Who doesn’t aspire for soft and bouncy curls? However, it can be a problem when you have curly hair, due to it being prone to dryness. Some of our favorite curl defining styling products also makes our curls hard, too. Check out the following 5 methods that can give you the softness you’ve been longing for.
1″> Rake & Shake Method
Keeping everything light, this method was created by a curly hair stylist from Ouidad. It consists of you applying a lightweight styler with a lot of slip like Kinky Curly Knot Today, running it through your fingers through a small section of your hair as if your hand was a rake.
Rake the hair two times but on the second you want to hold onto your ends and shake them back and forth automatically separating and forming your natural curl pattern. The shaking helps to get rid of any crunch leaving you with softer curls.
2″> The LOC/LCO Method
The LOC/LCO methods are a simple 3-step system that will provide your curls with long lasting moisture and definition. This method is used mostly in the winter time.
The L stands for liquid/water, O stands for oil and C for cream/butter. After washing, style with water or a leave-in conditioner (both work, it just depends on your hair’s needs”> add an oil to seal in the moisture and then a curling cream or moisturizing butter. Some curlies prefer to apply the oil after the cream.
3″> The Praying Hands Method
This is a method you probably have already used during your hair journey. Often, we apply too much product and get crunchy curls, but by styling using praying hands, you can distribute the product from root to tip evenly without over doing any section.
Place your hands over a section of your hair in the prayer position (with your hair in-between both hands”> and simply slide down from the roots to the ends. This also works great whilst your hair is dry, apply a light oil to your palms and do the praying hands method in sections around your hair to add long-lasting smoothness and stretch out the hair.
4″> The No-Poo/Curly Girl Method
The No-Poo method is the famous curly girl method created by Lorraine Massey, which consists of washing your curls without shampoo! In other words co-washing, washing with a conditioner, this can contribute highly to softer curls as you avoid the dryness that shampoo can cause to curly hair.
When choosing a conditioner for the No-Poo method make sure to look out for ingredients like honey, vegetable glycerine, panthenol, aloe vera and nut butters as they will naturally soften and moisturise curly hair. You apply the conditioner from the roots upwards; detangle, massage and rinse to reveal refreshed soft hair.
5″> The Plopping Method
This method was born on NaturallyCurly forums! Using a soft t-shirt or microfiber towel, simply plop your wet and styled hair until it’s almost completely dry. This gets rid of the excess water while avoiding adding tension or frizz to your curls. Standard towels are harsh on the hair shaft and cause curly hair to frizz up so switch to a t-shirt or microfiber towel to soften your curls.
Plopping time usually is 10 minutes and you can then go in with a diffuser or continue to air dry. You can also keep your hair in the t-shirt or microfiber towel for overnight drying allowing the water to soak up and moisture to penetrate your curls.
