1. Use Rosewater To Maintain A Healthy Scalp/ Hair pH
Using Rosewater helps the hair and scalp maintain its acidic pH, it also fights dandruff, increases scalp circulation, reduces stress levels, and more. Read more and learn more about Rosewaterhere.
Rosewater should be used after you rinse your conditioner and can also be used daily on the scalp and face!
2. Get A Trim Every 6-8 Weeks
Trimming not only helps the ends of your hair BUT it also stops split ends from traveling. They also help keep the hair looking vibrant, feeling moisturized, and allows the hair to remain flexible AND will reduce frizz. (Depending on hair length you may need to get a trim sooner than 6-8 weeks or wait longer than 6-8 weeks, check out our trim guide here.
3. Shampoo No Sooner Than Once Per Week
The purpose of shampooing the hair is to cleanse and remove environmental and surface toxins from the hair and scalp. Shampooing also opens up the top layer of the hair and exposes the 2nd layer. It is important, with curls to not over-shampoo and not under shampoo.
Over shampooing can cause dryness, subject your hair to breakage, make the hair appear dull, and possiblychange the curl texture. Under shampooing can cause the hair to become heavy, smelly, cause inflammation on the scalp/ hair bumps, hold bacteria, and more.
Side Note: I do not like the idea of Co-Washing because it does not cleanse and remove toxins
4. Find A Good Foaming Lotion
A. good foaming lotion will change your curl life!! It will help hold your curls without drying them out, helped define the curls while maintaining shine and not make your hair crunchy (crunchy hair 🥴...so 90's; LOVE the 90's but we're about bounce, shine and healthy-looking hair these days).
A good foaming lotion will also reduce frizz! (Reducing frizz is a trend! 😁)
Non-Comedogenic simply means, non-pore clogging. As curl-head-cuties, we are more susceptible to getting hair bumps in our scalp because the hair does not grow straight out of the hair follicle. So adding pore-clogging oils/products does not allow the hair to release from the follicle at all, hence causing the inflammation and irritation in the scalp! So, it is important to keep that hair follicle clog-free to allow for a healthy growth cycle.
Learn more about Non-Comedogenic Oilshere. (You'll learn which are pore-clogging and which ones are, you might be surprised)
6. Cool Water As Often As Possible
In step 3 we covered shampooing BUT did you know the temperature of water makes a difference in your hair. Cool water helps keep the first layer of hair as closed as possible, which means it minimized the exposure of the second layer. Cool water also helps with the hair retaining moisture!
Shampoo and rinse your conditioner out with the temperature of water as cold as you can stand it! You guessed it, using a cooler temperature of water will also...(let the class say) reduce frizz!
7. Deep Conditioning Every Month
Deep conditioning gives you hair an extra ump!! It will help add extra moisture that your hair is not getting on an everyday basis!!
There are products that are specifically designed as a deep conditioning treatment, but my favorite thing to do is ahot oil treatmentand/or adding some of my non-comedogenic oils to my conditioner! This helps add moisture to the second layer of the hair and trap them in!
8. Minimize Heat Exposure
Applying heat to the hair excessively can cause you to lose your curls, dry your hair, and maybe cause some damage. If you're applying heat to the hair, be sure to add a curl protector on your hair EACH time you apply heat (ex. before you blowdry and before you use your flat iron/ curling iron).
In reference to you losing your curls if you use too much heat, your curls begin to relax and in some cases disappear! This is irreversible unless you use a chemical process to get the curls back. Just be careful when using heat!
9. Moisturizing Conditioner/ Minimize Protein Conditioners
Using moisturizing conditioner is great for curls!! Stay away from using protein conditioners too often. Protein conditioners, build strength in the hair BUT if used too often can cause the hair to become dry and brittle! (Protein conditioners will say something like, strength building, protein conditioner, stronger hair, etc.).
While we learned in step 3 the purpose of shampoo, the purpose of conditioner is to close the first layer of the hair and seal in the nutrients. The step SHOULD NOT be skipped and should always follow the shampoo!
Trust me when I tell you conditioner CAN damage your hair...which I will explain more in tip 11!
When you get some time, be sure to watch the video explaining more about conditioner.
10. Use A Paddle Brush To Detangle
Using a paddle brush, helps detangle the hair without pulling it too much. The teeth are small enough to detangle each strand but also wide enough that you won't miss a curl!
Always start brushing the hair from the ends and carefully work your hair to the scalp!
11. Follow Manufactures Directions
Listen, if someone would have told me back in 2006 how important it is to follow the manufactures directions...it would have saved me INCHES!!! 🤦🏾♀️🤦🏾♀️
I was 2 weeks into beauty school and my thought process was, the longer you leave the conditioner in your hair, the better it works! And, boy oh boy, was I wrong...that conditioner broke my hair OFF!! I mean, jacked my hair up completely! The good news is, it taught me a valuable lesson, but it also taught me to follow directions!
Product manufactures have done research on their products and they are not telling you what to do with their products as a suggestion, but as a fact that they know what will happen if you don't follow their directions!
12. Avoid Aggressive Water Removal From Hair
It's best to dab/pat the hair dry! Do not rub the hair aggressively with the towel, that can cause some tangles and dry the hair out.
Pat/ dab the hair dry lightly with little to no tight scrunching. Tight scrunching will also put unnecessary stress on the hair.
BONUS:
Stay away from chemical processes like relaxers, texturizers, color (especially bleach), those chemicals will cause your curl pattern to either release/ loosen your curls or cause the hair to lose the curl completely!
