Big hair, don’t care: how to embrace your curls – part 2
Last week in our Big hair, don’t care: how to embrace your curls blog series, we looked at hair types and curly cuts that will help you fall in love with your natural bounce. This week, we’re looking at the best curly hair products and routines for embracing your curls and love your life.
Let’s carry on with tip number five.
5. Switch your products
One of the biggest turning points for many of our curl clients is finding the right products for their hair. Curly hair is naturally drier than straight hair and, depending on porosity, can find it difficult to either absorb moisture or hold onto it. This makes many off-the-shelf hair products particularly drying and damaging.
Specific ingredients to avoid in your shampoo, conditioner and styling products include:
Silicon
Silicons are used to coat hair and protect it from damage. However, the problem with using silicones on curly hair is that this coating prevents moisture from being absorbed into the cuticle – making your hair dry and brittle. We suggest using silicone-free products where possible – such as the “Redken Frizz Dismiss” range.
Sulfates
Sulfates are used to remove oil, dirt and certain ingredients from your hair, including silicon. However, these can also remove moisture, making them drying. We recommend investing in:
1. A sulfate-containing shampoo that is silicone-free -for reset washes to remove silicon and product build-up around once a month; and
2. A sulfate and silicone-free shampoo and conditioner to use after your reset washes.
Alcohol
Good for the party but not great for your hair. Alcohol in shampoos and conditioners is also really drying and damaging for curly hair. Try to avoid or use a product with very little alcohol content.
Top tip: if you’re unsure about a product’s suitability for your curls, speak to one of our stylists or type the ingredients into a curl bot such as this one.
6. Add new products
To really enhance your curls, you should also add some new products to your shower shelf. In particular, we see great results with:
● Leave-in conditioners – adding extra moisture to your strands;
● Gels – to create a frizz-free “curl cast” while drying, that it later scrunched out;
● A protein-rich deep conditioning treatment used once or twice a month; and
● A wide-tooth comb for detangling in the shower.
7. Change your routine
Curly hair certainly isn’t wash-and-go but the more time you invest in cleansing and caring for your curls, the longer you can go between wash days. The top curly hair routine tips from the team in our Rugby hair salon include:
● Brushing your hair in the shower when your conditioner is in, and never when it’s dry.
● Working conditioner into your hair using a pulsing motion and lots of water.
● Using a microfibre towel to squeeze water out of your hair – never rubbing;
● Putting a gel or curl cream into your hair and letting it naturally dry before scrunching the crunch out.
● Swapping straighteners for a hairdryer with a diffuser on a low heat until nearly dry.
● Protecting your curls at night with a silk pillow and silk hair tie.
8. Enjoy
The biggest step to embracing your curls is enjoying the journey. It might take some time for your curls to recover from years of straightening, brushing and abandonment. But with time they’ll get they and during that time you can experiment with the products, routines and hairstyles that work for you.
Like we said, “big hair, don’t care!”
About Mack Hair and Beauty
Mack Hair and Beauty is a top hair salon in Rugby. From curly cuts to straight styles, we’ve got the team, products and knowledge to achieve exactly what you want.