HOW TO WIN YOUR CURLY HAIR WASH DAY
Whether you love it or hate it, wash day is the most essential part of a curly girl’s routine. The products you use, your washing techniques and your styling can either set your curls up for lasting success – or a wash day that just falls flat. Make the most of it with our tips!
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I WASH MY HAIR?
This can be the trickiest part of nailing down your routine, especially when answers range from once a week to once a month! But really, it all comes down to what kind of curls you have.
THICK CURLS or TIGHT COILS:
Luckily for you, your wash days will be few and far between! Since oil doesn’t travel down tight curls as easily, you can get away with washing if you notice buildup and your curls seem limp and lifeless, that’s a sign it’s time to shampoo again.
If you still feel like your style needs a refresh but don’t want to fully shampoo, try a water wash. It’s basically just a rinse – you still do the washing movements, just without any products.
Co-washing is another great option to revitalize your style! Mix one of our hydrating conditioners like the Curl Quench + Coconut Oil Conditioner with water and wash your hair as usual, focusing on your roots. Conditioners do remove buildup and dirt, contrary to popular belief, just not to the same level as a shampoo – so this is a great option for refreshing without starting your wash routine all over again.
MEDIUM CURLS or WAVES:
You’ll need to shampoo a bit more than thick/tight curls do as oil can travel more freely down your smoother texture. Once a week is a good place to start, and you can try extending it more over time.
You can also experiment with water washing or co-washing to refresh your style between shampoos.
FINE CURLS or LOOSER WAVES:
If you’ve been washing your hair daily, start trying to wash 2-3 times a week instead. If you were a daily washer, it might take time for your curls to adjust and stop producing as much oil. Because washing too frequently causes your hair to over-produce oil, as you shampoo less and less, your hair will actually produce less oil. Seems counter-productive, but just give it time!
Look for more lightweight products like our Gentle & Lightweight Flaxseed collection so you don’t weigh your fine strands down. If you notice your hair gets oily when you try to stretch time between shampoos, try water washing. Just hop in the shower as usual and “wash” your hair, but without any shampoo! With just water, you can rinse away excess oil and dirt without stripping your hair of moisture.
LET’S GET DEEP ABOUT DEEP CONDITIONERS
Naturally wavy and curly textures are drier by nature – so even when you’re using hydrating shampoos, conditioners and styling products, your hair will likely need an extra boost of moisture. That’s where hair masks and deep conditioners come in. Our Heal & Hydrate + Shea Butter mask provides intense, quenching moisture for an instant hydration boost.
Tighter, more coily curls should deep condition with a hair mask anywhere from once a week to every 2 weeks, while wavier, finer textures should do a treatment about once a month. As always, experiment and see what works best for you! If you’re only doing it once a month but your curls feel dry, brittle and dull, slowly start increasing how often you use a mask. And if you’re noticing an oily scalp or limp, lifeless curls, you may need to cut back on deep conditioning for a bit.
POST-SHOWER STYLING SECRETS
So you’ve washed your hair, you’ve done your mask, now it’s time to STYLE! This is my favorite part of wash day because you finally get to see the fruits of all that labor. But what products should you use to style? How should you apply them? Let’s get into it!
CURL CREAMS VS. MOUSSE VS. GEL
Curl creams are the most moisturizing of these three products. Take our Nourish & Moisture + Coconut Milk cream for example – it hydrates, detangles, fights frizz AND defines. What’s not to love? While curl creams smooth your texture, add hydration and define, they lack the hold that gels provide. If you need hydration but notice your hair falls flat after a while, try layering curl cream and gel together.
Mousse is super lightweight while giving your curls a boost of volume and oomph! Our Coconut Milk Curl Foam Mousse gives you that perfect no-crunch body and movement. However, mousse generally doesn’t give your curls as much hold as a gel, so again – layer it with gels or creams to keep that definition and volume going.
Gels are a super versatile styling option for all different kinds of curls. They add definition and hold, fight frizz and can even hydrate your curls depending on the formula. Lighter-weight gels are better for finer, looser curls, and heavy-hold gels like our Coconut Oil Ultra Defining Gel are perfect for tighter or thicker curls. As a rule of thumb, gel should go last when you’re layering products.
APPLYING THE PRODUCTS
Once you’ve figured out which mixture of styling products to use, it’s all about technique. Don’t go throwing products in your hair willy-nilly! Here’s a few techniques that curly girls swear by.
Raking: Pretty much exactly what it sounds like! Put product in your fingers, open your fingers and run the product through your strands as if your hand were a wide-tooth comb. This technique can help curls clump together and elongate curls that are prone to shrinkage.
Praying hands: Get your products all over your palms, rub your hands together and place both hands on each side of a clump of curls so the hair is flat between your palms. Then, just run the product down your curls! This technique also helps define curl clumps and is great for smoothing texture.
Scrunching: This technique helps give your curls that amazing bounce, encourages your curl pattern and boosts volume. Just put product in your hands and scrunch your hair upwards to your scalp! Be gentle though, as too much scrunching can lead to frizz and disrupted clumps.
And there you have it! Your curls are now clean, hydrated and poppin’. Go forth and show off your best natural curls yet!
