Having a curly hair is a style in itself. But maintaining a curly hair takes much more time than the straight hair. It is hard to set curly hair as per wish. Curly hair is naturally dry so it requires extra care to maintain healthy moisturized curls.
Here is how to take care of your curly hair:
Always Comb Your Hair from Bottom Up
When combing or detangling your curly hair start untangling from the end and gradually come above to the scalp. Use wide tooth comb or your fingers to detangle your curls. This will prevent breakage and preserve shape of curls. Bristle brush can fray your hair damaging the curls.
Trim your Hair Ends to Avoid Split Ends
Trim your hair every 6-8 weeks from the expert. Always get hair cut when it is dry. Curls shrink significantly when dry; some coils tightly and some hang loose. A dry cut avoids surprises and give the right cut length knowing exactly where every strands falls.
No Shampooing
Curly hair is naturally dry and shampooing often tends to wash away the natural oils leaving hair dry and frizzy. The best way to wash curly hair is shampooing with 100% sulphate free or co-washing or washing hair with only conditioner to prevent fluffy hair. Or, you can make your own conditioner by mixing small proportion of sulphate free shampoo with greater proportion of conditioner. This will give gentle washing with deep moisturizing.
Apply a Conditioning Treatment
Instead of combing your hair after it dries, apply conditioner and comb it while still in shower. Combing after shower leads to separation of curls and cause frizz. Use your fingers to apply products from roots to ends then scrunch and squeeze upward towards the scalp. Apply deep conditioning to your hair twice a month. This will keep your curls in healthy shape. Apply deep conditioner before shower, tuck in shower cap and wash your body first. It is helpful to lock in moisture from steam during shower.
Use Diffuser while Blow-drying
Curly hair is naturally air dried. Blow-drying twice a week is more than enough. Use diffusers to minimize frizzes. Too much heat styling can lead to losing the bounce of curls and moisture. Use conditioning mask in shower for hair to regain moisture and reform curls. Diffuser distributes heat evenly and hence helps out even your curl pattern by adding volume. Let the ends have natural air dry rather than blow-dry. This will prevent your hair end from quick damages.
Use Silk Pillowcase
Cotton absorbs moisture from your hair which causes brittle and friction between hair and cotton during sleep leads to breakage. A silk pillowcase decreases friction and keep things smooth.
Switch to T-shirt
After washing your hair remove excess water with a t-shirt instead of towel. Drying your hair using towel cause loss of moisture as towel absorbs more moisture and not just excess water out of hair leading to frizz. Instead, t-shirt with its smoothness will smooth your curls and prevent tangles and frizz.
These are few of the tips to maintain healthy curls. Rock your curls with different styles and show off your confidence.