Embracing the curl!

After years of hating and fighting my curls, several years ago I decided that God made me this way on purpose, so I might as well embrace it! Finding the right styles and products to help me actually like my hair has been a journey of its own. I have had several people ask me what I use lately, so here is a brief summary of what I have learned. 

1.  Never brush your hair. Seems like a no-brainer, but people with straight hair genuinely don’t know this! I don’t even use a comb on mine, honestly. 

2. Avoid sulphates! And anything else that dries the hair out. Frizzies are hairs reaching out for moisture. 

3. Only shampoo once or twice a week. Some people never do, by using conditioner as shampoo, but I found a shampoo I like and I feel cleaner when I use it. 

4. Wrap wet hair in a cotton t-shirt instead of a towel. 

So here’s my hair care routine:

I shampoo, rinse, then put in gobs and gobs of conditioner and comb it through with my fingers and scrunch  a little. I let it soak in while I shower, then rinse it out. Then I comb Curl Keeper through the same way, gently scrunching. I spread the t-shirt on the counter and plop my hair upside down on it with sleeves closest to me, then fold the shirt up over my head and tie the sleeves to hold it on. I hope that makes sense! After a while I take the shirt off my head and kind of wag my head back and forth to loosen the curls and get them in the right place. I mostly let it air dry, but occasionally use a hair dryer on cold with a diffuser. Usually with my head upside down. 🙃

On a daily basis I wet my hair, finger through some leave-in conditioner and some Curl Keeper and do the same drying routine. Or sometimes I just spray it with water and smooth it out with “praying hands”. 

My favorite products:

Curl Keeper by Curly Hair Solutions. This is by far my favorite of favorites. It keeps my hair from frizzing without making it crunchy. I mean, it can be crunchy if you want it to, but it doesn’t have to be. I have to order this on amazon and the price fluctuates but if I get the big size I  can usually get it for a little more than $1/ounce. 

Renpure Argan Oil shampoo and conditioner. I get this at Walmart for a great price and it’s sulphate free and feels and smells good!

Shea Moisture restorative conditioner. I use this as my leave-in conditioner, and it’s the only thing i use sparingly. Too much can make my hair too heavy. 

As I said, this has been a journey, so things change and adapt as I discover new products and techniques, but I hope this is helpful to someone!