If you’re like me—a head full of kinky, fragile curls, then you probably understand that the most important thing when caring for your hair is moisture! Here are a few ways I maintain my beautiful curls.
Cleansing
Research shows that simply scrubbing your hair with your fingertips provides enough friction to clean away dirt. If you must use shampoo, use a tiny amount and make sure it is diluted by rubbing it on your hands and putting it under the water before rubbing your scalp (target your scalp only).
Conditioning
Us curly girls need loads of conditioner for our hair to be properly moisturized (depending on how much hair you have). In order for you to know whether your hair has been properly moisturized you have to feel its texture. If you have enough conditioner in your hair, it will feel very slippery or like seaweed. The best conditioners to use are all natural and don’t have “cones” in them. Silicones are products that many companies put in hair care products to tame curly hair and make it shiny. It works, but the only way to get out silicones it by using harsh sulfate detergents since overtime they create buildup. Sulfates dry out the hair, and curly hair is already naturally prone to being dry since it is harder for oils to travel from the scalp through the hair.
Styling
In order to keep my hair properly moisturized, after washing thoroughly with conditioner (known as co-washing) I keep a bit of conditioner in my hair. In other words, I don’t completely rinse it out. I will then add a natural moisturizer or a tiny bit of gel. The most important thing to note when styling your curly hair is to leave it alone! Style it quickly and simply and then let it be. I allow my hair to air-dry, but if you don’t have time for that you can try out a diffuser. A diffuser is an attachment that can be bought and put on a blow-dryer to limit the airflow that you subject your hair to when blow drying. It helps curls dry in place and without too much frizz, if done correctly. Also one can purpose a microfiber towel and allow their hair to dry in that for a little while.
Un-tangling Curly Hair
This is best done in the shower with lots of conditioner. It’s best to buy very cheap conditioners from the store with moisturizing properties. Many choose to use Suave since it has no cones and many are very moisturizing, best of all it’s pretty cheap. After you have applied all of the conditioner on your wet hair, take reasonably sized sections and use a shower comb to comb from the bottom of your hair up to your root. Do not start at the root of your hair. This will cause unnecessary tangling and make this process a lot harder than it needs to be! If your hair is prone to tangles, do this everyday. If you do this on a regular basis (everyday) especially with a good conditioner you will rarely suffer from matted hair.