How Often Should Curly Hair Be Washed?
For all hair types, shampooing too frequently is hard on hair, no matter which shampoo you use. Shampooing too often just makes dry hair more dry, and the manipulation from towel-drying, brushing, and then using a blow dryer or flatiron causes more damage. Extensive research on hair shows that, without question, the less you manipulate it, the better.
To prevent dryness, concentrate your shampooing effort mostly on the scalp. After your scalp is good and clean then gently shampoo the ends of your hair. Also, lather up only once; unless you're using heavy styling products, once should be plenty to get your hair clean. Shampooing twice isn't necessary, so just ignore the common directive you see on the packaging to "lather, rinse, repeat."
Insider Tip: Why doesn't hair get sudsy with lather until the second shampooing? When hair has styling products, shine serums, or oils on it, they prevent the foaming ingredients in shampoos from becoming sudsy. The first shampooing removes this buildup, leaving the hair clean enough so that the shampoo lathers up if you go back for round two. But the fact that it lathers up just means that your hair is already clean, because the lather is not what is cleaning your hair. Give it a try; for most hair types, shampooing once is truly enough.
How to Condition Curly Hair
Apply conditioner only to the length of your hair; apply it minimally, if at all, to the new growth near the scalp. That will keep the conditioner from "greasing" up the scalp and weighing down the hair closest to it, which will result in flat hair at the scalp and puffy hair everywhere else!
Always try to keep conditioner on for as long as possible; the longer it is left on, the more moisturizing it will be. Consider using your regular rinse-out conditioner as a leave-in conditioner, too. A small amount applied from mid-length to the ends of curly hair will add an extra measure of smoothness and softness, plus help keep the frizz down—and you won't need to buy a separate leave-in conditioner.
Another conditioner tip is to sleep with your conditioner on the ends of your hair. This overnight treatment can go a long way toward ensuring the morning after is the start of a good hair day! For overnight use, you don't need a special treatment, such as a hair mask or hot oil or some type of plant oil. The ingredients in these "treatment" conditioners are merely conditioning ingredients in a more emollient base, and oils are just oils. What counts most is keeping the conditioner on as long as possible.
Styling curly hair is tricky, as most people with curly hair will attest! It takes experimenting to find which combination of the following suggestions works best for you, but here's what you can start doing now:
- After getting out of the shower, gently towel dry your hair and blot (don't rub) your hair with the towel. Rubbing wet hair with a towel causes damage that leads to frizzy hair.
- Avoid brushing curly hair because it will cause hair to frizz and separate due to a breaking up of the curl. Instead, use a wide-tooth plastic comb to gently detangle the hair.
- If your curly hair is thick and coarse, apply a silicone serum to the length of your hair before you start styling or add other styling products. Avoid the hair closest to the scalp.
- If your curly hair is fine and thin, then use a silicone spray and apply as little as possible to the length of your hair, again avoiding the scalp.
- If you want only minimal hold, then use lightweight styling lotions or gels.
- Letting your hair dry naturally is definitely less damaging, but not always practical. Use your blow dryer on a low setting with a diffuser attachment. This reduces the impact of the air blowing over your hair, and helps your curls better maintain their shape. Be sure to scrunch (lightly squeeze) the curls, gently lifting your hair at the root as you go. It helps to apply a styling cream first.
- When applying styling products don't use too much, and take the time to apply them evenly. Apply a little extra where you need it, but even then, be careful not to overdo. You don't want a big glob in one area and not enough in another!