Three Easy Tips to Take Care of Your Curly Hair

Curly hair always has had the reputation of being a tough hair type to manage as well as style properly. People who have curly hair know that the texture of such hair is dry and are characterized by lack of humidity. Such a hair type is more susceptible to breakage and split ends than straight hair. Often brushing such a hair type can result in explosion of frizz. Many with curly hair feel that straight hair is easier to handle. But, on the other hand, it may also happen that you are in love with your curls and want to take proper care of them.

Let us look at some of the handy tips to take care of your curly mane:

Tip #1: Find out a good hair stylist

Do not spend needlessly on costly hair-care products that can be easily replaced with equivalent products from the drugstore at a fraction of the cost of the former. It is always recommended that you find a good hair stylist who can care and cut your curly hair properly. A good hair stylist can also guide you on how you can style your mane at home. He or she can make your curly hair simply look great with any type of hair-care product.

Tip #2: Conditioning your curly hair

While applying a good conditioner, make sure that you are applying it properly to the entire length of your hair but apply it minimally especially near the scalp of your hair.  You should ensure that the conditioner is kept on for as long as possible as when you leave it on for a longer period of time, it will moisturize your hair in a better manner. Another tip for getting the maximum benefit from a hair conditioner is let it remain on your hair’s end and go to sleep with it. This is a good overnight hair treatment for your curly hair.

Tip #3: Washing frequency for your curly hair

Shampooing your hair too frequently can make your hair hard irrespective of the type of hair you have and the type of shampoo that you use. If you have curly hair, make sure that you are not shampooing it too frequently as your dry hair will then become drier. Trying to dry your hair using a towel too hard followed by use of a blow dryer may cause greater damage to your curly hair. Research has proved that the less you manipulate your hair, the better is it.

Easy Ways to Un-frizz Your Hair

Frizzy hair is usually a result of lack of moisture, whether it is due to the humidity in the air around or something that you are doing wrong. Either way, when the moisture in the hair dries out, the cuticle automatically reaches out for moisture in turn turning your hair into a frizzy mess. Here are some easy ways you can undo the act!

Use a conditioner!

Make sure you deep condition your hair every time you wash it, and let it sit for a while. In fact if you are accustomed to washing our hair thrice a week, you may want to skip the shampoo and use just a conditioner instead. Most conditioner formulations have a tiny amount of cleansing ingredients in them, which helps cleanse your hair while retaining the natural oils.

Pamper your tresses

The more you pamper your tresses the better they behave. Of course, different hair types require different hair treatments. We recommend that you give deep conditioning a try if you hair is of moderate to extreme thickness. The deep conditioner erases out the frizz, and if it does not, you may want to consider a more intense deep-conditioning method such as a leave-on overnight conditioner to do the trick. Hot oil treatments work best for fine and frizzy hair. They have similar effects as a deep conditioner, only do not make your hair feel heavy. Simply take a few tablespoons of jojoba or olive oil and microwave it for about ten seconds. Then pour it into your palm and gently massage it onto your hair. Of course, it may take a couple of washes for you to get all the oil off, but the frizz-free results will make it worth the effort!

After-shower care

If you are towel-drying your hair, try using one with microfibers so they are gentler on your hair and cause lesser friction and frizz. Do not rub or twist the towel on wet hair, but instead use blotting gestures to dry it out. If you use a blow-dryer, then don't switch on a full-blast of hot air on your hair, as this is sure to make it look like you stuck your finger in one of the power sockets. Instead, wait until most of your hair dries naturally before you blow-dry the rest of it.

If all else fails, then it's time to grab yourself a hat!

Four Ways to Naturally Straighten Curls

Having curly hair is always a love-hate battle. Going naturally curly is great and will look fabulous, but curls can turn into a mess of frizz quite easily. Whether you have soft, large curls or small, tight ringlets, there are days when you wish you would have shiny straight locks. Chemical hair treatments and hair irons are an option, but straightening your hair this way will do more damage than good. Heat and chemicals will dry your hair out, lead to hair fall and split ends and will ruin the overall health and texture of your hair. Fortunately there are several natural ways to get your curls to behave, and they leave you with more or less straight, soft and healthy hair.

1. Bobby pins
   The simplest and the easiest way to straighten out your curls – all you need are a few bobby pins and a good night’s sleep. After washing and conditioning your hair, avoid towel drying it as this will lead to more frizz. Just squeeze out the excess water using a soft cotton cloth. Then part your hair into several wet sections, comb them out and pin them to your scalp using the bobby pins. Use as many pins as you like until all of your hair is secured and then wrap a towel or scarf around your head and go to sleep. You will wake up with straighter locks in the morning.
   
   
   
2. Natural hair mask
   There are many masks that you can make to get your curls to look gorgeous and shiny. The coconut milk mask is one of the best out there as it straightens your hair as well as moisturizes it. To make the mask, whisk 1 cup of coconut milk with 2 tablespoons of virgin olive oil. Over medium heat whisk a mixture of 3 tablespoons of cornstarch and 4 tablespoons of lemon juice into the first mixture. Do this till the texture becomes similar to that of a conditioner. Apply it all over your hair, cover it with a warm towel for about 20 minutes before rinsing it out.
   
   
   
3. Rollers
   Velcro or foam rollers can also be used to straighten out your curls. After your regular wash and condition routine, wrap two-inch sections of your hair up and over the roller from the tips till the roots. Pin it in place and repeat the same for the rest of your hair. You can gently take the rollers out once your hair has dried or you can keep the rollers on overnight.
   
   
   
4. Brushing your hair
   This method can be used for mildly curly hair and doesn’t require a lot of work. When your hair is damp after a shower, you can brush it multiple times till it dries. You can add a little leave-in conditioner or serum to tame the frizz before doing so. Just remember to use a wide toothed comb and to brush your hair gently so as to not damage it.

How Reverse Shampooing Can Bring Back Life to Your Curly Hair

It's the same story everywhere, whether you have straight or curly hair - lifeless, dry tresses that break away with every wash. Keeping your hair moisturized and healthy can get much time-consuming for women with curly hair. However, what if we told you one simple change in your hair care routine can help you bring back life to your curly tresses? Not everyone is blessed with envious, curly hair and when you have it, you should do everything you can to keep your locks healthy. No, we won't be suggesting any chemical treatment to get a short-lived, healthy mane. Instead, it can be a life-changing decision for your hair!

Shampoo, but in reverse

The one simple thing you need to do while washing you curls next time is to reverse shampoo them. Here's how it works. Instead of shampooing your hair first and then using a conditioner on it, you first condition it and then shampoo it. It may feel a little strange at first, but you have to try the method to believe it! Reverse shampooing especially helps women with oily, volume-less hair or those struggling with product build-up on their scalp.

Why reverse shampooing?

Shampoos, especially the harsh ones, can sometimes strip your scalp off its natural oils, leaving you with a flaky mane and moisture-less hair. However, when you use a conditioner on your hair first, it ensures that your hair cuticles are locked there by sealing in all the moisture inside. The result? Beautiful, hydrated curls that you always wanted!

The method also makes your hair healthily voluminous. When you end your hair cleaning session by washing off the conditioner, it can cover your hair with an undesirable coating, which can weight down your hair, making it appear limp.

How to get it right?

Yes, it is all about conditioning your hair first and then shampooing it, but here is what you should keep in mind while following the reverse shampoo method. Work a natural, chemical-free conditioner into your hair, focusing on your hair ends and mid-shaft. Spread the product evenly throughout your hair and leave it on for a few minutes. Next, rinse it off and clean your scalp with a shampoo, this time focusing on your hair roots. Rinse thoroughly one last time to ensure that your hair is completely free from the product.

Four Hair Care Habits You Need to Give up on Right Away!

Curly hair is not easy to maintain of course, but having straight hair has its own troubles too. Also most of the times it is the hair care mistakes from your side that could be the reason for you losing your hair, literally! Your friends with straight hair may have shared hair care tips with you that might have worked amazingly for them, but they may not necessarily work on you. The hair care ritual for curly, kinky hair is different and here are four things that may be causing all the harm to your locks.

Being harsh with your hair

Your hair is delicate and expects you to take care of it with some love. Curly hair gets knotted easily and one of the biggest mistakes, which women with kinky hair commit, is to run the comb through their hair roughly to get rid of the knots. That is just wrong! Pulling through knotted hair will only lead to breakage, leaving you with weak, brittle hair, which clearly does not create a pretty picture. Instead work on small sections of hair to comb through the knots gently. It will ask for extra time of course, but you will love the results.

Quick tip: Do your hair a favor, don't use plastic combs on your curly hair, unless you want frizz.

Skipping the oil

Oiling is among the best and simplest ways of keeping your hair nourished and hydrated. By skipping on oiling your curls, you will only be making your hair dry and preventing it from getting the much needed moisture. Oiling your hair regularly is also said to improve the scalp's blood circulation. All it takes is a few drop of warm oil massaged gently all over your hair. Again, work in sections to ensure that the oil covers your hair and scalp evenly.

Chemical control

Too many chemicals can never be good for your hair, no matter what the product claims. So make it a habit to use natural, organic products for your curly hair to keep it healthy. Avoid shampoos with sulfate, which take away all the moisture from hair.

Washing your hair often

Among the best things about having African American hair is that you do not need to wash it often. Washing your hair more than twice a week can hamper the natural oil production process of your scalp, and you don't want to mess with it! Shampooing your hair just once a week should work fine. If you find you hair getting oily between washes, you can spritz some dry shampoo on your comb and brush through.

Do make it a point to deep condition your curly hair at least once in two weeks.

Three Curly Hair Problems and How to Solve Them

While the world envies our natural curls, most of us who have them can list the challenges that curly hair brings. Curly haired women often complain that their hair simply has a mind of its own and is almost impossible to rein in. While this might not be far from the truth, there are simply ways to tackle your unruly lion’s mane. Here are a few of the most common problems you face as a woman with curls, and how best you can solve them.

Problem: Frizz

You can spend hours together styling your hair, but as soon as you set step outside the humidity turns on you and leaves your hair in a frizzy mess.

Solution: You can eliminate the frizz in a few simple steps. First, wash your hair at least two to three times a week. After conditioning your hair, go through it with a wide-tooth comb. Once you have washed off your hair don’t rub it with a towel. Instead, gently soak out the moisture with an old t-shirt or a micro-fibre towel. Also, invest in a good leave-in conditioner and keep your hands off your hair when it is drying.

Problem: Volume

Curly Hair tends to be big in volume. Often you find yourself walking out that door with a mane of hair around you.

Solution: The simplest way to cutting down volume and avoiding a puffy hair, is to invest in a good salon. A great hair stylist will use scissors to cut down the bulk. When your curls easily fit in with each other and have a smooth fall, the problem of too much volume is automatically eliminated.

Problem: Tangles

Having curly can truly be a knotty affair. Curls are especially prone to knots and tangles because of its inherent follicle structure. When the cuticles of our hair are put through hot styling tools, chemical products and also due to natural wear and tear, it tends to tangle easily.

Solution: Using a good conditioner and gently comb through your hair in the shower. When your hair is dry and it has a particularly difficult knot in it, spray that area with a little extra leave-in conditioner before working out the knot with your fingers. Lastly, tie up your hair in bun when you sleep so that rubbing your head on the pillowcase does not worsen the knot problem.

Four Ways to Rock Your Natural Curls

Many of us, who have natural curls, often have a difficult time taming our wild curls and styling them in fresh, new ways. You might think that giving an exciting twist to your head of curls, on a daily basis, is a tedious task that takes up many hours. But, it really need not be so. There are many ways to be effortlessly fashionable. Here are three styling tips that will help you rock your natural curls.

Free Falling

The easiest and fuss-free look to go with is to just let loose your curls. It’s one hairstyle that looks great with any of your wardrobe choices and with any season. Wash ‘n’ go is a simple yet stylish option that eliminates the use of excessive product and any chemicals, which will benefit you immensely in the long run. Of course, the wind in your hair might mess up your hair, a little bit, but messy and curly are actually a great combination.

Chop ‘N’ Crop

Keep it short with cropped hair-dos. Many women with curly hair fear a short hair style. They simply don’t want to risk a fashion faux-pas. But the truth is, short crops and even bobs can look refreshingly smart on you. Moreover, they are much easier to maintain and can be an easy look to carry during the summers. If you are afraid of going too short, you can experiment with a shorter hairdo, maybe till mid-neck, and then see whether you will be comfortable with going shorter.

Back in Time

Aiming for curl chic? Then a touch of vintage will do wonders. For a dressy affair, adapting the vintage style that rock the 40s is a great idea. The volume, styling and ringlets that are a staple in vintage 40s hairstyles are perfect for your curly hair. You can experiment with waves, victory rolls, or even tie up your hair in a chignon.

Braid Beauty

Loose braids can be a very pretty yet feasible, functional everyday style that you can embrace for your curls. Once you have gotten the hang of them, braids can be very easy to do and you can even try a look that involves multiple braids. For starters, you can try out a single, side braid that is loose. You can add a bit of color and spunk to your hair do by wearing a delicate hair band or even hair clips.