Curly Hair Essentials

Anyone who has curly hair has undoubtedly had a bad hair day; a day when your hair is too frizzy, or has an inconsistent curl pattern. Here’s a few tips to help you get through those days:

Washing:

When washing curly hair, there’s a few key tips to remember. First is that shampoo is designed for your roots, you don’t need to worry about lathering your mids and ends. When you rinse the shampoo out, it will wash your mids and ends as it works its way down the hair shaft. Your product will last longer, and you wont ruffle up the cuticle, so less frizz to deal with afterwards. Depending on the amount of moisture needed in your hair, you can choose to have high, low or no foam cleansers. The higher the foam in the cleanser, the less moisture it will contain. Making sure you have the right amount of moisture in your shampoo will also help reduce frizz throughout the day.

Conditioner is essential when you have curly hair. Redken has a line designed specifically for all curly hair types. However, if you have distressed fine and dry curly hair you will need a much different conditioner than that of someone with distressed thick, dry curly hair. For finer hair types, a conditioner that has light weight moisture would be enough, for example Redken Frizz Dismiss Conditioner. For someone with a thicker, dryer hair type, a conditioner that has heavier moisture would be beneficial, for example Redken All Soft. Also using a deep conditioning treatment at home once a week to help retain and maintain is a plus. Once you have applied the conditioner, brush through your hair with a pick to get all the knots out, making sure to not tug or pull on the hair more than necessary. Once you have removed all the knots, gently rinse the conditioner out, or if you have chosen a leave in conditioner, move on to applying the product.

Product Choice:

Choosing the right product for your hair type is imperative. Decide what type of look youd like to achieve. If youre looking for a style that is going to stay in place throughout the day and give you that “wet” look, perhaps a gel based product would be suitable for you. If you are looking for a looser style that is a bit more airy, a cream based product would work well. Asking a stylist what they would recommend based on the look you’ve decided youd like can be a great starting place. Making sure to pick out a product that is designed for your hair type is necessary. If your hair is incredibly dry to begin with, a cream rather than a gel would be a better choice as it will retain a bit more moisture.

Applying product:

When you have found the product that is best suited to your hair, a hot tip is to apply the product in your hair while it is still dripping wet. You can keep your product in the shower along side your shampoo and conditioner and apply it while still in the shower. Flipping your head upside down, scrunch your product throughout the hair. Less is more to start, especially if you are trying out a new product. If you feel like you need more after your first application, go ahead and apply more; but remember that it is easier to re-apply prioduct than it is to wash it out if you apply too much.

Drying:

Once you have applied your product, keep your head flipped down, and use either a towel designed specifically for curly hair, or an old t-shirt to squeeze the moisture from your hair. Do not rub your head or hair when drying, you will distress the cuticle and create more frizz. Once you feel you have removed enough dampness, flip your head back up and decide where you would like your part to be, if you want one.

Again, time to decide what youd like your final look to be. You can let your hair air dry, and this will give you the least amount of frizz. Diffusing your hair will give you the most volume, but some frizz also. A nice middle ground is if you diffuse your hair to about 60%-70% dry, mostly at the roots, and then let it air dry the rest of the way. This will give you a nice amount of volume while keeping your frizz to a minimum.

Blow Drying:

If you’ve chosen to diffuse your hair, flipping your head upside down will give extra volume. A hot tip is once you’ve dryed a section, hit it with the “cool” button on your blowdryer and this will set the curls a bit more. Making sure to use a tailcomb, try to touch the hair as little as possible, as the more your touch the hair with your fingers, the more it will frizz.

Consulting a stylist can be the best way to get started on learning how to style your hair at home. If you have any questions, give us a call and we’d be happy to help. Good Luck Styling!