Curly hair is particularly tricky to maintain due to its unique structure compared to other hair types. Coils that are densely packed, often very closely, make curly hair different.
It’s prone to dryness, breakage, frizz, and tangles, though dryness and breakage take the cake. So, how exactly do we care for our curly crowning glory?
Taking care of curly hair isn’t all that difficult if you know what’s right, what works for you, if the products or ingredients work for you, and your hair type. Then, caring for your hair and styling per your requirements and preferences would be a lot easier.
Curly Hair Care At Home
We have all heard a lot of tips time and time again – mostly, the rule of thumb for curly hair is to type. But some things beg to be repeated as they’re important.
So you’ve probably heard a few already, but these simple changes and efforts go a long way in keeping your curly locks frizz-free, lustrous, and manageable.
Unlike straight hair types, don’t shampoo often, as it can strip hair’s essential moisture, natural oils, and nourishment. Try using shampoo once a week or twice at most.
Do not use harsh shampoos. If you are not using herbal products, go with milder shampoos. Ensure your hair products are salt, sulfate, paraben, and alcohol-free.
When using shampoo, consider adding water to make it easy to apply and spread better. That way, you need less shampoo, which is again easier on both your hair and pocket!
Divide your hair before shampooing. That way, you won’t rub your hair together and cause them to tangle up.
Choose the right conditioner for your needs. Conditioner helps condition and make your hair more manageable.
Resist the urge to brush curly hair. Use a wide-tooth comb to detangle your hair.
This reduces breakage and doesn’t strain your hair strands and hair cuticle much while detangling. You can also go with the curvy combs meant for curly or wavy locks for better results.
Don’t forget to apply oil to keep hair moisturized at all times. Curly hair tends to become dry faster than other hair types.
Don’t use a hair dryer if you can help it. If you can’t air dry, consider using the blower without heat.
After applying leave-ins such as keratin hair serum for dry, damaged hair, keep your hair braided to prevent loss of moisture.
Wear silk or synthetic scarf to bed – wrapping hair can reduce tangles and frizz.
Protect your hair from harsh environmental factors like the scorching sun, pollution, etc.
Don’t use hair sprays as they can make your hair brittle due to the high alcohol content. The same goes for any product that has alcohol as its base or has more % of alcohol.
Unless you get a steel or wooden brush with wide bristles, brushes are not good for dry, curly hair. Use wide-toothed combs if you want your hair happy and healthy.
There are a lot of natural ingredients to enhance or highlight the natural curls and rock them, magnesium salt spray or rinse being one. Choose those to nurture, nourish, and rock the curly look instead of sprays and other styling aids that harm your hair.
Don’t forget to apply oil regularly and top up as and when needed. Applying oil right after air drying your hair after a shower gives good results. Then re-apply whenever you feel your hair or scalp is dry or frizzy.
Consider using a sealing hair leave-in conditioner to lock in moisture nourish and protect your curls. If you have thin to normal hair, you may consider trying our leave-in conditioner for dry, damaged, thin hair, and if you have thick hair, try our leave-in conditioner for dry, damaged, thick hair.
Consider switching to non-cotton pillow covers to prevent losing moisture – cotton is highly absorbent and can leave your strands dry.
Don’t lie down when you have wet hair – right after shower. It causes hair to get tangled easily.
Do not use a brush or narrow-toothed comb when hair is wet and tangled. If you must comb, use your fingers to get rid of tangles before combing.
Consider using a wide-toothed detangling comb to gently detangle your hair when slightly wet.
These are just a few simple changes, measures, or hair care ideas for naturally curly hair. We all know with the right care, curly hair rocks! Who doesn’t love bouncy curls? Try these tips for lustrous, happy, and lovely curls.
I would like to share three of my favorite recipes for healthy curly hair that work wonders for my friends and relatives. These recipes are fairly easy, and most ingredients are easy to get or readily available in our homes.
I have recommended these recipes several times and with good results.
DIY Hair Detangler
Curly hair can get tangled way too often. Sometimes, even undoing the braids, even though not tangled, can be difficult.
What if a natural detangler can help you along with making your hair tangle-free and easy to manage?
Ingredients
- Avocado Oil – ½ Cup
- Argan Oil – 2 Tbsp.
- Castor Oil – 1 Tbsp.
- Aloe Vera Gel – 2 Tbsp (Optional)
- Geranium Essential Oil – 7 – 10 drops
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add avocado oil, argan oil, castor oil, and aloe vera gel.
- Whisk them to combine.
- Add the geranium essential oil. Give it a good mix.
- Transfer to a spray dispenser or a conditioner dispenser and use as needed.
Tips to Tweak the Recipe
I suggest store-bought aloe gel for better shelf life and stability, though you can use fresh gel. If you use fresh gel, try refrigerating the detangler and use it. Also, add a few drops of Vitamin E Oil if you’re using fresh aloe gel.
You can use Lavender essential oil, ylang-ylang essential oil, Peppermint essential oil, or even Tea Tree essential oil instead of Geranium essential oil.
Those who don’t like Aloe Vera gel can substitute it with flaxseed gel or chia seed gel. You can make flax or chia seed gel by adding a cup of water for a cup of seeds and straining the gel after letting it boil for a few minutes. Muslin or cheesecloth works best for straining the gel from the seeds.
Why & How to Use the Recipe?
Avocado oil is closest to silicone and is called natural silicone for a reason. Give silicone the boot and switch to Avocado oil for detangling and make your hair happy!
Aloe Vera gel is optional, but it gives a nice slip-n-slide effect that makes detangling easy. There’s another version of detangler using marshmallow root, which we will be adding here in the coming weeks.
Apply the detangler on your strands and detangle using your fingers and comb with a wide-toothed comb. Style as usual.
DIY Hibiscus Hair Pack
Curly hair needs nurturing and extra care to gain back lost moisture and to remain lustrous and healthy. This natural pack can nourish, nurture, and soothe your curls anytime you need a boost.
This curly hair mask is simple, and once you see the benefits and get the hang of applying it, you won’t want to switch to any other hair mask.
Ingredients
- Hibiscus Leaves and Flowers – 1 – 2 handfuls
- Fenugreek Seeds – 4 Tbsp.
- Onion – 1 large or a few shallots of small onions
- Yogurt – 1 – 2 Tbsp.
Instructions
- Soak fenugreek seeds overnight.
- The following morning, add it to a mixer grinder along with washed hibiscus flowers and leaves, yogurt, and onion.
- Grind to a fine paste, adding water if needed. You can also add yogurt or milk to the pack.
- Remove the paste from the mixer and transfer it to a mixing bowl. Your pack is ready!
How to use the Pack?
Use a hair coloring brush to apply the pack to your hair and scalp. Alternatively, you can wear disposable gloves and then apply with your fingertips and spread by working your way from roots to tips.
Wait for 25 minutes to an hour before washing off.
Do this once a week to keep your hair and scalp healthy.
Tips to Tweak the Recipe
When in a pinch, substitute fenugreek seeds with fenugreek seed powder or sprouted fenugreek powder. There are times, when you forget to soak them overnight, or just run out of them, or don’t have patience or time as showering was a last-minute decision – those times, powdered fenugreek can come in handy.
Feel free to alter the quantity of the ingredients in the recipe and modify it according to your requirements. You can adjust based on your hair length and availability or use suitable alternatives where needed.
If you suffer from sinusitis or related issues, you can skip this recipe. All four ingredients – fenugreek, hibiscus, yogurt, and onion are very cool, and those who have colds and flu often should check for suitability before using this.
You can use essential oils in the recipe for added benefits.
You can also add herb-infused oils for added benefits.
You can use rose hydrosol or lavender hydrosol for an enticing aroma and added benefits. Besides, both these hydrosols calm and soothe your hair, making it more manageable.
DIY Clarifying Hair Shampoo
Clarifying cleanses the scalp and gets rid of build-up. We use a lot of different products, such as going out in the sun and rain, perspiration, and more, which add to the accumulation of residue, dirt, and grime on the scalp.
Over time, it clogs pores and prevents nourishment of the hair roots, curbs hair growth, and causes dry or frizzy hair due to lack of nourishment and moisturization. This easy clarifying hair shampoo can get rid of this problem effectively. Let’s take a look at the recipe.
Ingredients
- Apple Cider Vinegar – ¼ Cup
- Rosemary Essential Oil – a few drops
- Liquid Castile Soap – as needed
Instructions
- Mix together apple cider vinegar, rosemary essential oil, and liquid castile soap and apply on your scalp.
- Massage gently with your fingers and wait for 2 – 3 minutes.
- Rinse off and condition as usual.
Tips to Tweak the Recipe
Do add a spoonful of baking soda if you have harsh build-ups like chlorine, etc. Apple Cider Vinegar is gentle and takes care of normal build-up.
Many feel baking soda is harsh. I have seen adding a dash of rose hydrosol fixes this issue.
You can also use Frankincense or Lavender essential oils.
You can prepare a larger batch of this recipe and use it as needed.
You can use white vinegar or brewed vinegar, but apple cider vinegar offers more benefits compared to white vinegar. So, if you run out of ACV, substitute with white vinegar, ideally brewed instead of synthetic vinegar.
If you prefer sticking with your shampoo, use this as a rinse instead. To do that, mix 1 part vinegar with 3 parts water and add essential oil to it.
Mix to combine and use it to rinse out your hair finally. Wait for 3 minutes before rinsing off thoroughly.
Using this as a rinse also makes hair softer by neutralizing hard water effects on your hair. You can also add a spoon of Magnesium Flakes to the rinse for defined and bouncy curls.
Try these recipes to take care of curly hair at home and see if they work for you. Most of these recipes are tried and tested several times and with different people with good results.
However, natural ingredients can need regular usage for best results. Also, results may vary with every individual, and some might work better than others. But they’re worth the effort and time taken, isn’t it?
All these recipes don’t take a lot of time or need special ingredients. However, if you don’t have time for DIY recipes, try our range of products from Vitamins Revive.
Keratin and argan oil-based products are very effective, and the broad range means you have options and choices. If you have a requirement, they have a solution!
You can check out their products at the Vitamins Revive Store to know their current offers and new launches.
If you have any questions or requests, please feel free to write to us. We love hearing from our readers. Or just the recipes, do try out our tips and write back to us with your results.
These are not the only recipes but three of our top picks. There are many out there, and we will be sure to keep adding more recipes that help with hair and scalp care.
