I wish I had a guide for dealing with my curly/wavy hair when I was 12/13. I spent most of my adolescence/young adulthood straightening (aka damaging) my hair or putting my hair in a bun because I didn't know how to manage my curly/wavy hair. This is a guide to achieve soft no crunch waves/curls. The following recommendations have worked for me, but they might not work for you so experiment!
- Embrace your curls/waves. If you've been struggling with your hair you probably hate it and wish you had straight shiny hair. Consider yourself lucky! Girls with straight hair are probably lusting over your wavy/curly hair. Wavy/curly hair is never flat, dull, or boring. VS models are always rocking bouncy curls or bed head waves.
- Do not straighten your hair! Give your hair a no-straightening detox. It'll be the best thing you do for it. I went a year with out straightening or blow drying my hair. Now I only straighten my hair for special occasions and I can count the number of times I straightened my hair in the past year (4x) and I always use a heat protectant before I do (Tresemme Heat Protectant).
- Trim your hair regularly. I get mine trimmed every two or three months. It's like pruning for a plant. You get rid of the dead ends and it encourages growth.
- Avoid washing your hair everyday. It strips your hair of its natural oils and dries it out. Wear a shower cap if you shower daily and wash your hair every other day. I have used high end and low end shampoos and conditioners and I find that they work the same. I prefer using Suave or Dove.
- Avoid brushing your hair with a comb or brush. The only time I brush my hair is during and after a shower with a wide tooth comb. Most "hair experts" say not to brush your hair when it's wet because it promotes breakage. But, have you ever put a brush through dry curls or waves? It's frizz central and then your hair has no shape.
- Carefully finger brush your hair if you need to.
- Towel dry your hair. Ditch the blow dryer. I never blow dry my hair. Blow drying = Afro. Shower at night if you don't have time for it to dry in the morning.
- Use a leave-in-conditioner (Neutrogena Triple Moisture) when your hair is damp (not wet) after a shower.
- Keep your hair close to your head when it's drying. I keep my hair up in a bun and I found that this reduces frizz.
- Avoid playing with or touching your hair. Playing with your hair just does what brushing does, it will undue the natural shape and encourage frizz.
- Hairspray (Suave Extreme Hold)! This will set your curls/waves once it is dry.
- Keep your hair routine simple. You don't need a plethora of chemical filled products (gels, mousse) to have nice hair. It will probably dry out your hair and undue what you're trying to achieve, which is healthy glossy no crunch curls.
- Just go with it. I think for a type A perfectionist it's hard for me to have wild out of control hair that doesn't sit the way I want it to, but that's really the beauty of curls/waves.
XO Sarah
