A glorious mane of kinky, curly hair is a beautiful thing indeed. Here are 5 easy tips to try when styling and maintaining these textured tresses.
1. The Co-Washing Routine
Shampoos are great at getting your hair clean, but many contain harsh sulphate chemicals that can strip your hair of the natural oils it needs for health and shine. That's why some curly girls swear by the co-washing routine: they wash their hair with sulphate-free conditioners only, and then use a mild clarifying shampoo once a month to remove product build-up.
Related: J.Lo Reveals Naturally Curly Hair
2. Curl-Enhancing Products
Once you give up chemical relaxers you may think you'll be left with bouncing, curly ringlets. This may be the case, but chances are you'll need a curl-enhancing product. This has become a very big industry and you'll have to experiment to find what works for you.
A few popular brands include:
Related: Maintain Thick Hair In Your 30s
3. Protective Styling
Constant tugging from brushes and combs plus intense heat from blow dryers can lead to dried out tresses, traction (thinning) around the hairline, and even breakage. Take a styling sabbatical for a few weeks or months, and try braids, twists, head wraps, or even a weave.
But, please remember: if your protective style is too tight, you'll do just as much damage, so go eaaaaasy.
4. Clip Those Ends
As for any hair type, regular trimming will get rid of split ends and actually help your hair grow. This can be a daunting proposition if you've recently gone through the “big chop” (starting your natural hair journey from scratch by cutting off all of your previously chemically-relaxed hair). The last thing you want to do is lose any length, but keep in mind you're not doing anything for your hair (or your style) by hanging on to warped, dead ends.
5. Turn to the Web
You'd be surprised at just how many kinky-curly resources there are online—and they're all at your disposal for free. You're sure to find the answer to your quandary via websites like:
Get in-depth advice and tutorials from YouTube gurus like:
These are all welcoming communities of ladies just like you, so you may become a kinky-curly hair expert soon enough!
More stories from TheKit.ca:
Also on The Huffington Post Canada: photographs of natural hair:
