The cascades of curls are superb but we can’t deny that it requires a little care if you want a nice volume and pretty bouncy curls! For this, nothing like developing a new routine to sublimate your curly hair.
Pre-wash care based on vegetable oils to treat in depth, an appropriate shampoo, a conditioner that detangles, a mask for intense nutrition, a leave-in to keep hydration, and jelly to perfect the hairstyle. !
1. The oil bath
The oil bath is the pre-poo of choice for curly hair. We know that nourishing your hair well is the number one beauty secret for well-designed curls.
The oil bath is an intense treatment that provides fatty substances to deeply moisturize and fortify. The hair fiber will be invigorated, from the root to the lengths and the hair will be more supple.
The oil bath also protects the hair in anticipation of the shampoo, which is sometimes drying. Objectively, it’s a step in the routine not to be skipped when you want to take care of your curly hair!
In concrete terms, several vegetable oils are recommended: argan, castor, coconut, olive, shea butter… You can also combine several of them to take advantage of their different benefits.
We repeat ourselves but there is a real interest in choosing your organic oil, it is the assurance of extraction by pressure and cold, without the addition of preservatives or additives.
To maximize effectiveness, start by spraying a little water on your hair to open the scales. Detangle and then divide the hair into several sections.
The oil is then applied, strand by strand. It is difficult to assess the exact quantity: the hair must be well impregnated but not flooded either!
The hair is then turbanned with a polyethylene cap, a warm towel, or a charlotte. Ideally, we proceed in the evening in order to leave all night but if we cannot, we keep in mind that the exposure time must be at least a few hours.
When the hair is unrolled, it is ready for step number 2!
2. Shampoo
Even if you are on a minimalist routine, washing your hair is a must! The first thing is to choose a good shampoo for curly hair. It seems obvious but in front of the well-stocked shelves in supermarkets, it’s not easy to know which one to take.
Clearly, if we start with a natural routine, we turn to gentle cleansing bases, formulated without silicone, sulfate, paraben, or other suspect ingredients. Another important element to take into account is the size and shape of the curls.
If you have rather undulations, like 2C curly hair, you should not choose a formula that is too rich: it could weigh down the whole thing.
On the other hand, with 3A curly hair, one can afford it and it is even what they need. We then turn to moisturizing and nourishing shampoos for hair fiber.
A well-chosen shampoo will allow you to eliminate dirt, of course, but also to help smooth the cuticles and therefore tame frizz.
The other question to ask is also the frequency of shampoos. It largely depends on the texture: fine curly hair needs to be washed more quickly than thick curly hair.
One wash per week is a good average knowing that you can stretch to ten days when the hair is particularly dry.
On how to do it, nothing really differs from straight hair. We still think if we have a large hair mass, to separate the hair and shampoo section by section to be sure to have washed all of the hair.
We finish by taking care of the rinsing to get rid of all shampoo residue.
3. Conditioner
It is also an important gesture, especially for long curly hair. Indeed, the conditioner has several functions.
First, it softens the hair and relaxes it, which will greatly facilitate detangling (an always risky step for curly hair) afterward and prevent breakage.
Thanks to its moisturizing and nourishing active ingredients, it will also tighten the scales of the hair fiber and thus bring a soft and shiny appearance to the hair.
Finally, it forms a sheath around the hair to protect it from external aggressions.
Its application focuses mainly on the lengths and we take great care to cover the ends, which are often a little more damaged.
Unlike the oil bath or the mask, it is not a deep treatment. Leave it on for two or three minutes and that’s enough for it to be absorbed. Again, rinse carefully.
4. The mask
If you want to nourish your curly hair and get an optimal result, you add another layer of hydration with a mask.
If you don’t have time or are worried that it will be too much for your hair, you can choose between conditioner and a mask. Depending on the nature of your hair, it may not necessarily need all the steps every time.
Here too, there are many products for curly hair, but you can also turn to homemade recipes. Egg, avocado, and vegetable oils, for example, are ingredients rich in lipids and therefore perfect for nourishing hair fiber.
As for natural products, aloe vera works miracles in terms of hydration while not weighing down the hair thanks to its light texture.
Before applying the mask, wring out your hair well, it must still be damp but more soaked.
Spread the mask all over the hair, emphasizing the split ends. On the dosage side, we keep a light hand because an excess of material can be counterproductive and asphyxiate the hair.
Finally, regarding the exposure time, it is between 10 and 30 minutes for maximum absorption; after half an hour, there will be little point in letting it sit.
To determine the time, we take into account the condition of the hair: curly porous hair will need a little more time to assimilate the treatment than curly hair with low porosity.
As for the oil bath, you can roll the hair: it increases the effect tenfold and it is very practical to go about your business during the exposure time! After that, it remains only to rinse with warm water.
5. The leave-in
We are nearing the end of the leave-in, the care without rinsing! At this stage of the routine, the hair is full of moisturizers but if we stop there, the water contained in the hair fiber will evaporate when drying, and the curls will fall back.
The job of the leave-in is to retain and seal the hydration to keep curls that hold!
We find the leave-in in the form of cream or hair milk; it’s up to you to see which texture is most appropriate for your hair type knowing that the cream is denser.
Take a dab of the product and spread it evenly with your fingers over the damp lengths. All you have to do is scrunch, that is to say, bring your ends up towards the root by creating a spring movement in order to find your curls.
Then let it air dry.
6. Jelly
It’s the final touch to perfectly define your curls! This step should be included in the daily routine when styling.
The jelly is a moisturizing styling agent, with an aqueous texture, which will allow your hairstyle to hold from morning to evening.
The composition is very different from classic styling gels: here, the formula is alcohol-free and contains a lot of water.
Note for organic beauty stash: Linseed gel brings very good results.
Apply it sparingly to slightly damp hair (if you haven’t just washed your hair, a few sprays of water spray will suffice) and scrunch one last time.
Image Credit: Image by cookie_studio on Freepik
