Having curly hair is cool as. This type of hair looks gorgeous, you can do SO many different hairstyles and let’s be honest, curly hair, even wrapped up any old how, looks cute.
BUT, that’s beside a whole hell of hair care struggles and experiments.
With their high tendency to get dry, curly hair require healthy levels of moisture as well as a healthy daily manipulation.
Through many years trying to find out what makes my hair the happiest, I can finally say that I’ve found a routine that allows me to get healthy, defined and shiny hair.
My curly hair tips are minimalistic, cruelty free, natural and can perfectly fit into a wanderer’s lifestyle.
1. Say no to toxic chemicals ❌
In hair products,
« botanical », « natural », « made with natural ingredients », « vegan », « organic » are just marketing. Too many products promising being natural are actually everything but NOT natural.
It’s crucial for you to look out for toxic ingredients every time you purchase a new haircare product.
Especially the ones listed below. Let’s not go into details on how each of them is affecting both your hair and your body, but it’s important to mention that:
toxic chemicals in hair products are responsible for dry scalp, dandruff, split ends, extreme dryness, and fuzzy hair.
Stay away from:
• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate/Sodium Laureth Sulfate
• Fragrances
• Silicons
• Cocamidopropyl Betaine
• Triclosan
• Polysorbates
• Polyethylene Glycol
• Potassium Sorbate
• Dimethicone
Behentrimonium Chloride
• Cocamidopropyl Betaine
• Phenoxyethanol
- Formaldehyde£
• Denatured Alcohol
• Parabens
• Mineral Oil
• Phthalates
2. Nourish your hair 👩🏻🦱
Curly hair is very prone to get dry and to break down, most commonly because it lacks hydration. Being more porous than straight hair, curly hair doesn’t do well with humidity. Water molecules enter the curly hair before this one swells up, becoming dull and frizzy.
Every curly girl MUST spend time giving her hair good food to help it being strong and resistant to daily agressions.
• Do oil baths
bi-weekly or once a month, give your hair a second life with a nice oil bath.
Oily scalps will love jojoba and sweet almond oil. Otherwise, avocado, argan, coconut, or nigella are all incredible oils that will help nourishing and give your hair some shine.
-> Before your shampoo, detangle your hair and apply sufficient amount of the oil of your choice from roots to ends. You can choose to let it rest overnight or for at least 2 hours.
Then proceed to your normal hair wash routine.
• When you’re done with washing, apply a moisturizer on your hair. You could use a leave-in conditioner, or an oil, or an aloe vera gel for instance. Applying it on wet hair will allow your curls to get bouncy, well defined and… staying it.
• DON’T wait until your hair gets dry to moisturize it. Some will find it perfect to apply a little bit of conditioner everyday, while some will be satisfied with doing so every two days.
3. Have a healthy diet 🥑
Hair is continuously growing and being replaced. Follicles are constantly growing new hair with from nutrients present in the body. The food people ingest directly influence how their hair grows and how healthy their hair are.
A varied, healthy and balanced diet is the key to give quality nutrients to your body. Simply put:
• Avoid transformed and industrial products, prefer high quality foods. Organic and whole foods are the crème de la crème and should represent your grocery shopping at all times if you can financially afford it.
• Eat enough proteins daily (from a modest 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight to 2 grams for very active people). Good protein sources are eggs, legumes (beans, lentils) and fatty fish.
• Make sure you’re getting enough omega 3 fatty acids through your diet or your supplementation (especially the EPA and DHA ones).
• Consider supplementing yourself with magnesium as most of us lack magnesium these days.
• Get at least 20 minutes of direct sunlight every day to supply your body with sufficient D vitamin. If it’s not possible (winter, bad weather…) you should probably supplement yourself with a synthetic D vitamin supplement, especially during the winter.
• Eat colorful food every day, with enough fruits and vegetables to cover your vitamins and minerals needs.
4. Raw tips💡
• Get your hair a trim at least 2 to 3 times in a year.
• Tie your hair up for the night (in a braid for instance).
• Use a wide toothed comb to detangle your hair.
• Detangle your hair from the ends to the scalp.
• Avoid hair ties with metallic parts, prefer scrunchies.
• Air dry as much as possible, and diffuse when you have no other option.
• Skip daily shampoo.
• Turn down the hot water.
• Before you detangle, separate your hair into 4 sections.
• Split ends? Cut your hair as soon as possible or it will go back up your lengths.