No matter your curl pattern, essential hair care tips apply to everyone. Cleanse, condition, and protect. But we’re thinking you might have found yourself here because identifying your curls personality (or multiple personalities!) is something that’s left you bamboozled. And finding a routine that you feel is worth sticking to, can often feel a little intimidating. Your natural curls may require a little more TLC than once thought required, but if you learn the fundamentals of your hair and its behaviour, we can help you build a healthy and simple routine allowing you to celebrate your luscious locks in record time and with zero fuss!
Hair is as diverse as people on this planet is diverse – we are all made up of the exact same components but because of our different genes, environments, cultures, practices, beliefs, tools, products and conditions – we are very unique individuals. The same with hair – made up of the same substances and materials – we are largely similar but the condition of the scalp, hair strand thickness, porosity, elasticity, density, curl pattern and more can vary completely from person to person. And each combination has its own set of characteristics. These are extremely useful to know, especially for hairstylists that care for curls on the day to day basis. For the CURLY hair crew, there can be a variety of S or O shaped curls that commonly result in a wavy to corkscrew finish. And just to confuse things further, one person can have some curls that are loose, but also have tight curls elsewhere upon the same head of hair!
For beginners, remember this: the finer the hair, the lighter product. Let’s break it down:
- Fine (strand thickness): To avoid limp, over greasy and heavily weighted locks, it’s always best to use high quality and the lightest of products. Light curly creams or lotions are your best friend.
- Medium (strand thickness): Often carries a more defined S or O shape with the right product combination of a base gel or cream and topper mousse or gel. Waves, like every other category, can vary in density, elasticity and be either well defined or frizzy – the preference here is to go for gels or creams, slightly heavier than your lightest option.
- Thick (strand thickness): Curly hair has a S or O shape which tends to clump together to achieve a uniform curly look. Adopting slightly heavier products or combinations will have your hair thanking you for it!
What’s Curly hair’s personality?… we hear you ask…
- Post-morning wash, you might find your hair started one size and increased in volume and slightly shrunk by lunchtime. Who knows how big it will be by dinner time!
- The size of the curl is easy to manipulate depending on the technique used.
- When the hair is healthy, it can be generally uniform all around.
- Due to the twists and turns of the curls, it doesn’t tend to reflect as much shine compared to other hair types. However, this is not a reflection of the moisture levels, a common mistake made.
- Easily holds styles when braiding or twisting.
- When the hair is wet it still appears curly, although the curls are optimally hydrated and the definition is top notch.
And how should you be treating those curls?
- Remember our first rule? The finer the hair, the lighter the product you should be using.
- The product should be smoothed down when applying – think ‘praying hands’ or squeezing and pulling at the same time – especially on cleansed conditioned curls.
- Scrunch your curls in an upward motion towards your scalp to help protect and define your curl whilst you are applying the product and setting to avoid the frizzy look, we all dread. – Avoid over manipulation and putting your hands in your hair too much.
- Curls do tend to dry out slightly quicker than most other hair types if it’s not protected with the correct products.
- The detangling process is essential to get down! Done incorrectly, it can leave your curls and hair bonds permanently damaged.
- It’s essential the above techniques are combined with products specifically designed for your hair with the best quality ingredients. Using too much product will lead to your hair becoming heavy and losing its shape. Using the wrong product will cause flakes to sit and drip from your curls – and nobody’s got time for that!
Getting the best for your CURLY hair
If you’re still unsure if your hair is CURLY, wavy, coily or undefined, why not take our quiz and find out your specific hair type and how to implement a personalised, quality care routine to take back control. BUT if you’ve got your healthy hair regime on lock, take a look at our award-winning products specifically designed and formulated with the curly girl in mind.
Tell us your experience by leaving a comment below.
