Curly hair is pretty much different from the straight hair. They usually do not have moisture while easily drying out at any given time. This is the reason that they are very difficult to maintain.
Your hair follicles play a huge role in determining how much curl your hair has. People who have curly hair tend to have hair follicles that are either asymmetrical or oval. Of course, this structure is largely influenced by the genetics of a person.
If you want to know how you can add more shine and bounce to your naturally curly hair, the following tips and tricks will guide you in making sure your hair stays healthy.
How you can maintain the natural curls in your hair.
People who have curly hair should stick to hair products that moisturise the hair. They should generally stay away from any product that either weighs down the hair or dry it out.
Choosing a suitable shampoo and hair conditioner
It would be best if you got a hair shampoo plus a conditioner that is made purposely for people with curly hair.
Generally, you gave to find hair products which contain:
Essential or natural oils such as avocado oil, sunflower oil, jojoba oil, or coconut oil.
- Aloe Vera.
- Shea butter.
- Provitamins and panthenol
- Keratin
- Plant Extracts
- Animal proteins and hydrolysed silk
Whereas most people may prefer not to wash their hair daily, whenever they do this, they need to apply a mild shampoo that is composed of gentler cleansing hair agents and additional conditioning agents.
People with dirty or oily hair should also apply a much stronger clarifying shampoo every once in one or two weeks. It would be best if you always used in a conditioner after shampooing. The conditioner helps to retain the moisture in the hair.
Treatment before applying shampoo
People whose hair are curly or coarse should attempt a treatment procedure before applying shampoo.
Contrary to what most people think, hair conditioners are not meant for cleansing alone. The conditioner is also useful both before and after the shampoo process.
People with curly, coarse hair tend to lose moisture quickly. Theoretically, applying a conditioner before the shampoo process helps protect your hair strand. This prevents the shampoo from stripping off the natural oils in the hair.
Which is better? Cold or hot water?
If you use hot water on the hair, it will remove the hair moisture, thereby making it go dry. If you want to retain the strength and moisture of your hair, you should avoid hot water and stick to using cold water. When you rinse out the hair using cool water, you help to seal the cuticle of the hair.
Do not over-shampoo your hair.
If you have curly hair, it is a bad idea to shampoo every day. Shampooing can remove the natural oil which the hair much really needs. To see which regimen best suits you, you could try several cleansing schedules. Generally, people should shampoo their hair every 2 or 3 days.
Choosing a suitable comb or brush
If you have curly hair, you will know that they are mostly dry and brittle. This means that the hair can easily break when brushed or combed. It would be best if you tried to comb or brush your curly hair in a shower. This helps to stop the hair from breaking off.
Break up knots in the hair by beginning with the wide-toothed comb. You could also comb the hair with the conditioner still in it. This makes the coming process a lot easier and helps make sure that all hair strands are coated with the conditioner.
If you are out to get a brush, you should get a brush of high quality. The brush should come with natural bristles and not plastic. Using the boar bristle brush will help in spreading natural oils from the hair scalp to the hair tips.
One other alternative is never to use either comb or brush ever. People with springy curls, in particular, should try using a leave-in hair conditioner. And then should proceed to rake through the wet hair by using their fingertips.
Styling your curly hair with heat
Almost all stylists will advise you to allow your curly hair to get dried since it tends to become frizzy and damaged with the use of a blow-dryer.
If you feel the need to get a blow-dryer or want to straighten your hair with a straightening iron occasionally, you should make use of some heat protecting treatment or spray before you proceed with the straightening procedure. You should find a spray which contains keratin or silicone to help seal off the hair cuticle and make the hair more resistant to getting damaged by heat.
During the process of blow-drying your hair, researchers say that the hairdryer should be kept at a minimum distance of 6 inches from your hair’s surface. You could attach the diffuser attachment to the blow-dryer which limits the amount of direct heat that gets to your hair.
Avoiding split ends
It is completely hard to avoid split ends. Also, except to cut them off, you can never repair split ends. Carefully handling your curly hair is the most excellent way of avoiding split ends.
How you can avoid split ends:
- During brushing, you should make use of the detangler, this will help you avoid pulling and yanking.
- Avoid tying the back the hair into buns or ponytails.
- Ensure that you do this with a comb with wide teeth.
- Never use heating tools.
- You should meet a professional stylist to trim the hair approximately every two or three months.
How frequently should people with curly hair wash their locks?
If you like to wash out your hair every day in the shower, it is important not to use the cleansing shampoo all the time.
At certain days, you could easily rinse it off with water while applying a conditioner. At other days, you should do this with a mild shampoo so that the hair will not be stripped off of the natural oils.
You should apply the regular clarifying shampoo every one to weeks. This helps to get rid of any accumulation of grime due to styling products.
Sleeping routines for people with curly hair
When you sleep while lying on your back, too much weight is exerted on the follicles of the hair. This will end up leaving your curls to become knotty, frizzy, and messy.
People with curly hair will have to either sleep on their stomach or sides to help maintain the health of the hair. Furthermore, the hair curls can also be protected by wrapping the head with headscarf or bonnet during sleep.
It would be best if you also thought about applying essential oil, a hair mask, or the leave-in conditioner before going to sleep. This will help control the hair curls and increase hair moisture during sleep.
Curly hair and hair masks
A simple homemade hair mask can be made from regular household ingredients. The hair masks are only intended to be used to protect the hair overnight. They are then washed off in the morning.
Hair masks that have ingredients like banana, avocado, coconut oil, and honey add moisture to the hair. They also work effectively if used overnight. For people who have very dry curls, they should think about applying a hair mask every week or fortnightly.
Oils to use on your curly hair
It can be difficult to keep your hair curls hydrates since it is difficult for natural oils to travel down the hair shaft. To help improve this situation, you should add a certain amount of natural oils.
To do the trick, try using any one of the following oils:
- Olive oil,
- Coconut oil,
- Avocado oil,
- Castor oil,
- Argan oil,
- Jojoba oil,
- Grapeseed oil
Leave-in conditioner used, especially for curly hair.
Before going to sleep, you should try and spritz in a few amounts of the leave-in conditioner. This can help you strengthen up hair strands that have been damaged and make it easier for you to style your hair the next morning.
Things people with curly hair should not do
Your curly hair has a delicate structure; there the following things should be avoided:
- Products composed of fragrances, harsh chemicals, alcohol and sulfates.
- Sleeping straight on your backside.
- Using the clarifying shampoo more than once per week.
- Using hair styling heat tools many times a month. Should not be used more than once or two times each month.
- Rinsing the hair using hot water when in the shower.
- Always pulling the hair into a tight bun or ponytail.
- Using combs with fine teeth.
- Trying to get your dry hair detangled.
Hairstyles people with curly hair should get.
You should avoid pulling the hair back into a tight bun or ponytail. This will make the curls lose their organised formation. Additionally, a tight hair tie would easily lead to breakage.
Hair types for people with curly hair:
- Loose braids
- Loose bun or ponytail
- Half down/half up
Wear down the hair, while allowing the curls to naturally air dry by using an overnight leave-in conditioner or hair mask.
You could also tell your hairstylist to attach some long hair layers which will help get out some amount of bulk and put in more shape. Having long hair layers will make sure that the curls are slightly weighed down, and will also tame them.
Big takeaway about the curly hair
One of the most important things to know with the curly hair is the fact that it needs moisture and can easily get dry.
You will have to avoid removing its natural oils during washing. You will probably have to buy moisture adding hair products such as proteins, natural plant extracts, butter, and oil. If you properly treat your curly hair, they will certainly end up looking healthy, well-defined, and shiny.
