Curly Hair Tips for Curly Girls!

If you have curly hair, then you know the struggle- the tangly knots that seem to take hours to comb through, the tumbleweed frizz that happens whenever it rains, or maybe it’s the struggle to get your hair to grow, to shine, and to bounce!

I remember those days when I absolutely hated my hair and everything about it. But over the years, I’ve learned a valuable truth- curly hair is BEAUTIFUL when taken care of properly. After months of studying, researching, and testing on my own hair, I’ve learned some tricks that has helped my hair not only grow longer, but also have become less frizzy, shinier, and more voluminous!

1. DO NOT USE HEAT TOOLS.

Just stop it. Stop the straightening. Stop the curling. Stop the heat! When you use your heat tools on your hair, you are literally frying your hair. It is curly hair suicide. Also, using heat tools on your hair creates more split ends faster, which prevents your hair from growing. REMEMBER: healthy hair grows the fastest.

2. DO NOT COLOR YOUR HAIR.

Very similar to heat tools- dying your hair causes damage. When you dye your hair, you are using chemicals that can ruin your natural hair, especially if you are going lighter/bleaching your hair.

A couple of years ago, I decided to YOLO it and dye my ends blue. It was gorgeous for about a week or so, but then the dye started washing out until it eventually looked seaweed green. My hair looked brassy and dead, and so to fix it, I decided to dye it red. The same pattern ensued- beautiful for week or two, then brassy and dead. My ends were not curling. Instead, they seemed to straighten out with a weird crispy kink. It definitely messed with my curl pattern and it took a few months for my hair to heal from the damage and regain its natural curl again.

I say ROCK YOUR NATURAL HAIR! It will look better because it is healthier!

3. KNOW WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE IN YOUR SHAMPOOS/CONDITIONERS.

Please read the ingredients that are in your shampoos and conditioners! Every curly girl know to avoid the following: sulfates, silicones, and parabens.

SULFATES- Sulfates are the chemicals that causes the lather when you shampoo your hair. However, these chemicals are harsh and are not good for curly hair. The harshness of the sulfates strips away the natural oils and hair proteins that your hair naturally produces. If you use sulfates too much, that is a big component to the cause of frizzy hair and even split ends.

Some of the most common sulfates are:

Sodium Lauryl Sulfates (SLS)

Sodium Laureth Sulfates (SLES)

Ammonium Lauryl Sulfates (ALS)

Ammonium Laureth Sulfates (ALES)

SILICONES- Silicones are the chemicals in your hair the gives you that gives you that slip-and-shine feeling when you shampoo/condition your hair. Sounds great, right? What many people don’t realize is that excessive usage of silicones create build-up in your hair. Having excessive build-up in your hair makes it difficult for moisture to penetrate into your hair, which in turn cause those tumbleweed frizz and tangled knots that cause us curly girls so much pain. Avoid silicones!

Any word that ends in either:

-cone

-conol

-xane

-col

-cane

Suspect that its a silicone!

Some of the most common silicones are:

Dimethicone

Dimethiconol

Amodimethicone

Cyclopentasiloxane

PARABENS- Parabens are the chemicals that are used to preserve the shelf life of shampoos and conditioners. They are also used in cosmetics. They are easily absorbed by the skin, and can cause irritations, so while it may not cause immediate damage to our hair, it can cause problems elsewhere. There is still some research going on about parabens, and I’m not one to start conspiracy theories, but all I am saying is that for me, I like to use natural ingredients in my hair.

If you have questions about how to know whether there are sulfates, silicones, or parabens in your hair, this link is excellent in explaining what kind of ingredients you want to avoid in your hair products.

One of my rules-of-thumb when it comes to using shampoos and conditioners is this: if a hair company makes products for both straight hair and curly hair, just don’t use it! Find a company that spends their time focusing on curly girls, because that means all of their research and money is going toward figuring out what works the best for curly hair.

4. TRIMMING- KNOWING WHEN TO DO IT.

From middle school up until about 2017, every time I would get a hair trim, I would be told the classic, “Get your hair trimmed every 4-6 weeks.” But here is the thing- you don’t need to do that!

The point of a trim is to get rid of split/dead ends. But if you are taking care of your hair already, then your hair is going to be healthy, which prevents split ends, which prevents the need for a trim, which allows your hair to grow. Again, healthy hair grows the fastest!

For example, when I had damaged hair from dyeing it blue and red, I got regular trims in order to get rid of the damage and bleach (I was way too scared to chop it all off!). Once all of the damage was removed, I implemented these curly hair habits, and in so doing, my hair is healthier, and I find that I only need to get my hair trimmed twice a year to get rid of split ends.

DISCLAIMER: This tip is for healthy hair. If you have damage from heat or dye, do get regular trims to help get rid of the damage. Once the damage is gone, implement healthy hair habits.

5. DO OIL SCALP MASSAGES

Oils can help speed up the process in your hair growth journey. Certain oils can help strengthen the hair, lengthen the hair, get rid of dandruff, and promote blood flow in your scalp, which will help your hair to grow. It also helps promote a healthy scalp as well and can get ride of dandruff and itchiness. There are a lot of different oils you can try. If you want to see what oil treatment I do, you can read my oil scalp massage routine by clicking this link.

6. HAVE PATIENCE

Oh, yes, our most favorite word- patience. The truth of the matter is, hair growth and hair health take time. As you start implementing these curly hair habits in your own healthy hair journey, you will see a change. I officially began my healthy hair journey in 2018, and by the beginning of 2019, I began to see a difference. Hair growth is a hormonal process, and if you dedicate yourself to these healthy hair habits and let nature take its course, you will begin to see that change yourself!

Comment below any healthy hair habits you find has helped you in your curly hair journey! 😊