Like many curlies, you’ve most likely developed a hair care regimen that you’re comfortable using on a daily basis. Additionally, if you leave your house every day, you’ve almost certainly come up with a routine that lets you look your absolute best as often as possible. But does constantly applying products to your curls do more harm than good? Should you skip the products from time to time and give your curls a chance to breathe?
Product Buildup
Styling products such as gels and leave-in conditioners are often a curly girl’s best friend! Without them, we might have a tough time handling our curls. They’re so important that many of us have different styling products to accommodate different occasions, seasons and types of weather. Despite the benefits of styling products, however, there is one disadvantage to using them: product buildup.
Most of us curlies don’t need to wash our hair every single day. But to keep our style looking fresh, we may add a small amount of product to our hair each day. As a result, we end up with hair that carries products around for days. After a few days, our hair may start to appear lifeless due to the added weight of these products. This is why you should use clarifying shampoos to remove the products you’ve been applying without damaging your curls.
Skip the Extras
No curly wants to feel uncomfortable with her looks if she has to interact with people! However, if you don’t actually have to look presentable for the day, like on your day off, consider “airing out” your hair by skipping the styling products. Let your curls rest! Shampoo, condition, and dry as usual, then pull your hair back into a simple braid, puff or ponytail for the day. Since you’re used to wearing hair weighed down with products, you’ll probably notice that your hair feels much lighter. It’ll also be more likely to frizz, especially if you have fine hair, but that’s okay since you’re not leaving the house! The next day, you can resume your normal hair care routine, gels and all.
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Final Thoughts
We won’t argue that gels and leave-in conditioners are pretty much a lifesaver for curly girls! Still, while we may swear by some of our favorite styling products, we can do our curls a favor by letting them rest without the extras now and then. Have you come up with a way to make your hair look great even without styling products?
What are some of your styling secrets that don’t involve using styling products?
