Let’s get something straight right away: what works for one curly girl may not work for another, even if they have almost identical hair textures.
Let’s get another thing straight: there is no right or wrong when it comes to your hair. It’s YOUR hair! And if you’ve spent your life hiding it or altering it, just be patient as you start to build this new relationship with your curls. (And yes, we’re implying – no, we’re stating outright – that you are in a relationship with your curls!)
How to Easily Take Care of Your Curly Hair
Here we share just a few “do’s” and “don’ts” that have seemed to work for us for over the years. But “do” feel free to disregard this list completely and create your own! Remember, your curls are unique to YOU. So what’s worked for other people may not work for you. Have fun getting to know your own curls and building your own curly hair manifesto! Whatever you do or don’t do, please…..just learn to Love Ur Curls!
Do:
1) Switch to a satin or silk pillowcase. Why? Cotton pillowcases soak up moisture from the hair, leading to dry hair and possibly increased breakage, whereas satin or silk pillowcases can leave your curls smooth, and resulting in fewer tangles.
2) Use a 100% cotton t-shirt or microfiber towel when drying your hair. Why? Regular towels cause too much friction and break your curls apart before you’ve even had a chance to style them. Try the switch. You will notice a difference.
3) Air dry your hair whenever possible, or use a diffuser on low/medium heat. Why? Less heat (or better yet, no heat) is always the best option. But if you have really long or thick hair, or simply don’t have the time to allow for air drying, use a diffuser with your blow dryer. A diffuser is a curly girl’s best friend when a quick dry and style is needed.
4) For the final rinse in the shower, try to use cool/cold water. Taking care of curly hair after a shower is super important! Why? Well, we’re no scientists, but lucky for us we’ve spent a lot of time in a lab working with some! And they’ve been able to debunk some of the myths in hair care for us. It turns out this curly hair “do” actually has scientific basis. The heat and steam in the shower helps open up the hair cuticles, while the cold water helps close them up, in essence sealing in the moisturizing benefits from the conditioner. You should notice shinier and smoother hair with this one small change in your shower routine.
5) Apply the Love Ur Curls leave-in product to almost soaking wet hair. Why? We hate the F-word (“frizz”) and we try to avoid this negative word as much as possible. But if you want more “smooth” and definition in your style, the leave-in product works best when applied to soaking wet hair.
Don’t:
1) Don’t play with your hair or touch it too much after you have applied your leave-in. Again, we don’t like using the “F word” often but playing with your hair before it’s fully dry is the recipe for frizz! (And this goes for all leave-in products, not just ours. This is a general rule: put the products in your hair after a shower, then just leave your curls alone until fully dry).
2) Don’t dry brush or comb your hair. Why would you want to? To rejuvenate your “post wash-day” curls, just mix some of your leave-in product with water (play around with the formula, but we’ve found ¼ leave-in to ¾ water to work with most curl types) and spray liberally on to your dry hair. You don’t have to re-wet your hair completely. Just enough to give your dry curls some life and bounce. Spray, rescrunch, give your head a shake and go!
3) Don’t worry about “perfectly-defined curls.” What is this endless strive for perfection that we’re all on with our hair? You know who has perfectly defined curls? Girls who have used a CURLING IRON to curl their hair! NATURAL curly hair is anything but “PERFECT.” Some people have 3-4 different curl types on their heads. So stop striving for perfection and just let your curls do what they want to do. It’s the imperfections in naturally curly hair that make it beautiful!
4) Don’t use products with harsh ingredients (i.e. sulfates, silicones, etc.) Now we know, these “bad” ingredients are really a matter of personal preference, and what you choose to believe about them. Some people like silicones, some don’t. The reason people like them, though, is because they feel that without them their hair won’t be as shiny and smooth. Or that they won’t get that slip that they need in their conditioner. Trust us, it was REALLY HAAARD for us to create conditioner and leave-in products without using silicones (we failed 8x during the creation process and had to start all over!) but eventually, we nailed it! So why use silicones when you really don’t have to? And once you’ve tried a silicone-free product that actually works, you’ll never go back to ‘cones’ again.
5) The most important “Don’t” of all is this: DO NOT compare your curls to anyone else’s! Your curls are as unique as your fingerprints (ok, we don’t know if this is a scientific fact, but we certainly think it’s true!) so pleeeeease learn to love UR own unique and beautiful curls! Remember, this is the beginning of a new “relationship” so be kind, be gentle, and be patient with your hair.
