I think it is high time we normalize wearing our hair down proudly. This is a really hard thing to do when you don't have confidence in your curls. To help you gain confidence and help your hair grow in its most healthy and natural form, I've decided to make a list of some curly things. I will probably elaborate more on some of these in future articles but here are some important rules and tips for naturally curly hair.
No Heat
I know I've said this before and I will say this a million more times because it's so important. Heat destroys your hair. I know it seems like not a big deal especially if you use heat protectant but every time you use a wand, straightener, or blow-dryer on any heat setting, you are hurting your hair. We've all seen our hair get cut then spring up an inch or two more because of how light it is without the dead stuff. When you use heat you add more dead parts and your curls fall. If you want to diffuse your hair use the cool setting. I promise your hair will thank you with it's gorgeous natural form. Just be patient.
Sleep On Satin
Other fabrics pull on your hair and absorb all your hairs moisture. Sleeping on a pillowcase made with satin or silk protects your curls and keeps them from frizzing. If you don’t like the feeling then you could wrap your hair in a satin or silk scarf or bonnet. If you don't have anything else you could use a cotton t-shirt. Doing this helps keep your curls in tack and helps keep that first day curl look.
Gently Detangle
The death of curly hair is the rushed detangle session. Detangling your hair is so important in keeping your hair healthy and happy. Everyone's hair is different so figuring out what works with your hair is important. You should always either finger comb or use a wide tooth comb. You shouldn't use a brush and definitely never detangle your hair 100% dry. You should at least have conditioner or oil in your hair to help work out the tangles. Detangling under a stream of water helps work the knots out. Knowing how often you need to detangle is something you figure out depending on your hair. Maybe it's every day or only on wash days. Don't let people who don't understand your hair make you feel like you are doing something wrong. Curly hair is so different that straight hair so we have completely different routines then people with straight hair.
Styling
This is when most curly people start really messing up their hair. After you have your hair in the style you want, don't touch it. If you keep playing with it, running your fingers through, or scrunching your hair it will frizz and you could pull out the curls out. Another thing you should do while styling is stop using the hair ties with metal. It's actually best to use scrunchies because they pull on your hair the least. No matter what you use make sure you don't wrap it to many times or you will start pulling out hair that isn't ready to shed. I'll touch on different styles in another article.
Curly hair is something that you learn as you go along. When you gain that knowledge you should pass it on to other curly haired people so they can benefit from it too. Remember that everyone's hair is different so your curls probably will never look like your curly crushes but they will be just as beautiful.
