Curly hair is a science. Don't believe me? Ask any curly girl to show you her arsenal of hair care potions and products.
I'm no expert in the curly girl world. I
am an expert in how to fight and destroy your curls with chemicals and heat to achieve a fleeting moment of sleek straight hair.
I'm moving into my 5th month of no shampoo, no curling irons, no flat irons, no chemical laden products, so I have a bit of knowledge to share about how to start the process. I've listed a few very important things to keep in mind .... because reading the gazillion forums/posts/articles can be a tad overwhelming.
*this book is a great place to start!
Curly Girl basics are cleanse, hydrate, & style.
This means you cleanse first with no sulfates <--- curly enemy #1
Some people use a "low poo" or fancy sulfate free gentle shampoo, but I just use conditioner.
Next, you hydrate. Again, I use a conditioner. Some people use a leave-in instead, some in addition to... it's all a ton of trial and error. Unfortunately there is no simple step by step miracle, but even the worst results are better than going back to destructive chemical abuse!
Finally, it's time to style. Gel, cream, whatever... again, you just have to experiment.
Forget about suds, squeaky clean, and obsessing about rinsing out all your conditioner.
Suds are for dishes. Squeaky clean is just weird... why should my hair make noises? Don't fret if you don't get all your conditioner out. In fact, most curly girls I know either leave it in completely or barely rinse it out. Once your scalp adjusts to the no poo thing, your thirsty curls will never betray you by becoming greasy with conditioner.... it just doesn't happen. It's possible that your curls could get limp, but that typically means the product isn't for you.
What works for one curly girl will not necessarily work for you, even if you seem to have the same hair type.
I have type 2c hair (find out your type
here so you know what the heck everyone is talking about with this type stuff). That said, I can tell you it's not 2c all over and not even every day. It's currently pretty short- growing out an asymmetrical pixie- so I'm going off of memory and old photos where I was on vacation and didn't have access to my curl fighting weapons. A product or routine that works great for one 2c probably won't work that well for me. I have a different background... consider the variables: hard water, type/frequency of coloring, humidity, porosity.
Speaking of porosity, it matters!
Determine your porosity
here. Porosity describes how well your hair holds/absorbs moisture, so knowing your porosity can help you decide what products/routines will work for you. I have low porosity, which means I should stay away from protein rich products and use a bit of heat with deep moisturizing treatments.
No sulfates, ever.
Become a label reader. My solution? Check out the brands dedicated
curly girls like DevaCurl and Shea Moisture.
Apply product to soaking wet hair.
This one was hard for me to get used to. My hair holds water for days, so adding gel to soaking wet hair just seemed ridiculous. BUT... I have to admit it prevents friz like you wouldn't believe.
No towel dried hair, please.
Don't reach for the towel! Instead, use an old T-shirt (don't buy a special curly hair towel for $12... that's just silly).
Hands off!
Don't touch your hair while it's drying. Just leave it alone. This one is tough for me too, but makes a huge difference.
