Styling curly hair can be quite a challenge as humidity, frizz, and dryness present obstacles for even the most experienced of curlies. Curly hair has such personality that it’s often difficult to perfect a hairstyling technique when the behavior of curls can vary from day to day. Check out these ten tips that will make styling curly hair much easier.
1. Wash before styling
Before styling your hair, it is important to wash out all the leftover product, spray or serum that might be in your hair. Prior to styling, start with a clean, freshly washed head of hair–a clean canvas to apply new product and create your fresh style. Use a sulfate-free cleanser to wash out all the excess build-up and product.
2. Use a leave-in conditioner
The key to a frizz free style is moisture. Moisturizing the hair will not only help its overall health, but it will keep your frizz at bay. Before styling your hair, be sure to spray or coat your hair with a leave-in conditioner. It acts as a prep for your hairstyle, and gives your hair that extra moisture that it craves.
3. Check the forecast, first
It’s important to change up your regimen during different seasons. If it’s humid and hot outside, I stay away from products with glycerin in them, and instead stick to anti-humectants. Check out Frizz Forecast to find out what the weather has in store for your hair, and what products to use. It’s a great tool that has saved my waves too many times.
4. Section your curls
Several curlies complain that their hair turns out differently in different areas of the hair. Is it curlier in certain sections more than others? The problem lies in product application. Section your hair with clips to ensure even product applciation. The smaller the sections, the better. This way you can give each section of your hair the proper attention it needs, and ensure that each section gets an even amount of product.
5. Soaking wet hair is best
Many stylists recommend applying hair product when the hair is very wet. Hair product usually reacts better to wet hair because the hair soaks up the product. You will notice more defined curls. Often, too much time has passed between the time that I am out of the shower and ready for hairstyling. Use a moisturizing hair lotion or spray to add a little hydration to the drying parts.
6. Dilute product if you feel crunch
Is your hair crunchy after styling? This could be the result of too much product in your hair, or perhaps the ingredients in the styler you use is too heavy for your hair type. If you think the product might be too strong, add a little bit of water to the product to dilute it. Most of the time, crunch is the result of too much product. Depending on your hair’s thickness, the amount directed on the bottle is usually very accurate.
7. Air dry
On especially humid days, adding heat to your regimen can be a recipe for frizz. Air dry your curls as often as you can. Your hair will thank you, and you will notice a difference over time in the way your hair dries. Natural air drying is usually the better way to go.
8. Don’t touch your hair
Remember, your hair is delicate when it is drying. Be careful not to over-manipulate it or you might end up with frizzy curls. Don’t touch your hair with your hands until it’s completely dry. Then you can fix it however you want to.
9. Seal with light oils
Did you hair dry crunchy? Usually a touch of oil is enough to get the crunch out and leave your hair soft. If your hair is hard from too much gel, use a lighter oil, like marula or argan oils, and rub through your hands. Evenly distribute the oil over your hair by grabbing your hair as if you’re styling a ponytail, and smoothing it over from root to tip. Do this once your hair has dried.
10. Use a curl refresher
To keep your curls bouncy and fresh, spray them with a mix of leave-in conditioner and water. Curls can experience less bounciness on the second or third day after washing. Mist them back into life! A quick spray of leave-in conditioner and water will reactivate the product in your hair, reviving your curls in a matter of minutes.
This article was originally published in 2011 and has been updated for grammar and clarity.
