6 Tips for Your Curly Hair

Hello Everyone!

In my last blog post I talked about how embracing my natural hair made me appreciate who I am as an individual. Building off of that idea, I figured that I would now tell you guys about some of the tips and tricks that I learned over the years which helped me learn to love my hair.

I didn’t really start getting into truly learning about what was good for my hair until about four years ago. When I first started my curly journey, I was using certain products that worked well, but that weren’t at all natural. As I learned more about the cosmetics industry, I decided that I no longer wanted use products that were laden with synthetic chemicals on my hair.

When I graduated high school, I moved out to LA for college, and I noticed that my hair changed. I grew up on the east coast, and the climate out there tends to be very humid. The humidity usually made my hair frizzy, as is the case with most curly-haired folks. The drier climate in LA made my hair a little softer and I liked the change. My hair needs changed a little, so I started to pay more attention to what worked for my hair and what didn’t.

Because of this, I slowly but surely I started to create a natural hair routine for myself. This routine of mine developed from a mix of trial and error, and watching Youtubers who described their own personal hair journeys. This list is just a sample of some of the things that I have learned work best for me over those years.

1.Don’t Brush Your Hair!
This might sound weird at first, but what I like to do instead is finger comb my hair with coconut oil. That way, as I get the tangles out, I also can nourish and condition my hair. Plus, the coconut oil can help you get out the really tangled parts of your hair without causing too much damage. Once I get the big tangles out, I comb the rest of my hair out with a wide-tooth comb.

2. Acure
Acure is one of my favorite cosmetics brand ever! They make wonderfully effective vegan and cruelty free products from natural and simple ingredients. I am also a huge fan of their skincare line, but I’ll talk about that a little later. For my hair, my favorite products to use are the Repairing Conditioner, Clarifying Shampoo and the Leave-In Conditioner.

3. Shea Moisture
I absolutely love Shea Moisture. They make effective natural products that work so well for curly hair. Since I have discovered their products, I haven’t looked back. Seriously, if you have curly hair and you haven’t been using Shea Moisture, you need to fix that now. My personal favorites are the Coconut Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie, Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque and the Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner. I use the Curl Enhancing Smoothie right after I wash my hair, and periodically through out the week to refresh my curls. The other two products I only use when my hair feels especially dry.

4. Coconut Oil
My mom has used coconut oil our hair since before I can even remember, but I have only just realized how amazing it truly it. Coconut oil is great for all hair types, not just curly hair and I highly recommend that you use coconut oil in your regular routine. It’s great for strengthening, and conditioning your hair. It also makes styling my hair a lot easier.

5. LOC Method
LOC stands for Leave-In, Oil, and Conditioner. I recently came across this and I have found that it keeps my hair shiny, and moisturized for longer. The idea behind this method is that you first hydrate your hair with the leave-in conditioner, then you seal in that moisture with the oil and then you close the hair cuticle with the conditioner. My favorite products to use are Acure’s Leave-In Conditioner, then coconut oil and lastly the Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie I mentioned earlier.

6. Wash With Conditioner
Shampoo is not as great for our hair as we have been taught, especially if you have curly hair like myself. Using shampoo too much can strip your hair of natural oils that are essential for healthy hair. I only use shampoo very sparingly, I usually just use it to clean my scalp and let the rest wash down my hair under the shower head, but I don’t work it through the body of my hair. I use conditioner to wash the rest of my hair and sometimes, I’ll put the deep treatment masque that I mentioned earlier and wash that out after I’ve let it sit for a while.

These are just a few of the tips that I have learned over the years, and I hope that you find them as helpful as I have. If you have any questions, or want me to elaborate, please feel free to let me know in the comments!

-Stay Fabulous