Help!! Caring for Curly Hair

K

krasavitza

O.G.
May 10, 2012
385
150
#1
All my life I've had naturally wavy hair that I normally wash, brush and then blow dry and straighten... a short while ago my hair out of nowhere turned CURLY! All on its own. I decided to go natural, meaning no heat products - no hair dryer, no flat iron. I don't brush anymore either, as it just makes my hair big and frizzy. The problem now is managing the tangles and the huge frizzy bush that my hair turns into at times. I don't know what to do!

Can anyone give me tips on what the best shampoos/conditions/and styling products I should be using to get rid of frizz, eliminate tangles, and maximize the curly-ness of my curls? I have long hair (mid back) and would like something thats not too time-consuming.

TIA
 
#2
After showering, I put my hair in a towel to get rid of extra water. Then I blot it gently with a paper towel to eliminate even more. I have very thick hair that takes forever to dry! Biosilk is a good serum to use after washing to eliminate frizz. I smooth it through my hair, shake my hands through it, and let it airdry. The key is not to touch your hair too much; it causes frizz. Since I usually wash at night, I put it up a bun to sleep. When I take it down in the morning I don't usually have to do much with it. Curls are pretty low maintenance! Good luck!
 
#3
Some things I've learned having curly hair is:

*Only use an old tee shirt to dry hair, it eliminates frizz. I use the plopping or plunking method.
*Brushing hair is OK, as long as its a denman brush to create or clump the curls
*Sulfate and silicone free products work best to keep the hair moisturized and soft
*"Washing" with conditioner has been a godsend (I recommend deva curl one condition and tresemme naturals conditioner)

Not sure if you're familiar with the curly girl method, it's what many curly heads use as a base for taking care of their hair. I do a modified version of it.

Hope this helps :smile:
 
#4
My hair is curly too...when I want to wear it curly and looking absolutely perfect with lots of root volume, this is what I do.
But it takes forever to dry this way. So I only do the full set of steps for special occasions...

1. Wash it at night (I used Acure shampoo and conditioner but I'm not sure if that matters)
2. After rinsing out my conditioner, put some more conditioner in my hair to leave in and comb it through thoroughly (I use two quarter-width blobs in armpit length hair)
3. As I get out of the shower, DO NOT squeeze water out of my hair dry or wrap it in a towel - it clumps better if it's soaking wet
4. Put some sort of product with hold in my hair and comb it through with my hair upside down - lately I've been using either Max Green Alchemy gel or 6 pumps of Neuma blow-dry lotion for this.
5. Put my hair in a "unicorn ponytail" with a scrunchie, pretty close to my forehead (this is what will give me awesome root volume)
6. Carefully put on a silk charmeuse sleeping bonnet, with the smooth part on the inside. Got mine from http://prettyanntoinets.com/category_19/Solid-Charmeuse-Bonnets.htm
7. Try to sleep in the same position all night so the bonnet won't come off. I try to sleep with my head on a towel so the majority of moisture will be wicked away
8. Continue to wear the unicorn ponytail all morning - don't touch it and wait until it's completely dry before I take it down.
9. Carefully remove the scrunchie, tilt my head from side to side until the curls separate (don't touch!)
10. "Pet" the surface of my hair with clear hard-hold gel to defrizz if I need it.

Whew... that's a really annoying and long series of steps. But it gives me really awesome hair that gets lots of compliments.

If I'm in a hurry and I don't need to have amazing root volume, then I skip the unicorn ponytail, let my hair dry loose, and blot my hair with paper towels after I put product in it (instead of sleeping on it).
 
#5
PS. I always put it back into an extremely high ponytail (top of head) when I'm lounging around the house or driving or exercising or sleeping. That restores some root volume and keeps the canopy smooth and protected. In the high ponytail, the nape of my hair gets messed up but it's not such a big deal because that won't be visible when I take it down.

I can get about 3 days of decent-looking curly hair, if I am careful to keep my hair in the very high ponytail when I'm doing anything that might mess it up. (and if I remember not to run my fingers through it when it's down! that's hard)

Also here's a picture of my hair if I follow my steps...for this picture I washed it in the morning, used Max Green Alchemy Gel, left it loose to dry and blotted with paper towels... then at the end of the day I put it in a ponytail at the top of my head to sleep in and took this pic the next day.

7287945592_55aee5f142.jpg
 
#9
There are a lot of threads on taking care of curly hair already that may offer a lot of good info.

kaleida said:
My hair is curly too...when I want to wear it curly and looking absolutely perfect with lots of root volume, this is what I do.
But it takes forever to dry this way. So I only do the full set of steps for special occasions...

1. Wash it at night (I used Acure shampoo and conditioner but I'm not sure if that matters)
2. After rinsing out my conditioner, put some more conditioner in my hair to leave in and comb it through thoroughly (I use two quarter-width blobs in armpit length hair)
3. As I get out of the shower, DO NOT squeeze water out of my hair dry or wrap it in a towel - it clumps better if it's soaking wet
4. Put some sort of product with hold in my hair and comb it through with my hair upside down - lately I've been using either Max Green Alchemy gel or 6 pumps of Neuma blow-dry lotion for this.
5. Put my hair in a "unicorn ponytail" with a scrunchie, pretty close to my forehead (this is what will give me awesome root volume)
6. Carefully put on a silk charmeuse sleeping bonnet, with the smooth part on the inside. Got mine from http://prettyanntoinets.com/category_19/Solid-Charmeuse-Bonnets.htm
7. Try to sleep in the same position all night so the bonnet won't come off. I try to sleep with my head on a towel so the majority of moisture will be wicked away
8. Continue to wear the unicorn ponytail all morning - don't touch it and wait until it's completely dry before I take it down.
9. Carefully remove the scrunchie, tilt my head from side to side until the curls separate (don't touch!)
10. "Pet" the surface of my hair with clear hard-hold gel to defrizz if I need it.

Whew... that's a really annoying and long series of steps. But it gives me really awesome hair that gets lots of compliments.

If I'm in a hurry and I don't need to have amazing root volume, then I skip the unicorn ponytail, let my hair dry loose, and blot my hair with paper towels after I put product in it (instead of sleeping on it).
Click to expand...

You do have really pretty hair. Mine is much curlier (tiny corkscrews). I've read before about leaving curly hair soaking wet and I've never tried that. I think I'll do that this morning when I take a shower.

I, too, keep my hair in a high scrunchie almost any time that I am at home and I sleep with my hair up like that.
 
#10
One more thing, to keep frizz down, do not touch/play with/run your fingers through, etc., your hair - especially when it is wet. Let it dry completely so your curls hold their shape and if you must touch it when dry, do so sparingly.
 
#11
bnjj said:
There are a lot of threads on taking care of curly hair already that may offer a lot of good info.



You do have really pretty hair. Mine is much curlier (tiny corkscrews). I've read before about leaving curly hair soaking wet and I've never tried that. I think I'll do that this morning when I take a shower.

I, too, keep my hair in a high scrunchie almost any time that I am at home and I sleep with my hair up like that.
Click to expand...

Thank you! :smile:
To save some drying time it only needs to be soaking wet when you're applying products. After products are applied and I've gotten it into the position that I'm going to dry it in (either loose or a top-of-head ponytail) a lot of moisture can be blotted out with something that's very smooth but absorbent. Like paper towels, or a sheet, or a t-shirt, or (if I'm going to sleep on it) a silk bonnet with a towel underneath my head.
 
#12
bnjj said:
One more thing, to keep frizz down, do not touch/play with/run your fingers through, etc., your hair - especially when it is wet. Let it dry completely so your curls hold their shape and if you must touch it when dry, do so sparingly.
Click to expand...

That is so true!!!!! I try to only touch my hair when it's dry - and only to "pet" the surface, not to run anything through it...combing with fingers/comb/brush will just make it a mess.
 
#13
No matter what defrizzing product you end up using to wash and condition always rinse your hair in the coldest water you can stand. That helps to seal the hair shaft. I also use a great humidity resistant straightening balm (even though I don't straighten my hair) called Alterna Hemp Organics Straightening Balm on my damp, near dry hair. A little helps keep the frizz under control all day. I let my hair dry on its own and never use blow dryers unless I want to straighten which is really rare.
 
#15
Yes every curly needs a balm, serum, or pomade. Pomades work better for me.

You're going to have to experiment until you find a routine that works for you. Also the changes in seasons and the climate you live in effects your hair and how products react to it. So don't get alarmed if you see someone else's hair and do the same thing they did, yet you don't get the same results. No two curlies are the same and what works for one will not work for all.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top
Back