it’s easier to find a wealth of information including tutorials, advice and products online.

It will also determine how much product you use, application style, and even the best way to brush style if that's something you want to try too.

Other than curl type you can also look into the characteristics of your hair which will further help you to choose the kind of products that'll work best. Porosity can be a minefield. This tells you about your hair's ability to absorb and hold in moisture. Knowing whether you have balanced, low or high porosity hair will help to establish if you need protein or moisture treatments.

Don't Worry About Bad Wash Days

Every curly girl knows that it's 50/50 when it comes to wash-day results. Some days I'll get perfectly formed curls, with volume and minimal frizz. Other days I'll end up with flat, frizzy waves.

The key is the embrace each result until the next wash day, which is the perfect opportunity to try a slightly different technique, whether that is with your product or the way you diffuse.

They call it a curl journey for good reason. It takes time to perfect and it's a journey of great discovery.

These are great tips to get started. I recently wrote an article with some wisdom and resources to get started with your curly journey will I will post soon!