How to Embrace and Maintain Your Natural Curls

 Being a curly girl is hard work, fact. Our hair is a lot of upkeep, we know, and we have to take a lot of factors into consideration with its upkeep.  When getting a cut – will it weigh my curls down? Will it make them grow out and not down? Then there is hair care, and styling, which comes with their own problems – to air dry or diffuse? Do you curl or straighten? Don’t even get me started on holiday hair….  

Being a curly haired person is both a blessing and a curse. Sometimes everything works in your favour, sometimes a hat is our BFF. But how can we embrace our natural hair texture without spending a fortune, or spending forever in front of the mirror? 

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A post shared by Hannah ? (@hanzcurls) on Apr 25, 2019 at 2:36pm PDT

 Invest in good tools 

Like honing any good craft, curly hair requires specific tools to be able to maintain your style and shape. Blow drying curly hair is an art form in itself, and while you can blow dry it with a regular hair dryer, these tend to concentrate the heat in a specific manner downwards and in a concentrated funnel, which can leave you batting more frizz. A diffuser attachment for your dryer will allow you to disperse the heat around your hair and create more bounce and volume.

A wide tooth comb will help to separate your curls and give a better finish and allow you to disperse your products through the lengths evenly. Opt for a curling tong rather than straighteners to add more definition to your coils. 

Here’s our tips on diffusing Type 4 Hair and how to use a diffuser to make your hair fluffier.

Products 

Curly hair needs specific products to help maintain them because the coils tend to make it more difficult for the natural oils to disperse along the shaft, which means they tend to dry out more quickly than our straight–haired counterparts.

Curl specific shampoo and conditioner tends to be more moisturizing without weighing the curls down. Masks should be a staple part of your routine, with a deep conditioning mask applied at least once a week to penetrate every strand and add that much-needed hydration back into your hair.  Creams and serums reign supreme. They will help to gloss over your hair and give you smooth fly away free curls and add definition.  

Styling 

When it comes to styling and hair cuts, curly hair requires a professional hand. It might be tempting to go at it yourself, but because your curl pattern can change day to day, where your curls sit can differ too. Seek out a hairdre4sser who has experience in dealing with curly hair – ask the questions! Your hairdresser will know the best way to achieve the cut you want, so it’s best to leave it to them. Anyone who has left the hairdressers looking like they’ve been playing with a plug socket will know the importance of a good cut. 

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A post shared by m e r e d i t h ➰ (@curls_by_mer) on Apr 30, 2019 at 12:04pm PDT

 Work with your curls, not against them.  

While it might be tempting to flatten your curls with a flat iron, this is the exact opposite of what you should be doing if you want to embrace your texture. When you leave your hair to do its thing, it will react in kind and over time it will give you the style you are searching for  

Don’t wash every day 

Curls need to retain their moisture and as such, washing every day isn’t the best way forward. You’ll only end up stripping your air of all its natural oils and end up with more frizz.  Read more about how to get the best out of your hair between washes here.

Comb, don’t brush 

A wide-toothed comb will be your curls best friend. After washing, use a comb to detangle and separate your curls rather than a brush. 

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A post shared by Lisa Moscatelli (@curly_n_fab) on Apr 22, 2019 at 10:59am PDT

Embrace what you got 

It’s the classic conundrum. You have curly hair, and you lust after straight sleek hair. Ask a poker straight haired friend, and they will tell you how much they adore your curls. We are all unique and have our own unique beauty, so we should embrace what our mamas gave us and rock our curly crowns!