Image Credit: Lydia Harper

Curly hair is overwhelming and there is a lot of information out there on how to take care of it. Now, I am a very low-maintenance person and my curly hair feels like a direct contradiction as it feels like the most daunting task on wash-day. Most of the social media content around curly hair often has people brush-styling or even finger-coiling their entire thick head of hair. I am not that girl and you don’t have to be either. 

I’m also not the curl police who claim that those with wavy hair can’t embrace their natural hair too! Everybody is different and everyone needs something different for their curls and it’s a lot of trial and error. However, these tips are for beginners and experts alike to learn how to accept the beautiful imperfection that curly hair brings:

Step 1: How to pick products

These are the current products in my rotation:

Pictured Above: A lot of hair products

Shampoo is completely based on personal preference based on your own scalp health. If your shampoo is working for you, stick with it! The conditioner is much more important. If you have thick hair, I would recommend using a hydrating hair mask instead of a traditional conditioner, as it lasts longer and is easier to slather onto your hair. If your hair is thinner you don’t want to weigh it down so a conditioner for curly hair would be more ideal. 

For styling products you don’t need to go crazy. All you need is a curl cream, a gel and potentially a mousse, if it suits you. The Curlsmith curl cream is a staple for me and I have been using it for over a year now. While the price is on the higher side at £23, it lasts for months and is definitely worth the money. If you are new to curly haircare, the John Freida Frizz Ease range is pretty good for getting used to the routine and is usually on sale in Boots. Garnier has also come out with a curly hair care line and I can attest it’s solid. Finally, if you want to spend a bit more money on one product, a good-quality hair oil is an essential for the final step. I use the Olaplex Bonding Hair Oil and it is completely worth the money as it makes my hair soft and shiny!

More generally, a styling brush is very important to achieving defined curls. A Denman brush is very good for this and can be found in Boots. A diffuser is a great investment as air-drying hair is a long process and it also helps to achieve more volume in your hair. Finally, a silk or satin bonnet, plus a satin pillowcase helps prevent your hair becoming frizzy and tangled overnight.

Pictured Above: My hair just before washing

Step 2: Wash

Washing curly hair is pretty standard. How often you wash your hair is based on your own preferences and how it lasts through the week. I wash my hair once a week as that is about as often as I can face it. Double-shampooing is a must to strip the hair of products you have used in the week and then to remove the everyday grime from hair. You should only shampoo your roots, as many shampoos can have a drying effect on your ends which then cause breakage, tangles and frizz. Don’t be shy with the hydrating hair mask; dollop a good portion all over your hair from the ear down. This is the only time you should detangle your hair, when there is a thick conditioner preventing major breakage. This is the most daunting part for me as my hair can get matted very fast, but the key is to take it section by section and start from the ends upwards. Don’t be concerned about the amount of hair you are losing: remember this is all the hair that’s fallen in a week!

Pictured Above: Hair washed

Step 3: Styling

Once your hair has been washed and detangled, it is time to use some styling products! Your hair must be dripping wet to avoid frizz forming, so I recommend doing this while you are still in the shower. Flip your hair upside down and rake through a liberal amount of curl cream, making sure the back of your hair is also covered. If using a mousse, scrunch in from root to tips and it should make a good squelching sound. Finally, rake through and scrunch a good amount of gel. 

Flip your hair gently, making sure the back layers are lying correctly. Now, you can either go straight to drying from here and go for a big Julia Roberts and Chappell Roan style, or follow the next few steps for a more defined, but more time consuming, look. I am a lazy person so I often go for the bigger, less defined look, but sometimes I want to see how far my curls can go. To do this, take small sections of your hair and use the styling brush to work through each section. The key is to hold the brush underneath the strand and pull up and away from your head, whilst adding tension by holding onto the head of the brush with your other hand, like when curling ribbon with scissors, as shown below: 

Pictured Above: Lydia Harper losing the will to live while styling her hair

You can do this across all your hair, or if you are lazy like me, just the front and top layers. As you keep looking after your natural hair, you’ll come to learn which sections need some extra help and which are fine with just product. Some people swear by finger-curling their entire head of hair. Life is too short.

Pictured Above: Hair styled

Finally, either air-dry your hair or use a diffuser attachment on your hair dryer. I recommend putting clips on your roots to keep some volume as they can often be weighed down by your curls. When diffusing, start at the roots and then work your way down the hair. Only cup the hair in the diffuser when it is about 80 percent dry.

Pictured Above: Drying hair with diffuser, questioning whether this was all worth it

Once your hair is completely dry, there should be a crunchy gel cast covering each curl. Using a hair oil, scrunch out that cast and separate any big curl clumps. Then shake your hair and mess it up a bit! Sometimes perfect curls can look a bit boring and a bit of frizz is definitely your friend. You’re now ready to debut your hair into the world!

Pictured Above: Final Result

Step 4: Maintenance 

Once you find a routine that works well for both you and your hair, your natural hair can look good for at least 3 days. To help it last, wear a bonnet at night and use a satin pillowcase. Once your hair becomes a bit too messy I’d recommend a protective hairstyle to prevent tangles from becoming unmanageable next washday. Usually on about day 3-4, I like to shampoo my hair, detangle it while it’s wet and put it into plaits to make my next washday a bit easier.

Curly hair can be a battle and often during the process you debate whether it’s all worth it, even when doing a less intensive routine like mine. However, when your hair is done you understand why you do it every week. For a few days, your hair looks phenomenal without having to wake up early to style it. Embrace your natural hair, don’t listen to films like The Princess Diaries (2001) that suggest your big, bushy hair needs to be tamed. Let it be free and learn to love the hair that you have been gifted.