7 Curly Hair Tips For Your Best Waves Ever!
IMAGE: Ivana Cajina / Unsplash
Curly hair and strands with waves need a little extra TLC. If you have this type of hair then your strands will most likely be thicker and stronger but more likely feel coarse and dry, too.
Once you have the right curl-loving products and you follow some of these handy tips and tricks below, you should find your waves and spirals are more hydrated, glossy and easier to manage. Sounds good, right?
Now, not all curly hair is thick so if you have fine curly hair, then it's worth checking out the advice below and then tweaking it to suit your own strands. For instance, you might not need to use as much conditioner to get glossy curls as someone with thick hair might, but you might want to use a volumising spray as fine hair can lack root lift.
Keep scrolling for the 7 curly hair tips worth trying.
Always Shampoo
For quite a while co-washing was popular amongst the curly-haired crowd. This is where you forgo shampoo and cleanse your hair with conditioner instead. While the idea makes sense from a nourishing point of view, if you don't properly wash the scalp area you can get a build-up of product. Any build-up will leave your strands looking limp and lifeless, and could prevent your hair from growing as healthy as it should.
For curly hair, always use a hydrating shampoo and really work it into the root area rather than the whole strand from root to tip.
Oribe Shampoo for Moisture & Control, €46, contains a host of nourishing ingredients including amino acids to moisturise the scalp and strands.
Hydration, Hydration, Hydration
Always use conditioner every time you shampoo and follow with a curl cream to help create defined spirals that are free from frizz.
Once or twice a week ramp up the hydration by applying a deep conditioning mask to your strands.
Oribe Gold Lust Repair & Restore Conditioner, €49.50, repairs damage, smoothes the strands and prevents split ends, all without weighing the hair down.
Virtue Restorative Treatment Mask, €72 is a game-changer. Made with keratin, the building block of healthy hair, it adds shine and moisture, and smoothes the strands in under 3 minutes.
Try a Cold Rinse
Each strand of hair is covered in cuticles that kinda look like tiles on a roof. If you finish your shower with a blast of cold water it will close the cuticles so they lie flat. The flatter the cuticles the smoother the hair will be and the more likely it will be to reflect shine, which is something curly hair can lack. Give it a try... brrrr!
Brush the Hair When It's Wet
Brushing curly hair when it is dry can break up the curls and leave you with frizz. Instead, when the hair is wet use a brush like The Manta, €30 which is gentle enough to use on fragile water-logged strands. Go easy and start detangling at the ends, moving up to the mid-lengths before brushing from root to tip.
Don't Hold Back With Product
Before you come to dry the hair be sure to load up on curl cream. The Oribe Curl Gloss, €37, is a lightweight hydrating gel that offers hold without the tell-tale crunch you can get with some other gels and mousses.
Alternatively, if you just want to add extra moisture to the strands without hold the Virtue 6-in-1 Styler, €19, is brilliant as you can use it on damp hair to add extra conditioner or to dry hair to tame unwanted frizz or flyaways.
Air Dry If You Can
Air drying is the best way to eliminate the chances of frizz getting into your hair. Use a cotton T-shirt to squeeze the excess moisture out of your strands (traditional towels can cause frizz) and leave to dry. Easy. If you're in a hurry and want to get a more defined curl then you can use a hairdryer with the diffuser attachments, just be sure to set the hairdryer to a low speed and low-medium heat to dry the hair with as little frizz as possible.
Clap for Volume
Yes, you read that right. If you have fine hair and want to get extra volume into your curls while you're air drying, take a section between your palms and clap! Give it a try...
