Here are some general rules for curly haircare. You'll find all different rules for curly haircare on the internet. I've combed through the rules and tried to summarize them based on my own personal experience and my experience with curly girls hair.
Again, I'm not a stylist. Just a curly girl who has had some really hilarious and bad experiences trying to manage my hair....
1. Never brush curly hair dry. Never! I can't think of any exceptions to this rule. When you comb curly hair you should comb it when wet, with lot of conditioner using a wise tooth comb. The conventional brushes that you see at drugstores are not meant for curly hair. If you are looking for a curly hair brush or comb, I'd recommend looking at online curly hair stores to see what they carry.
2. Don't over shampoo (and use a sulfate free shampoo). As I've mentioned in previous posts curly hair should only be shampooed when dirty, or about once/twice a week. Shampooing more often strips hair of it's natural oils and makes it more frizzy.
A good rule I learned from a curly hair stylist is that you should be going through 3 bottles of conditioner for every one bottle of shampoo (approximately). And don't be afraid to use lots and lots of conditioner-condition every day.
3. Use a cool water rinse to rinse out the last bit of conditioner. I'm not 100% sure on how it works, but I was told this helps to seal the hair cuticle. Either way, I find it way easier to manage curls that have had a cold rinse.
(Note: I don't use cold rinses on curlygirl. It seems too cruel on a baby/ toddler. I'll wait until she's older and can understand why we are doing it).
4. Always let air dry (In other words.. don't use a blowdryer). I'll be honest, I own a blow dryer. A stylist once convinced me to buy one. It's been used about 4 times in the past 12 years and each time my hair has become extremely dry and frizzy.
5. Don't towel dry curly hair. The terry towel material makes hair frizzy. Use a micro fibre cloth or better yet, just leave it (see rule #4).
6. Sleep on a satin or sateen pillow case- this is the same rule as using a sleep cap. Helps with frizz.
7. Put your hair product in your hair when it's wet. You'll find this recommendation all over curly hair blogs. I'm not sure this is unique to curly hair.. but wet hair holds product. The best order to put product in is to use a leave in conditioner first (some sort of curl cream or heavier moisturizer) followed by a gel.
8. Find a hair stylist who knows what they are doing-hard to do. I've lived in Vancouver for 8 years and I haven't found one that I'm 100% happy with yet. You will find at Ouidad salons in the USA they cut curly hair dry- but I have found that very few stylists are willing to dry cut hair. If they say they want to take off an inch, tell them to take 1/2 an inch. I think every curly girl knows this rule (lol).
Another thing I've found that works well for me is to bring my own styling products to the salon. After my hair is cut, I ask them to wet it/ wash it, and then I put in my own styling products. Getting the stylist to use a tiny bit of their hair serum and maybe a bit of gel doesn't work at all. I usually end up walking out looking like a cotton ball. So I've now started being more assertive and styling my own hair at the salon.
Curly hair also doesn't need to be cut as often as straight hair. (Unless maintaining a particular style). But if you are going for natural, it takes so long to grow that you can cut it less often. I spend my money on good hair products rather than at the salon.
9. The less you touch your hair the better. So try not to put your hands in your hair too much. More manipulation = more frizz. This is partly why I find braids or twists work so well on curly girl. She doesn't pull them as much.
10. Embrace your curls, and that includes embracing a bit of frizz. This is something I still struggle with. No matter how much time and energy I put into my hair, it's still a bit frizzy and messy looking. I never feel that I look totally put together- and I think that now it's ok. It's who I am, my hair is such a part of my identity I couldn't imagine being straight locked. I've got nothing against people who straighten their hair, but it's not for me. The few times I've had it straightened I've felt as though I wasn't myself and I spent way more time worrying about my straight hair than my curly hair.
Again, I'm not a stylist. Just a curly girl who has had some really hilarious and bad experiences trying to manage my hair....
1. Never brush curly hair dry. Never! I can't think of any exceptions to this rule. When you comb curly hair you should comb it when wet, with lot of conditioner using a wise tooth comb. The conventional brushes that you see at drugstores are not meant for curly hair. If you are looking for a curly hair brush or comb, I'd recommend looking at online curly hair stores to see what they carry.
2. Don't over shampoo (and use a sulfate free shampoo). As I've mentioned in previous posts curly hair should only be shampooed when dirty, or about once/twice a week. Shampooing more often strips hair of it's natural oils and makes it more frizzy.
A good rule I learned from a curly hair stylist is that you should be going through 3 bottles of conditioner for every one bottle of shampoo (approximately). And don't be afraid to use lots and lots of conditioner-condition every day.
3. Use a cool water rinse to rinse out the last bit of conditioner. I'm not 100% sure on how it works, but I was told this helps to seal the hair cuticle. Either way, I find it way easier to manage curls that have had a cold rinse.
(Note: I don't use cold rinses on curlygirl. It seems too cruel on a baby/ toddler. I'll wait until she's older and can understand why we are doing it).
4. Always let air dry (In other words.. don't use a blowdryer). I'll be honest, I own a blow dryer. A stylist once convinced me to buy one. It's been used about 4 times in the past 12 years and each time my hair has become extremely dry and frizzy.
5. Don't towel dry curly hair. The terry towel material makes hair frizzy. Use a micro fibre cloth or better yet, just leave it (see rule #4).
6. Sleep on a satin or sateen pillow case- this is the same rule as using a sleep cap. Helps with frizz.
7. Put your hair product in your hair when it's wet. You'll find this recommendation all over curly hair blogs. I'm not sure this is unique to curly hair.. but wet hair holds product. The best order to put product in is to use a leave in conditioner first (some sort of curl cream or heavier moisturizer) followed by a gel.
8. Find a hair stylist who knows what they are doing-hard to do. I've lived in Vancouver for 8 years and I haven't found one that I'm 100% happy with yet. You will find at Ouidad salons in the USA they cut curly hair dry- but I have found that very few stylists are willing to dry cut hair. If they say they want to take off an inch, tell them to take 1/2 an inch. I think every curly girl knows this rule (lol).
Another thing I've found that works well for me is to bring my own styling products to the salon. After my hair is cut, I ask them to wet it/ wash it, and then I put in my own styling products. Getting the stylist to use a tiny bit of their hair serum and maybe a bit of gel doesn't work at all. I usually end up walking out looking like a cotton ball. So I've now started being more assertive and styling my own hair at the salon.
Curly hair also doesn't need to be cut as often as straight hair. (Unless maintaining a particular style). But if you are going for natural, it takes so long to grow that you can cut it less often. I spend my money on good hair products rather than at the salon.
9. The less you touch your hair the better. So try not to put your hands in your hair too much. More manipulation = more frizz. This is partly why I find braids or twists work so well on curly girl. She doesn't pull them as much.
10. Embrace your curls, and that includes embracing a bit of frizz. This is something I still struggle with. No matter how much time and energy I put into my hair, it's still a bit frizzy and messy looking. I never feel that I look totally put together- and I think that now it's ok. It's who I am, my hair is such a part of my identity I couldn't imagine being straight locked. I've got nothing against people who straighten their hair, but it's not for me. The few times I've had it straightened I've felt as though I wasn't myself and I spent way more time worrying about my straight hair than my curly hair.
