How Do You Care for Curly Hair?
After our Today Show appearance a few weeks ago, I got a couple of emails from viewers asking me about how I care for my curls. For many of us, curly hair feels like a strange disease for which there is no cure. We treat it, wrestle with it, and try to tame it to no avail. At least that’s how I felt for a long time.
For those of you who are new to the site you may want to go back and read why I stopped washing my hair. That hasn’t changed. So what’s my haircare routine these days? It’s actually shockingly minimal and I think that’s a testament to my natural oils at this point. I don’t even wet it every day anymore. (In the old days when I washed it and left mounds of product in there, I had to absolutely wet it every morning, sometimes twice a day if I was going out.)
When I do wet it in the shower I use only one product: a rich, clean conditioner. These days I’ve been loving the uber-luxurious one from Rare Elements. But you don’t need to use a $45 conditioner to get good results. I am just obsessed with the way it smells, and given how little I need now and that it’s the only hair product I use with regularity, it’s a treat I indulge in. I used to comb through my hair every time I showered as well—now I do that more occasionally because I find that it messes with the integrity of the curl. But every curl is different!
Because the Today Show was a special day, and because I was in New York humidity, that morning I also used a whole lot of my favorite hairspray from Intelligent Nutrients. We talk about this stuff in the book. It works amazingly well for all hair types.
And that’s it! Of course, at the studio they sprayed me down with some crazy toxic hairspray to make sure things didn’t move, which frankly was fine by me for this occasion.
So how do you care for your curls or waves?
Any excuse to use a picture from Pretty Woman
I think I was 13 before I had ANY idea what I was doing with my curls… and at that point it was all bad ideas. Eventually I got a book that advocated the whole – wash with conditioner thing. I did that for like 5 years but I was having trouble with build-up on my scalp so I got back into using shampoo. (not making my scalp any happier ’cause it’s super-dry) Nowadays I shower a lot less and wash my hair with shampoo when I do… but that’s like twice a week. I use copious amounts of conditioner and give it only a light rinse. When I get out of the shower I finger-comb it and then try to not touch it AT ALL while it dries. Then it curls up beautifully on it’s own and I can do whatever I want with it. I can even braid it and still have the same curls when I take it down. *magic*
I use a little gel on special occasions. That’s it.
I agree — no poo, no way!!! Wash with conditioner only — called co-wash for short! I like Aubrey Organics GPB conditioner. For “styling”, lately I’ve been using a combo of a little coconut oil and aloe vera gel — my hair is soooo soft and it keeps frizzies under control, although it’s very lightweight – no weighing down these curls!
Any suggestions for those of us with curly-ish hair that’s closer to wavy in some spots, and very fine? I’ve tried just conditioning and not washing, but it really weighed my hair down and eliminated most of the curl… Of course everyone’s hair is different, blah blah, but any ideas?
I like to think of my thick, long, easily tangled curly hair as a living organism with a mind of it’s own. In the high school years I drowned it in gel, dyed it, and fried it. Now in my early 20s I’m making up the damage with 100% natural remedies. I’m using up the last of my Jason conditioner (I comb it in in the shower) so I can switch to a truly 100% organic one (thought it was: it’s not).
I asked to review Josie Moran’s argan oil for my blog and they sent me the oil and their hair serum so I’ve been carefully trying both on my hair starting this week. When you have masses of thick hair it’s hard to limit yourself to a couple of drops (I heard my hair laugh at the teenie tiny bit of hair serum in the paltry amber glass). After a couple of days results are fine. One day my hair was even *gasp* very soft to the touch, which only happens on the rarest of days. I’m experimenting to get the amount right.
- Do you use argan oil to tame curls as a leave-in or to replace conditioner?
- If so, how much do you use?
- How much of your organic conditioner do you use at a time?
- If you don’t comb conditioner through your hair while it’s wet and pliant, how do you comb your hair? (Is it more manageable these days with your organic and minimal regime?)
I’m wondering if your head gets itchy? I tried to co-wash for 2 weeks and I couldn’t stand it any longer! Maybe it was the conditioner I was using? Or maybe because I have a lot of very thick hair?
I’d have to know more about your current habits to give proper advice but here are a few ideas: Wash less frequently and with a low-to-no-foaming shampoo like John Masters if you don’t already. Then depending on just how fine your hair is you may not even need regular conditioning (because you’ll have your own oils which in my experience, and Siobhan’s, actually can enhance waves and curls). I’d definitely try some of the Intelligent Nutrients line if you can afford it… It’s created by the former founder of Aveda, and he has a real knack for curly products. The line is more sticky than it is heavy and creamy (yet it doesn’t dry crunchy!) so it helps retain curl shape without weighing fine hair down. I love the spray and the leave-in conditioner especially, but there’s a nice gel too that could work. Ok, I sound like and ad. :) Hope that helps!
These days my head never ever gets itchy. I’m kind of still baffled by that to be honest. Back in the day before I used clean products my head would get itchy after about three days–so I’d wash it about twice a week. There’s definitely an adjustment period at first but I think most of my itch in those days was coming from all the junk I was leaving in there. Was your conditioner clean? Were you leaving it in? Maybe you should attempt to ween off shampoo slowly… or maybe dirty just isn’t for you. I have a lot of thick hair too but scalps are their own beasts too. Keep playing!
I also couldn’t sustain the co-only routine. My hair is very, very fine, and my scalp sensitive, and my curls loose spirals – I am at a total loss with how to care for them cleanly. So far I’m liking the GPB shampoo – it’s gentle enough that just the shampoo leaves me soft and clean, but I do have to use the Rosa Mosqueta every now and again to get really clean. I also use the GPB conditioner on the ends pre-wash every now and again to keep the ends soft. I’m still not thrilled, but I think I’m on the right path. Thinking of giving the Alaffia line a try soon.
Ha! I blowdry it flat. Growing up in Minnesota, land of the tall and flaxen-haired with a gross, frizzy, curly mop was a nightmare and I was made fun of every day. (Despite adults telling me it was “beautiful.) As soon as I figured out how to properly wield a blowdryer, I was blowdrying it straight every other day. (Of course I’ve had a bunch of Brazilian Blowouts). After reading your book, I’ve stopped getting formaldehyde on my hair and use Giovanni Shampoo and leave in a couple of times a week before I blow it out. It’s very shiny and manageable. I tried the “no poo” thing for a while, but it left too much build-up and my hair became a little stiff and dull. The only time I wear it curly is if I’m too lazy to blow it out and NO ONE will see me. I’m 29, and seeing my curls turns me from a confident, sexy woman into an awkward 13 year old all over again!
I only wash my hair once a week…I alternate with a baking soda followed by an acv rinse one week, and just an acv rinse the next week (both always followed by conditioner). I have a similar curl pattern to Alexandra’s, but I have an oily scalp, and while the individual hair strands are very coarse I don’t have much density, so I have to wet my hair everyday to get it to look decent. I condition with Nature’s Gate Hemp moisturizing conditioner after scrubbing my scalp with my finger tips. I alternate between several styling products (if I don’t use styling products…I look like I don’t use any styling products). My go-to with the cold weather is Aubrey Organics B-5 styling gel mixed with a bit of DevaCurl’s Set it Free. On the days I wash with baking soda, I use John Masters Organics sweet orange and silk protein styling gel. My hair looks fabulous when I use it, but I can’t use it more often than that because of the protein. Kinky Curly Curling Custard is another great gel, and while a lot of people use it exclusively this is another one that I can only use sporadically.
I was playing around with a homemade flax seed gel during the summer that worked pretty well, but a combination of laziness and busy-ness put a stop to that. I’m now tempted to start experimenting with it again.
No comment. Just came on with my usual curly-hair-envy to dream of the problems of having curly hair. Sigh. Your straight-as-a-poker-fine-haired-friend.
Any tips for fine, thin, straight-as-an-arrow hair?
I’m trying the no-poo, and for the most part, it’s great! My hair is liking having my natural oils there….only problem is the oils weigh it down SO much. I use a low-foam product (Original Sprout’s Moisturizing Shampoo & Bodywash) about once a week and every 2 days in between I use baking soda & acv “wash” (I really need your book, my ratios might be off). After the first “wash” (like this morning) my hair feels nasty and looks a little oily. I know in 2 days when I do it again, it’ll feel cleaner and have more movement, but it still won’t have more body. And my ends are dry and static-y as all get-out, despite using Original Sprout’s Tahitian Hair Oil ever time I wet my hair (only on the ends). Otherwise, my hair is nice and smooth…
I “co-wash” with Trader Joe’s tea tree oil conditioner. It looks as good/bad as it ever did. But previously I had to use a variety of stuff to keep it from getting too dry, too oily…it was very complicated. Now it’s simple. I think if some of you had build-up, maybe you weren’t rinsing well enough, or the conditioner wasn’t allowing you to. The tea tree oil conditioner rinses really clean. Sometimes I co-wash and rinse 2x. Sometimes, after it’s super clean, I’ll condition it a second time but leave a bit in when I rinse.
I still hate my hair because I have the world’s biggest cowlick, AND part of my hair is straight and part is curly (not even wavy – curly!) A friend says it’s because of pregnancy. I’m thinking of getting it chemically straightened or curled for all-over consistency, but of course, as a reader of this blog, you know it’s not something I feel very good about. I’ll take any advice if anyone’s offering.
to clarify: I’m not currently pregnant
I wash with Wen care products. It’s a conditioner you wash with and I absolutely love it. No, I don’t wet my hair every day. I also started using polygorum as prescribed by my naturopathic doctor. (It’s a tincture you take internally.) She said it would make my hair grow back (from thyroid issues) and I read that it will return your hair to the state of its youth. I’ve been using it for 2 months and last time I went to my hair salon for a cut my stylist said my hair was beautiful and she noticed how shiny it was when I walked in the door. Talk about some positive confirmation!
DevaCurl. Seriously.
I tried their line because I was looking for products without parabens and sulfates and other nasties, but found in the process that they actually get curly hair. They explain on their site: http://mydevacurl.com/about
I’ve had some issues with product consistency that I hope they get resolved, but overall I’m a huge fan.
Still trying to figure this out. My hair is more ‘wavy’ than curly, but definitely curly in some spots. I wash everyday ( :/ ) with John Masters shampoo. If I do nothing after my shower it’s super frizzy and somehow has no volume at the same time. I’ve been using John Masters Organics sweet orange and silk protein styling gel and like that for the most part, but I’ve noticed little flakes of it on my shirt. Maybe I’m putting too much in? I also use a couple of drops of argan oil, and that has really helped.
Lena- what do you mean (about the JM gel) exactly when you say “My hair looks fabulous when I use it, but I can’t use it more often than that because of the protein.”
Brittany, a lot of people’s hair is sensitive to too much protein. Generally speaking, if your hair is coarse (meaning, individual hair strands are thick) or not damaged or porous, then you don’t want to use protein-heavy products. When I use a conditioner or styling product with protein too often my hair looks dry and frizzy and feels brittle. That’s why I save the JM gel for when I do my baking soda wash, since bs makes my hair feel a bit stripped and I figure it’s a good time to use some protein (when I colored my hair, I’d do a deep protein treatment afterward, to make up for the damage) . If I use the gel the next day, my hair looks of but not as great, and if I use it a third day in a row, I get get big, frizzy hair with no curl definition.
Thanks for the reply! I’ll have to try your gel mixture for sure.
I went off shampoo for a while – trying the baking soda wash – then, because I keep having this itchy scalp with dandruff – like areas (just to clear that – it’s not really dandruff – more like my scalp keeps exfoliating in some areas, only in high stress periods or in hormonal readjustments like early stages of pregnancy or after giving birth) I used anti dandruff shampoo for just one wash. What a big mistake! My hair was soft and shiny, my curls were defined and sculpted now my hair is coarse, lifeless, without shine and luster. It’s sad. (with or without shampoo I use my natural oils to lock in moisture before and inbetween washes)
no shampoo for my curly hair anymore! (any natural advice for that exfoliating scalp of mine?)
To those who have shouted out to DevaCurl, I love DevaCurl too BUT – it has Propylene Glycol and “Fragrance” in the No-Poo and conditioner and things like PEG in the hair gel product. So it is not totally free of nasties…
Alexandra, I’ve been trying the no-shampoo and naturals-only route for the past few weeks, but this equilibrium of which you speak, nope, not for me. My scalp has been a greasy, itchy, irritated, flakey monster. (I did try jojoba and argan and tea tree oil without success.) I broke and went back to my No-Poo. Definitely on the hunt for something new…
I’ve been “no ‘poo” for two months, since reading No More Dirty Looks, just relying on a bicarb clean/apple cider vinegar conditioner regime once every week and a half or so. I’ve had mixed results – curls are amazing…they’re actually bouncing up and even the fringe area curls, which always used to just hang limply with just a lame attempt at a wave when I used commercial products. Also amazed that I can let it dry naturally and it dries perfectly and quickly – can wash my hair in the morning and it’s dry and looks OK by the time I get to work 40 minutes later. No more straighteners or even blow dryers. Loving it!
Downside is that I seem to be losing a LOT of hair. Heaps is coming out when I run my hands through my hair or use a detangling comb, and I’m waking up to find shedloads on my pillow. I haven’t got an itchy scalp or anything so I don’t think I’ve had a reaction. However I did have alopecia as a kid so it could be linked to that. Who knows. Maybe it’s just that I’m not using brushes/styling tools as much so my normal hairloss is coming all out at once, rather than being camouflaged in brushes etc.
Other downside is that my hair tends to get a bit frizzy. Don’t mind it, but when I need it to look nice I’ve resorted to using a fingerful of sweet almond oil to tame it. Am thinking about using an aloe conditioner that I spotted in my local healthfood store which has very few ingredients (and none with three or more syllables in their name).
But overall I have to say this is the first time in my life (and I’m 34) that I’ve actually come to love my curls.
I have kinky/coily/curly hair, and my hair regimen is very simple. I shampoo it once or twice a month with a sulfate-free shampoo, co-wash and condition about once or twice a week, and regularly moisturize my hair with aloe vera gel and water. I still haven’t found a good deep conditioning treatment. :(
I have very curly hair, and am of mixed European descent.
I have been no-poo for a year or so now. I “wash” 1-2 times a week with about a tablespoon of ACV in about a cup of water. I keep a bottle of ACV and a cup in the shower, and just dump it over my head and then massage my hair and scalp. And then rinse well. I no longer have any vinegar-y smell, now that I mix the acv with water before putting it in my hair. Thank goodness!
I stopped used baking soda, because it seemed to strip my hair too much.
I can’t let go of using gel, but I do make my own. 1/2 tsp agar-agar flakes + 1 cup water. Boil until all the flakes have dissolved. Add 1/2 tsp oil (olive or coconut) and then blend briefly. It works as well as any commercial gel I ever bought. And it stays fresh longer than flax seed gel. I used to make it with flax seeds, but the gel would start smelling and going rancid after about a week. Not nice. No such problem with agar.
I’m still working out the “kinks” though. ;) I have some dry-scalp flakiness, off and on. The acv usually takes care of that, at least for a few days. But it keeps coming back.
Also, I’m torn between wanting to use MORE gel to eliminate all frizzies and wanting to use NO gel to eliminate the little build-up that even my natural gel leaves. My hair feels SO good and soft when it has absolutely no product in it. But it is SO frizzy!!!
Maybe I’ll have to try some natural conditioner (or even better — figure out how to make my own. I’m SUCH a DIY girl! And I love to know first-hand what ingredients are in there.)
@Alexandra
I would love to give “no poo” a try, my problem I dye my hair, since I use a non amoniak dye(Sebastian), I will try to wash it off with conditioner only.
I usually put tons of sprays and gels after washing on my hair (Quidad) and like it kind of crunchy ..So I tried the homemade gel from agar-agar and put some aloe spray on it but my hair feels like feders…it is okay but not the look I am used to. Sooo my question.. you recommended the Intelligent Nutrients line, you wrote “. I love the spray and the leave-in conditioner especially”
I checked the site but I am confused about which one to try, could you please spell it out for me….also do you have a recommendation on a curl defining gel or styling product (I never go straight I love defined curls)
Thanks…Diana
Love this post! Can’t believe I’m just seeing it now/ Dunno how I missed it…
I looked up Rare Elements in Skin Deep and the Essential Conditioner earned a very desirable 1 (one) as a hazard rating. So now I’m completely convinced I MUST have it.
I’ll check back to let you know if I’m in co-wash heaven!
Thanks for a great book, blog, and all your info!