6 Easy Ways to Embrace Your Naturally Curly Hair
Nothing says “party” like healthy and luxurious curly tresses. So stop stressing and thinking of ways to “neutralize” those free flowing curly locks by going artificially straight. Instead, what you should do is learn to embrace what nature and your parents have endowed you.
By giving your curly hair the TLC it deserves, especially if you’re in a humid environment, you can say bye-bye to obstinate and hard-to-style unruly locks. After all, you already know that you get what you give.
Now is the time to give stressing a break, and to start paying attention to what you can do to keep those curly locks healthy, soft and gloriously lovely. Here’s what the top hair stylist in Dubai says you should do:
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Ditch the ‘poo
When it comes to curly hair and shampoo, it’s better to avoid or ditch the latter altogether. Naturally curly hair is prone to drying and frizz, so if you must shampoo, do so with a 100 percent sulfate-free product. When reading shampoo labels, watch out for sodium lauryl sulfate — anything with it should go off your list.
You can also start taking the co-wash route — that is, washing your hair with conditioner. When you do this, you protect your hair from drying ingredients so common in shampoos, and you get to keep your hair hydrated. And remember, you need not wash your hair every day as two to three times a week should do the job.
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Love the conditioner
Naturally curly hair deserves conditioner. Lots of it. In fact, experts agree that curly hair benefits greatly from moisturizing and deep conditioning. Depending on how much moisture your curly hair needs, you may also opt to use leave-in conditioner after rinsing off your regular protein conditioner.
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Say no to alcohol
Just like regular shampoo, there are hairstyling products that suck the life and moisture out of naturally curly hair. If you can, stay away from hairsprays which usually have the greatest alcohol content, with gels and mousses coming in second.
Instead, opt for water-soluble gels that are non-sticky, and mousses or foams that are light and airy, giving your hair life, vitality and fullness without drying it out.
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Comb, don’t brush
Time to throw out or give away that expensive branded brush you got for your birthday. Brushing breaks up the hair strands and disturbs curl formation. Choose a quality snag-free comb to avoid creating a messy cloud of frizz characteristic of brushing. After shampooing, always use a wide-tooth comb for detangling. Be gentle to your hair and do it in sections. Start combing from the bottom up.
To freshen up your curls later in the day, use your fingers to tousle them back to life. You can also spritz your wilting curly locks with a little curl reactivator. You can make your own in a spray bottle by combining one part of your normal conditioner with four parts tap water. This way, you can take your DIY curl reactivator with you everywhere you go.
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Turn off the heat
Since curly hair is notoriously prone to dryness, any type of heat styling will lead to breakage and damage. Lay off flat irons, curling irons and blow dryers and instead get used to naturally air drying your hair.
If you must style with heat, do it as infrequently as possible, and always apply heat protection before styling. Invest in high-quality tools with ionic components such as ceramic or tourmaline, or stick to styling using only a diffuser.
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Take the silk route
Since you spend about seven to eight hours lying in bed, take note that cotton pillowcases can also wreak havoc on your curly tresses. Cotton absorbs moisture from your hair, and rough cotton pillowcases can cause both tangle and frizz.
Think of outfitting your pillows with silk or satin pillowcases. These keep the friction down to a minimum, and will help keep curls sleek and smooth.
So there really is no reason for you to be changing your naturally curly hair into something totally different. All you need to do is embrace your tresses and invest in some extra TLC so you’ll have beautiful, party-ready curly hair all the time — you’ll look like you just stepped out of the best hair salon in the city.
AUTHOR BIO
Hillary Kozma is the Owner/Managing Director/Creative Director of Kozma & Kozma Salon. Having built the foundation of her skills with an apprenticeship under a direct protege of Vidal Sassoon, Hillary and her husband opened Glow American Salon in Qatar in 2007 before expanding to Dubai as Kozma & Kozma in 2016. Hillary is hailed by the media as a “pioneer in her field” for introducing new talents, concepts, philosophies, and techniques to the Middle East.
