Curly hair is a gorgeous crown of twists and twirls that requires love and knowledge to let it shine. Unfortunately, most hair care tips in the beauty industry are given with straight or wavy hair in mind, which can go beyond being useless to actually causing damage to those of us with different hair types.
Below are 11 game-changing curly hair care tips we’ve accumulated over years of trying to be friends and not enemies with our own curly hair.
1. Only detangle your hair when it’s wet and thoroughly soaked in conditioner.
2. Switch to silk pillowcases to reduce breakage, frizz, and tangles.
3. Don’t over-wash your hair. Curly hair doesn’t get oily as fast as straight hair, and washing it too often won’t allow the oils to moisturize your hair, causing it to dry out.
4. Stock up on moisturizing products and apply them often and liberally – the key to keeping curly hair gorgeous is plenty of hydration. Some great choices are Shea Moisture’s Jamaican Black Castor Oil Leave-In Conditioner and the Macadamia Oil treatment.
5. Use a deep moisturizing mask at least once a week or every other week—something like Shea Moisture’s Jamaican Black Castor Oil Masque or this Argan Oil Deep Conditioning Treatment.
6. Reduce how often you heat style your hair. Straightening your hair and generally using heat on it not only damages your hair, but it also breaks down your curl pattern, making it harder to have those perfect coils we’re trying to achieve.
7. Start taking a biotin supplement. Just pick up a bottle from the store; most of these specifically-made-for-hair supplements actually contain less biotin than the store-bought versions but are more expensive.
8. Make sure you’re getting healthy fats like omega 3s from foods like avocados and flax seeds.
9. Use scrunchies if you tie up your hair, not rubber bands or small tight bands — they’ll break your hair more easily.
10. Get the ends of your hair trimmed about every 3 months. This doesn’t make it grow faster, as some people believe, but it does prevent your hair from becoming more damaged and breaking off by letting split ends rise up your hair follicles.
11. When using hair products, keep in mind some oils moisturize and others seal the hair follicle, keeping that moisture in. Use moisturizing oils first (like coconut and avocado oil), followed by sealing oils (like jojoba and grapeseed oil) to lock in the moisture.
Give these hair tips a try and see if they’ll have you wearing your natural curls proudly soon enough!
