I have always wanted curly hair. My best friend growing up had the most gorgeous ringlets that actually bounced when you pulled them (something she obviously hated people doing!). For her wedding, the stylist wanted to straighten her hair, then curl it, but her husband first noticed her curls, like most people she met, and she didn’t want to tamper with them. I have pin-straight hair that just in the past few years has achieved any kind of wave, but I know through Joanne that curls are very high maintenance.
Anyone with naturally curly hair will be well aware that maintenance can prove a lot more complex than simply washing and combing. In fact, you can wave goodbye to combs entirely, as there’s not a chance they’ll make their way through your stubborn locks. But there are ways that you can make your hair more manageable. Let’s take a look at a few here!
Whipped Curl Creme
Brushing
First, let’s consider how you should brush your hair. Chances are that you’re going to have to take a little more time with this process than others, as you are likely to have more tangles and knots to comb out: when your hairs are naturally curly, they’re likely to wrap around one another more easily. We’d greatly recommend investing in a tangle teezer brush. This is specially designed to tackle the most complex hair types. Now, how you use it is down to personal preference, but we’d generally go with one of two approaches. The first approach would be to tackle the brushing process before washing. Try combing slowly from the bottom of your hair shaft. Brush out the bottom inch, then move up an inch and work on this area. You will have two inches of tangle-free hair and can move up another inch. Continue this technique until you reach the root, then move on to the next section of hair. It may be time-consuming, but it will result in the least damage and breakage. Alternatively, you can wait until your hair is wet and slathered in a conditioner or deep conditioning treatment. This will simplify the process further. Shea butter is a great option. Find out more about this product at Naturally Curly.
Drying
To blow-dry your hair or to leave it to dry naturally: that’s the question on the lips of almost anyone with natural curls. Again, this is entirely down to personal preference. However, if you want volume and big, bold curls, your best bet is to blow dry. Seriously consider investing in a diffuser attachment for your hair dryer. This distributes the air more evenly, minimizing frizz that often comes hand in hand with natural air drying.
Maintenance
The final checkbox on your list of priorities is likely to be keeping your hair looking great all day. By the time you return home, you want it to look the same as how it looked in the mirror when you left the house in the morning. A step towards achieving this is to avoid touching your hair as much as possible. This is good advice in general, as frequently touching any type of hair can result in it becoming greasy quickly. However, when you run your fingers through curly hair, the curls become less compact and can quickly poof and take on a frizzy appearance.
While naturally curly hair can often feel high maintenance, it’s worth the work when everything goes to plan, and you can leave the house with big, bright, bouncing curls. Just follow the above advice to make the process as hassle-free as possible!
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