If you have curly hair and have found yourself battling frizz, breakage and everything else in between, then you need to have a read of this.
Take a look at these 15 curly hair hacks that every curly girl needs.
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15 Curly Hair Hacks You Most Definitely Need To Know
1. Detangle using your fingers
Detangling your hair can seem like a chore, honestly, it is.
I can’t lie to you.
I don’t think I have ever come across anyone yet who loves to detangle their hair.
Detangling is a very tedious but necessary process. Because it is necessary it’s something that anyone with curly or kinky hair has to do.
To make the process a little easier the best way to detangle your hair is to use your fingers.
Using your fingers to detangle has a lot of advantages. For one it allows you to detangle with minimal breakage. This is great because if you can minimize the breakage you will allow your curls to continue to grow which is essential for keeping your hair healthy and strong.
Secondly, detangling using your fingers allows you to detangle right from the root. This is a must, especially for those of us with curly or kinky hair because we need to ensure that we are able to remove tangles and knots from the root.
2. Keep Your Scalp in Good Condition
Your scalp is where your hair comes out from so it makes sense that you should keep your scalp in the best possible condition.
You can do that by making sure that your scalp remains clean and free of product build up. Scalp massages are also great as well as they help to stimulate the blood flow on your scalp which promotes healthy hair growth.
3. Dry Your Hair Using A Tshirt
One of the worst things you can do for your hair is to be towel drying it.
Towel drying is awful for curly natural hair because it takes out too much of the moisture from your hair, leaving it frizzy and dry.
That’s the last thing that you want to do when you have just washed your hair and given it bags of moisture.
Remember curly hair needs lots of moisture if you want your curls to look and grow healthy.
If you need to dry your hair after washing it, it is best to either use a microfibre towel like this one which is great because they only take out the excess water and doesn’t leave your hair feeling dry.
If you are on a very tight budget you can also use an old t-shirt to wrap around your head.
4. Deep Condition Regularly
I have found that deep conditioning is one of the most underrated things that people see for their hair.
Deep conditioning your hair regularly is so beneficial to your hair because it penetrates right into your hairs shaft to make sure that moisture is well penetrated. No regular conditioner or leave in conditioner can do this.
It really is worth investing in a deep conditioner like this one. If you want to know more about all the great benefits of deep conditioning your hair you can read about it here.
5. Keep Your Hair Trimmed
Trimming your hair is so important. It might seem counterproductive at first if you are trying to grow your hair but trust me it is not.
One of the greatest benefits of trimming your hair is that it allows you to remove all the dead hair so that it makes way for the new hair to grow.
Dead hair is dry and brittle which means that your curls can not grow well.
Secondly, it helps to thicken your individual hairs making them look thicker and healthier. So remember, trim regularly for healthy looking curls.
Just remember if you are going to trim your hair make sure you use professional scissors like these or risk creating even more split ends!
6. Don’t Touch Your Hair Whilst It’s Drying
This is a cardinal sin when it comes to curly hair. Touching or playing with your hair when it is wet will mean that you disturb the curl pattern and it will cause frizz.
To minimize the amount of frizz you have when your hair is wet, try not to touch it at all.
I know this is a difficult one to do because I’ve been there so many times where I have wanted to “just adjust a curl so it sits a little better” but believe me you will only be causing frizz. Do yourself a favour and keep your hands out until your curls are dry.
7. Wear A Satin Bonnet To Bed
Protecting your hair when you go to bed is so important. That means no crashing out at night time before you have put on your satin bonnet.
Satin bonnets like this one help to protect your hair by ensuring that your hair is not rubbed on a pillowcase which can cause frizz and breakage.
I know it may seem silly to some of you but using a satin bonnet or a silk scarf really does help. Not only will it protect your hair from frizz but it will also help prolong the longevity of your curls.
8. Don’t Forget Your Protein Treatments
Protein is one of those things that I didn’t really take notice of for the longest time. I honestly thought that it was just a gimmick. I was so wrong.
Protein treatments like this are so important because they help to keep your hair strong and healthy.
Remember, your hair is composed of protein so it will need it to stay strong and healthy.
It’s also great for hair if it has been over-processed by heat or colouring. This can cause breakage which will make your hair look thinner than what it actually is.
Remember the key to healthy hair is protein, moisture, balance. Once you get this balance right everything else will fall into place.
9. Don’t Over Moisturise
Did you know that over moisturising your hair is a bad thing? Many people don’t know this, especially because in the world of natural hair we focus so much on getting enough moisture into our hair to begin with.
As with anything in life, everything has balance and curly hair is no exception.
If you want to know more about what over moisturising does to hair you can read about that here.
10. Prevent Breakage
Breakage is definitely something that you don’t want. This applies whether or not you intend on growing your hair long or not.
Breakage not only makes your hair look thinner but it also damages the internal structure of the hair. This is not good.
Thankfully there are a few things that you can do to help prevent hair breakage.
11. Don’t Strip The Oils
Your scalp naturally produces something called sebum.
In simple terms, it’s an oil that is perfect for your hair. It comprises of all the wonderful nutrients that your hair needs.
Washing your hair too often will mean that you are washing away this great oil from your hair that actually nourishes and protects your curly strands of hair.
This is the reason why water only washing has become so popular recently. You essentially get to wash the dirt out of your hair without washing out all the sebum.
12. Pineapple Your Hair
Pineappling your hair at night time is a great way to protect your curls. If you are someone that likes to do wash and go’s regularly but doesn’t enjoy the process of a wash and go, pineappling your hair at night will help you keep your wash and go for longer.
If you are not sure exactly what pineappling means you can check out this video as part of our curly hair hacks:
13. Refresh Your Curls
Did you know that you have to refresh your curls in order to bring them back to life the next day? If you have done the singling method or a wash and go refreshing your hair in the morning is simple.
All you need is a spray bottle like this one, water and a little leave in conditioner if you like.
Mix it all up in your bottle and lightly spritz your hair and shake it out to “loosen” your curls and get them looking fresh again for the day.
14. Apply Products To Damp or Wet Hair
The best way to get the most out of your hair products is to dampen your hair first or apply them straight after you have finished washing it.
Doing it this way will allow your hair to absorb the products better because it will act like a sponge.
If you apply them before dampening it or when your hair is dry your curls won’t be able to soak up all of the goodness and you don’t want that. Besides products on top of dry hair tend to just sit there and sometimes it’s even visible to the eye so it’s always better to dampen your hair first.
15. Find Out Your Hairs Porosity
This really is the biggest lesson I learned along my natural hair journey. Knowing your hairs porosity can mean all the difference between having healthy curls or dry frizzy hair.
Once you know your porosity everything else becomes easier to manage and maintain for your curly hair.
You will find that you will fall into one of 3 categories, low porosity, high porosity or normal porosity.
It’s definitely something you should look into more if you don’t already know.
Final Thoughts On Curly Hair Hacks
There is so much to learn about when it comes to curly hair. Hopefully, the above curly hair hacks have taught you a thing or two to help put your hair in the best possible position.
If you want to know more about keeping your curls in good shape take a look at some of my other articles below.
Related posts:
How to Seal and Moisturise Low Porosity Hair