I have curly hair, and for a long time, I hated it. I’m sure this is a feeling to which many others in the curly crew can relate.

Having curly hair means having to dedicate the time and resources to give your hair the proper care it needs. This was not a lesson I cared to learn when I was younger. I just wanted to have straight hair like everyone else.

As I got older, curly hair made its way into mainstream media. I started to see more people with curly hair, and really nice curly hair at that! I learned that maybe if I took care of it, I could have nice curls like I saw in pictures, rather than the frizzy mess I was dealing with. I set off on a hair care mission; I found things that worked, and things that really didn’t.

Below are some of my favourite tips and products that have helped me along my curl journey.

Every Conditioner Is A Leave-in Conditioner

Almost every conditioner you have ever used has the following instructions:

“After shampooing, apply conditioner generously to hair, working through to ends. Wait X amount of minutes. Rinse hair thoroughly”.

Well I’m here to tell you, do NOT rinse thoroughly! Now hear me out, a curly hair follicle has a different shape than a straight hair follicle. The follicle shape that creates the curl in your hair impacts how easily your hair can absorb moisture. This means, we need to take extra care in moisturizing our hair as curls often have a harder time picking up the oils and essential nutrients they need to stay quenched and healthy.

When conditioning your hair, don’t rinse it all away. Leave a tiny bit of conditioner in your hair and let it really set in and do its job. When you’re rinsing out the product, cup your hand under your hair to catch the water. If the water in your hand looks slightly foggy, kind of like skim milk, then that’s enough – stop rinsing!

Looking for an extra moisturizing conditioner? My go-to is the Maui Moisture Curl Quench Coconut Oil Conditioner.

Join Team Scrunchie

A big thanks to VSCO girls everywhere for bringing scrunchies back!

There are few enemies to curly hair that are as notorious as the elastic hair tie. Since curly hair is naturally drier than other forms of hair, it is more brittle and thus more prone to breakage. The last thing you need is to throw an elastic hair tie in the mix to aggressively tug and pull at your hair, causing damage.

Scrunchies are made out of a soft fabric that slides along your hair, rather than pulling at it. Scrunchies also have a bit of a looser hold than regular elastics, allowing you to avoid that nasty tugging and high tension that comes with your traditional hair tie.

Looking for a silky smooth scrunchie? I can’t live without the Kitsch Metallic Scrunchies Blush and Mauve.

Upgrade Your Towel Game

Say goodbye to frizz for good! (read: say goodbye to your towel for good)

Using a regular towel to dry your hair is one of the most common curly mistakes. Cotton towels absorb way too much moisture, leaving your hair brittle and dried out. They also create a lot of friction, which lifts your hair cuticle and causes way more frizz than you bargained for!

Enter the microfiber towel – truly a gift to us all! Microfiber is a much smoother material that creates less friction (less frizz!) when it comes into contact with your hair. It also absorbs water quickly, but not excessively, so it’ll leave your hair hydrated and ready for the day. Never again will you face the dilemma of going outside with dripping wet hair, or cause major breakage with a regular towel.

My microfiber fave is the Kitsch Microfiber Hair Towel.

Sleep The Damage Away

Breakage seems to be the word of the day here, but it’s also the word at night!

One of the most common (and most commonly overlooked) sources of breakage is right under your nose…literally! While cotton towels are no friend to frizz, neither is your cotton pillowcase. The same friction frenzy applies here, giving your hair eight or so hours of non-stop frizz buildup.

Sleeping with a silk pillowcase gives your hair a smoother, more friction-friendly surface to sleep on that’ll keep your curls intact all day long!

Check out this satin sleep set that’s bound to be the easiest, and most enjoyable part of your new hair care routine.

Find Your Curl Crew

Learning about the world of curls is a big undertaking. There’s a lot of information out there, and it can be a big commitment to search through it all to find that golden key that relates to your specific hair type – but you’re definitely not alone!

Seek out other people with curly hair, and ask them about their hair care routine. Maybe you’ll end up finding your own curl confidence in a new, perfect product! We’ve got a few curly girls here in the office, and here are some of their favourite products:

Leah’s Faves:

Andalou Naturals Marula Oil Detangling Spray & Lightweight Conditioning

Voir Haircare Secrets in the Snow: Soft Styling Foam

Cake Beauty The Curl Whip Whipped Curl Mousse

Lisa’s Faves:

Kristin Ess Hair Depth Defining Water-Based Pomade

Kristin Ess Hair Hydrating Curl Defining Cream

Sending lots of love to the curly crew!

What are some of your favourite products?