My hair. Throughout my life I have had one thing about myself that seems to attract attention, many questions, and much stress. When I was younger I had shiny ringlets of golden brown hair. As I grew my hair began to darken and grow extremely long. When I was younger my hair was my mother’s responsibility so I had no major control of it. In third grade I decided to cut my extremely long hair and donate it to locks of love. Then I decided in sixth grade to go even shorter and make it into a fro in my attempt to look like singer Corrine Balliey Ray. It was a disaster.
Ever since then my hair has never been the same it grew back frizzier and the thickness seemed to only be worse. For the most part I wore my hair in a bun or pony tail unless it was straightened. Through out most of middle school until now my search for finding the perfect hair care routine has evolved in hopes that it can be perfected. These are some techniques and tricks that people with curly hair can use to help manage their hair.
For people with curly your hair is already naturally dry and knotty. The most important thing to do when you get in the shower is condition first with Treseme conditioner. This helps detangle the hair so the shampoo can easily penetrate to the root and protect it from damage especially if your are not using a sulfate and paraben free shampoo. I use the Moses soothing elixir to cleanse my hair every two days. After that I apply the Moses soothing elixir hair mask which I leave in for about 5 or 8 minutes and with a wide tooth comb, comb your hair out. Always comb the ends of your hair first to stop breaking from the root. After I rinse that out I apply coconut oil and wrap my hair in an old t-shirt or pashmena to dry (never use a towel that will cause frizz and breaking).
After, if my hair is feeling dry I add some Moroccan oil or Chi leave in conditioner. Then I will take a blow dryer and put the diffuser attachment on. The diffuser is key to apply an even amount of heat and it helps the curls stay intact and shiny. Once your hair is dry you can spritz shine spray unless you have hair like mine and you need an extra something to avoid the puffiness. I split my hair into three sections and make them into braids. This will tame the curls and the final dying stage will be controlled.
Another tactic I use if I want more defined spirals is the same shower routine except I do not use a wide tooth comb I use my fingers to detangle my hair which to reduce chance of breakage and changing your curl pattern. Then I dry my hair with an old t-shirt or pashmena. I then re -wet my hair with cold water which helps the curls stick together again and close up the pores and roots on my scalp that opened from the steam n the shower. This also helps prevent major frizz and makes the hair easier to style. Then I take a small section of hair and separate it into 2 and twist them together. Continue this with small sections around your head until you have twisted your hair. You can also control how big or small you want to make your hair by the amount of hair you twist together. Once you have your twists if you can put them in braids and let them dry and sleep on them. If you are going somewhere then u can use the diffuser grabbing a few twists at a time and bringing them towards your head to have it dried from root to tip.
Once your hair is dry you gently untwist your hair and give it a little shake. The more you move and shake your curls the loser they will be. I like to spray some hair spray on my finger tips and run my finger through my roots and lift upwards to add volume. Then to add shine to the ringlets you can spritz some shine spray. I recommend the Bumble and Bumble shine on finishing spray. After you have mastered your perfect ringlets you can style as you wish.
It takes a while to find out the perfect routine for your hair because not curl pattern it alike and with a various amount of textures and thicknesses people have curls become something you must personalize. The main thing is to find your routine by taking tips and tricks from blogs, videos, and your stylist. The most important thing is to take good care of your hair. Ever since I was little I wanted straight hair and people with straight hair wanted my hair but as they say the grass is always greener on the other side.
Instead of damaging your hair with relaxers that can cause hair loss and straightening your hair daily until it breaks off, embrace the natural hair you are given. It may take a while to find out what works for you but always be on the look for new techniques.
