Let’s talk curly hair because if I’m being honest, it would have been so helpful to have someone talk to me about it when I was learning to embrace my natural hair.
I have Type 3A or 3B hair. I used to absolutely hate my hair and now looking back it makes me really sad that I didn’t have access to the resources and knowledge I needed to take proper care of my hair.
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No one in my family had hair even similar to mine, so no one knew how to teach me how to take care of it, let alone style it. Most of the time it ended up getting brushed (which made it a big poof ball) or put up in a bun when I was kid.
I then spent my teenage years and my entire 20’s straightening this gorgeous hair (pic below) because it was just a frizzy mess when left natural unless I used a lot of gel and I hated how that made my hair feel stiff.
When I turned 30, I decided enough was enough. I was going to learn how to embrace my natural hair.
It wasn’t pretty at first. Of course, I’ve experimented with products in the past like gels and creams. I hated the way gel felt “unnatural” in my hair and the creams I’ve used in the past left my hair frizzy when dried.
I’ve learned a few things through trial and error and so I’m going to share with you all things I’ve found that work well for me!
MOISTURE, MOISTURE, MOISTURE!
I can’t tell you enough how important it is to moisturize your hair. Curly hair that is dried out will be frizzy and hard to manage, not to mention the natural curl pattern will be disrupted.
Deep condition
Adding in a deep conditioner into your hair care routine will make a major difference in the look and feel of your curls. I like to deep condition my hair 1 to 2 times a week.
I put the deep conditioner in my hair after shampooing and leave in my hair for at least 10 minutes, sometimes longer.
Here are a few brands that I love:
Eva NYC therapy session hair mask
Sauce Guacamole whip deep conditioning hair mask
Daily Conditioner
It’s also really important to have a good quality daily/regular conditioner. I say regular because I only wet my hair and apply this kind of conditioner once every 2-3 days.
Right now, my favorite brand for a regular conditioner is Carols Daughter. I love how well it works for my curls, but I also really enjoy the fact that it is pretty clean when it comes to the ingredients.
Goddess strength fortifying conditioner
I’m also a big fan of Giovanni products. They are also really clean when it comes to the ingredients they use
Clarifying and calming conditioner (this one smells incredible!)
Giovanni Repairing Conditioner
Shampooing
I use Shampoo on my hair, but I only wash my hair with shampoo once a weekish. Sometimes I’ll wash it twice if I’ve worked hard, gotten really sweaty or dirty outside of my normal routine. I also always shampoo AND condition after swimming in a pool. The chlorine can be really drying on hair in general.
I’m not as picky about the shampoo that I use because I don’t use it as often as the other products I have but again, I enjoy products that lean on the cleaner side.
That’s why I love Giovanni products! They are cleaner than other brands. The price can be a bit heftier, but I feel like they are pretty fair considering some high name brand salon products.
My absolute favorite shampoo is the Clarifying and Calming from Giovanni, and I am not lying to you when I tell you that it smells freakin incredible. This shampoo really gets the build-up off my scalp, and I feel like it works really well at washing the products I use out of my hair.
Another Shampoo brand I’ve been using lately is Hask. I like it because it gets the job done, leaves my scalp feeling really clean and fresh, it’s affordable and easy to find. You can find Hask products at Walmart (cheapest), Target, The Dollar Store or your local pharmacy. I like that I can run to my local DG if I run out of shampoo. Here’s a link to purchase a shampoo/conditioner set for curly hair on Amazon if you prefer.
Hair Serum
I have found that using a good hair serum and or hair oil is super helpful in taming and managing frizz. It’s also a great tool to have for freshening up 2 or 3 day old curls because let’s be honest, I do not have time to wet and style my hair every day.
I’ve used several hair serums and oils in my day. Even when I was straightening my hair on the regular I have always kept a hair serum and oil in my regimen.
So, I do not say it lightly when I say I have FOUND the holy grail of hair serums! If you have thick, course, frizzy hair you have got to try it.
It is thick, it smells amazing and it literally breathes life into my 2 and 3 day old hair.
Just guess what brand it comes from? GIOVANNI! It works wonders and comes from one my favorite brands? Major WIN.
I swear this hair serum and a spray bottle can turn my hair from frizz ball to presentable in 2 minutes.
Giovanni Frizz Be Gone Super Smoothing Hair Serum
Giovanni Frizz Be Gone Polishing Hair Serum
Curl creams and Leave in
I am not really a fan of hair gels and I do not like any product that leaves my hair feeling stiff or crunchy.
This Carols Daughter defining cream works wonders to help hold the natural shape of my curls without leaving my hair feeling crunchy. My curls are super soft and really bouncy with this product.
I can’t stress enough how important it is to keep curls moisturized. I always apply a leave in conditioner when styling my hair, this helps reduce frizz and keeps my curls soft and bouncy. The leave in conditioner I’m currently loving is another product by Carols Daughter.
Scalp Care
I’ve suffered from pretty bad dandruff. I think this may be due to product usage. It really embarrasses me ( which I shouldn’t even sweat it, it’s just dandruff) but it just bothers me, although my scalp doesn’t itch much with it, it is super flakey. There’s a few things I’ve found that has a made a huge difference in my dandruff : Scalp oil and a scalp massager.
I really like this scalp oil currently. It has a slighly minty aroma which feels a little tingly on my scalp so it feels like I’m pampering myself at the spa. This oil really nourishes my dried out scalp. Aunt Jackies Elixir Hair and Scalp Oil
A scalp massager has been a game changer for my dandruff. As long as I use it and the oil regularly my dandruff is much more controlled. Regularly massaging the scalp also helps stimulate blood flow for a healthy scalp as well as improves hair growth. A scalp massager like this one also helps release buildup of product for a cleaner scalp, plus it is silicone, so it is safe to use in the shower.
Hair Brush
You might be thinking that a hairbrush is just a hairbrush but hear me out. I never thought I would say that I found a hairbrush I couldn’t live without but here we are, and this one takes the CAKE.
When looking for a brush that works wells for curly hair you need it to be multifunctional. It’s important that the brush helps to gently remove tangles, have bristles that help distribute product and grooves that separate curl clumps for more defined curls.
This brush does just that. Having a good quality brush like this has been a game changer for my hair.
Hot Tools
At some point in your curly hair journey, you’re going to need a good diffuser. A diffuser allows for softer air flow from the hair dryer to gently dry your hair without disrupting your curl pattern or creating frizz.
I’ve found two things are important when looking for a good diffuser: Easy to hold and a deep diffuser bowl.
It can take a little while to diffuse curly hair, so you really want a dryer that is lightweight and easy to grip and hold for prolonged periods. It is also helpful if you can easily move the diffuser in all positions over your head with ease.
You need a deep bowl. Not all diffusers and diffuser attachments are created equal. Some diffusers are flat or only have a slight curve (shallow bowl) I have found that a diffuser works to much better when you have deep bowl to place the ends of my hair down into.
Let me put you on to this wavy talk 5-in1 hot air brush. This blow dryer is incredibly light weight and easy to hold, it comes with a deep diffuser bowl attachment and works great on my long hair, can it get any better than that?
Yes, yes it can! not only does it come with the diffuser attachment but it also comes with a blowout brush attachement, a round brush attachment, a concentrator attachment and a flat brush attachement. I like the other attachments for the ease of blowing out my hair on the rare occasion I straighten it, but my favorite part is that I can share this with my teenage daughter, who unfortunately did not inherit my curly hair, and it works great on her very thick and coarse hair.
Another incredible feature about this hair dryer is that the attachments LOCK IN PLACE. That’s right no more knocking off your diffuser attachment when you accidently bump it on the counter or pulling off the brush attachment when you run it through a tangle in your hair. This feature alone has been a major time and convenience saver. Now if you are interested in purchasing this product make sure you get the black colored set. The pink colored set does not have the deep diffuser bowl.
Hair Accessories
Having good quality hair accessories is also a must with thick curly hair. If I’m going to put my hair up, I need it to be secure and comfortable. These two products below deliver on both.
These Gimme hair ties for thick hair hold my hair in place, they don’t pull out my hair when removing and it makes the perfect looking messy bun in less than 15 seconds. They come in dark and blonde for all hair colors.
Also, these Mini ones are perfect for styling and bonus points that I can use them in my littles hair with no fuss and no tears because they do not tug and pull our hair out!
I love to put my thick curly hair up in low buns and half up like styles, but I need hair accessories that will hold all this hair and regular bobby pins do not cut it for my hair. When I discovered these double spiral pins it changed the hair do game for me, these are what I used to pin up my hair for my wedding, and I mean it when I tell you my hair was STUNNING, and it STAYED in place all night long.
Ok friends I hope this helped you along in your journey to embrace those natural curls! Let me know what products are must haves for you in the comments!
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