Natural curly hair is certainly beautiful, but it’s also certainly prone to a few issues. Whether that’s dryness, breakage, frizz or tangles, you definitely need a specific plan of attack when it comes to looking after your gorgeous thick locks. With a little knowledge and easy-to-follow tips you can take back control and keep your hair in great condition. Check out a handful of our top tips here in our hair care guide for natural curly hair.
Common mistakes
We’re going to start with a couple of the most commonly made mistakes women with curly hair make. They are:
- Overusing products. There are two problems here: number one is the impact that styling products can have, and number two is how that can lead to over washing. Over washing hair can cause dryness, so when the ever-asked question about how often to wash hair is posed, once to twice a week should be more than enough for natural hair.
- Insufficient conditioning. Natural hair can be dry and therefore can need a lot of extra moisture. Rinse-out conditioners are great but they won’t do enough on their own, you need a leave-in conditioner to really penetrate the strands. Leave-in treatments with essential oils like coconut and avocado can work wonders when used once a week.
Embrace your natural style
It’s another all too common problem; the attempt to straighten your hair when all it wants to do is curl. Rather than trying to straighten or smooth out your locks, embrace them and give them a boost with hair oils. That’ll help them move more naturally and maintain nourishment.
Subtle styling
Carrying on with the ‘embrace your curls’ theme is the necessity to pay careful attention to how you style your hair. We’ve already talked about the need to avoid overusing products that can lead to damage; instead look out for products that contain that all-important moisture.
Heat can play another big factor in drying out your hair so be careful with styling tools too and, when you can, use cool water to rinse your hair rather than hot.
Make regular appointments
Along with the question about how often to wash hair, how often should I have my hair cut is right up there too. It might sound a little counter-intuitive, but having your hair cut actually helps it grow and helps to keep it really healthy. That particularly goes for the ends of your curls, as this is where the most dryness and damage occurs. Paying a visit to your stylist a minimum of four times a year should keep your hair in check, and they’ll be able to tell you differently if need be. Think of cuts as hair maintenance just as much as you see them as a chance for a restyle. Sometimes all your hair needs is a little personal attention.
There you have it, our complete guide to curly hair care, from avoiding common mistakes to embracing your natural locks. Put them into practice and enjoy the results!
Written by: Joana Teixeira
Image Credit: Bruno
