on January 23, 2016 3 Healthy Ways To Moisturize Dry Curly Hair
Managing to moisturize curly hair of any texture properly is a hurdle for many women with naturally curly hair, especially considering that curly hair literally begs for moisture all year round. In humid (or very dry) climates, though, things get even more intense!
Well, the good news is that you can change this! You no longer have to fight with your dry curls! How? Just follow these three easy steps for a couple of weeks, which is more or less a little tweaking of your regular regime actually, and you won’t believe your eyes!
1. Moisturize and Condition after Cleansing
Never forget to condition after you shampoo your hair, which should ideally be just a couple of times a week. All the other days, just get in the shower (or use the sink), wet your hair and comb some conditioner through it using your fingers. Don’t be modest. Apply a generous amount of it. Some dollop of conditioner and a little water in your palms will help keep your hair less frizzy and more tamed. Simply rub your hands together and apply gently to the hair with emphasis on the top – which in most cases gets the frizziest.
2. Don’t Rinse; Seal in the Moisture!
The amount of conditioner left on the hair will determine how frizzy it’ll be, so don’t rinse it all out of the hair. A trick is to splash your head with water you have filled your cupped hands with and stay away from the steam of the shower.
After you have washed and properly conditioned your hair, it’s time to seal all that moisture with a naturally occurring oil. This could be coconut or olive oil or any other oils that can penetrate the cuticle shafts and are proven as great sealants (i.e. grapeseed oil). Now, you can do this with a leave-in that contains these oils or the oil alone. The oils will create a protective shield around the cuticle and delay moisture loss significantly.
Note: There is curly hair that needs something more. If your hair doesn’t feel soft and moisturized yet (when fully dry), you can use a watery leave-in conditioner before the sealing phase or a creamy, oil-based leave-in conditioner after it. Also, make sure you replenish the moisture throughout the week until your next shampooing, when needed (i.e. when the hair is about to become frizzy).
3. Deep Condition Twice a Week
Use a rich, thick product to deep condition your hair. Leave it on the hair for about 15 mins or use the blow dryer to heat it up. Alternatively, you could also wrap a warm towel (make sure it’s damp) around the hair and leave for 10-15 mins.
However, before you do all that, it’s important to do your homework first. Using the right products can do wonders on your hair. Use the wrong ones and you’ll end up with greasy, crunchy hair. For that reason, always look for products with ingredients that contribute to your hair’s hydration. Also, those that include jojoba oil, vegetable oils, shea butter, cetyl esters, wheat germ and, of course, olive oil are all excellent to use.
jojoba oil, vegetable oils, shea butter, cetyl esters, wheat germ and, of course, olive oil are all excellent to use.
Don’t forget to get conditioners that contain humectants, such as sorbitol, vegetable glycerin, and panthenol, which soak in moisture from the atmosphere!
Extra Points to Note:
- Always go for the ingredients list and ignore the packaging of the product. Water-based products are more preferred than oil-based, given that water is the best thing you can give your curls to have them moisturized. Mineral oil on curly hair makes it dry, so it’s best to avoid it, too. If you need to pick an oil-based product, then jojoba and avocado oil are very similar to the sebum (natural hair oil) in structure. Hence, they make excellent moisturizers as they penetrate the hair shaft and give strands the needed hydration.
- Only use hair products specially formulated for your curls. If you notice a shampoo or conditioner has glycerine or Shea butter go for it because both ingredients lock in moisture and provide vitamin A. Also, Aloe Vera is known for its moisturizing properties, among others.
- Use sulfate-free shampoo. Although sulfate’s produce lather, it’s found that they are responsible for drying the hair. And, dry curly hair is frizzy, wild hair. Alternatively, you can forget all about shampooing your hair and use only conditioner. You may hear it referred to as co-washing and it means skipping shampoo completely and using conditioner instead. In this case, use a deep conditioning treatment at least once a week (however, your hair will show you if you need more). Let the treatment sit on the hair for 15-20 mins and then rinse the product out. Or you could leave it overnight. In this case, just keep the curls in a hair net and wash it out when you wake up.
- If you need to dry your curls, better air dry as it is much less harmful. However if you are using a blow dryer just make sure you keep the temperature setting low. Also, the use of a diffuser can also help hold the curls without losing moisture.
- Don’t overdo with hair products. They weigh down your curls and prevent your strands from absorbing moisture. As for heat protective serums, give your hair a break from them every once in a while.
- It takes longer for the oil that the scalp produces to reach the end of the curly hair strands, compared with straight hair, where it’s just a straight line! For that reason, any dry parts should be trimmed every 8-10 weeks so that you avoid split ends. Or you could focus on applying moisturizer hair care products to the drier ends.
It may not happen overnight, and you will have to experiment with various products at first before everything starts coming together. After a while, though, you will know which products best moisturize your curly strands. Once you do, it’s key to be diligent. Give your hair some time and if you are consistent with your hair moisture routine, results will impress you for sure.
After all, all your thirsty hair needs is for you to be proactive in feeding moisture to promote a healthy appearance for your lovely curls!