How to Take Care of Curly Hair: Natural Tips & Hacks

Haircare can be tricky, and it might feel like double the trouble when you have a head full of thick, curly hair. However, with the right hacks and a bit of effort, you can breathe life back into your hair curls.

Without further ado, let’s take you through everything you need to know to understand and learn how to take care of your curly hair!

What Are Some Common Struggles of Curly Hair?

Curly hair is prone to drying out due to lack of moisture, which makes it difficult to control hair from frizz. You have to look up products that tackle the exact issues by providing moisture to your hair without weighing your drying down in the process.

It can also be tough to wash curly hair often as it takes a long time to clean and dry.

How to Build the Perfect Hair Care Regime for Curly Hair

As we have already identified the struggles of maintaining curly hair, we now move on to factors that will help you build the perfect hair care regime over time.

Below are some steps that can help you build a great hair care routine that will restore your dull, frizzy hair into shiny and smooth curls!

Make Sure to Choose Moisturizing Shampoos and Conditioners

As curly hair craves moisture even more than straighter hair, always pick shampoos and conditioners with moisturizing ingredients in them.

Natural oils, essential oils, keratin, aloe vera, shea butter, provitamins, plant extracts, and panthenols are some common ingredients that will help your hair retain moisture.

Be wary of hair products that might be too harsh or strip away the natural oils of your hair follicles. You can also choose to shampoo your hair three days a week without shampooing two days in a row for this exact purpose.

If you find that your hair gets too oily or dirty, use a clarifying shampoo once per week for better results. Never forget to condition your hair with a rinse out conditioner after shampoo.

Eat a Healthy Diet

Consuming a healthy diet of Vitamin A, bananas, avocado, eggs, wholesome grains, fish, leafy green, carrot,and nuts will help you grow healthy hair. Fruits and vegetables that contain keratin and biotin will also help your hair shine and strengthen.

Fishes rich with omega-3 or fatty acids are also a great solution to weak or dull hair. Though it might be something you have gotten tired of hearing at this point in life, drinking two liters of water per day will help you flush out toxins from your body greatly, which will also, in turn, help you maintain healthy hair.

Hair Masks before Shampooing

Though you might find it a bit messier than using a hair mask after shampoo, this method might help your hair maintain bouncier curls. Shampooing after using a hair mask will protect your hair follicles from frizz.

Use Lukewarm Water to Wash Hair

It might come across as a shock to many, but it is more beneficial to wash your hair with lukewarm water than cold water. This rule applies to rinsing both straight and curly hair, as cold hair might be harsh to your scalp.

Be careful never to wash your hair with hot water, as it is the only thingworse than torturing yourself by pouring cold water all over your hair. Hot water will strip your hair of your moisture instantly and cause your hair to frizz.

Invest in a Wide-Toothed Comb

While detangling your hair, choose a wide-toothed comb to comb out your hair. Narrow combs will break your curls but tugging at them constantly. An incredible hack is combing your hair half an hour after shower to sort out the tangles.

Use Hairbrush with Natural Bristles

Once you have detangled your hair properly, use a hairbrush with natural bristles, as artificial bristles can strip the oil out of your hair.

It is advisable not to comb your hair too often to maintain proper curls. Combing hair too often will lead to frizzy hair.

Always Air-Dry Hair

Blow drying can also cause frizzy hair as the warm air will deprive your hair of moisture even when you are using heat protective products for your hair. It can also cause build-ups from the excess amount of hair products used while blow-drying your hair.

Air drying is a much safer option. In case you need to dry your hair in a rush, use a colder air-drying option on your hairdryer and use colder and less humid air to dry your hair.

List of Things to Avoid When You Have Curly Hair

Curly hair tends to be quite fragile, so make sure that you avoid the following things while taking care of your curly hair.

Avoid Products with Harsh Chemicals

Haircare products with ingredients like sulfate, artificial fragrances, alcohol, and any sort of harsh chemical can strip your curl of its natural moisture.

Do Not over Shampoo Your Hair

Over shampooing is the bane of healthy-looking hair curls, as over-shampooing will destroy the structure of your curls over time.

Using too much shampoo can also have the same effect on your hair. If you are not sure how much shampoo you need for the length of your hair, we have your back. For hair that does not reach past your shoulders, the size of a nickel should be more than enough.

If your hair reaches over the shoulders, you will need shampoo the size of a quarter. For hair that reaches your waist, half a dollar will get the job done perfectly. This way, you will never have to worry about using too much shampoo on your hair.

Avoid Cotton Pillowcases

Do not sleep on pillow covers made of harsh clothing materials that are not breathable; instead, opt for satin or silk pillowcases to lock moisture and reduce friction.

Do Not Use Styling Products on Your Hair Too Often

These products can cause build-ups and damage your hair in the process.

Never Use Hot Water to Rinse Your Hair

However, you do not have to torture yourself with cold water in cold weather to seal hair follicles either. Using lukewarm will also make sure the job is smoothly done.

Do Not Use Fine Combs

Avoid finely toothed combed at all times as this can make your hair frizzy.

Avoid Tight Hairstyles

Do not style your hair into tight hairstyles, as these can break the structure of your curls.

Low Maintenance Hairstyles for Curly Hair

Pulling off hairstyles might be tricky with curly hair as it might be as if the hairstyles you spent so much effort on are barely visible. While it is a perk of having curly hair, you can also use this opportunity to skip the arduous hairstyles every once in a while and wear simpler ones.

Curly hair has a charm of its own, so simple hairstyles can also look quirky and fun with curls. However, remember not to pull your hair into tight buns or ponytails, as tight hairstyles destroy the formation of curls and might lead to hair breakage.

You can always pull your hair into a loose hair bun, braids, or ponytails. Wearing your hair half down and a half up can help switch hairstyles every once in a while. And letting your curls loose is probably the best way to flaunt your bouncy curls in all their glory.

Hair Cuts for Curly Hair

Similar to hairstyles, picking a haircut can also be quite tricky as the haircuts might look less prominent than they would on straighter hair. Fear not, as we have found just the haircuts for you that will highlight your curls.

Long layers are the easiest way to show off your brand-new hair when it comes to curly hair. This way, you can also reduce some of the bulk of hair strands, so the hair weighs down less.

Curly hair often tends to be very thick, so you should try to tone down the volume every once in a while so that it is easy for you to take care of your hair.

Another factor that we often overlook is regularly trimming your hair to get rid of spilt-ends and ensure hair growth. Trim the ends of your hair every two months or per month to get rid of split ends. While limiting your haircuts to once every six months is the best way to ensure that your hair growth remains steady.

Conclusion

Always remember that healthy curly hair requires a lot of moisture without being weighed down, and choose products accordingly. When properly taken care of, natural curls are a thing of beauty all on their own.

As you now know how to take care of curly hair and build a special haircare regime around moisturizing, let nothing stop you from flaunting your natural curls!

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