There are no shortcuts to healthy curls, especially if you’ve spent your life wearing them straight like I did. But there are some simple tips that, if employed consistently, can help you achieve your curl goals.
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Be gentle: It can be frustrating, but it's important to be patient. Start by detangling your ends, and then work your way up the hair shaft over time to avoid unnecessary breakage. And never comb your hair dry (unless it is straight). Always use some sort of lubricant (detangler, conditioner, leave-in) when detangling your hair to give it more slip and prevent hair damage.
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Limit Heat: Only straighten 2-3x per year if you want to maintain your curl pattern. This is not a requirement if you never plan to do wear your curls out - but if you want your curl pattern to be consistent, it’s important to take this rule seriously. If you take a look at this diagram of a hair shaft, you can better see why the combination of the high heat + the friction of the round brush wear down the hair's cuticle, leaving it susceptible to breakage. A great alternative way to achieve a stretched style is to get a roller set (low manipulation with less direct heat), or my personal favorite revair dryer.
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Trims Trims Trims: I trim my hair regularly (every 3-4 months) because split ends can unfortunately spread rapidly. Generally when I'm noticing an abnormal degree of frizz or difficulty detangling, it's indicative of breakage / splits. If you've ever eaten string cheese, that's how I would visualize split ends. Once the split is there, it's pretty easy for that to spread up the hair shaft.
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Avoid at all costs: As someone with very low porosity, hydration-craving hair, I try to stay away from butters & heavy oils. Unless you’re deep cleansing with a clarifying shampoo at least weekly if not more often, heavy oils and butters can prevent moisture from penetrating the cuticle, leaving your hair brittle, frizzy, and very hard to detangle. Lighter oils can be helpful in creating a barrier to protect your hair, but there's no substitution for good old fashioned water. Additionally, for my friends with low porosity hair, you should be very sparing with styling products with protein in them (excess protein can lead to breakage if you have fine, low porosity hair).
- Parting Words: Keep your hair hydrated, manipulate as infrequently as possible, & don't tie tight hair bands on your hair while it's wet (alternatively, use bobby pins, soft satin scrunchies, or claw clips so you don't get "ponytail breakage").
Do you have any favorite hair tips? Comment them below!