How to Moisturize Curly Hair and Keep It Hydrated
A curly-haired goddess' must-know guide.
If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve been #blessed with the curly hair gene. Unfortunately, with every blessing comes a curse. For curly hair, mane-tenance isn’t the simplest: our curls need to be hydrated.
It's common for curly hair to suffer from frizz and dryness, resulting in dullness and breakage, and moisture is the most effective remedy for dull, dry, frizzy curls. This is especially true for curly hair.
You may have to try several solutions before finding one that works for your curly hair, but once you discover the perfect combination of products and care, your curls will be stronger and shinier than ever! To achieve this, curly hair needs moisture infused into every step of the hair-care process.
The following tips will help you moisturize and maintain curls in a few simple steps.
How do you keep your curly hair moisturized?
Like anything else worth waiting for, voluminous and healthy curly hair comes with a dedicated routine and plenty of care. The proper schedule and reliable curly hair products are essential for healthy curly hair. But it can be a lesson in trial and error when figuring out the proper washing schedule, choosing the right curly hair products, and styling your curls.
If you’re suffering from the effects of dry hair, this is a sign that your coils are thirstier than your ex’s vacation photos (ouch!). It's an opportunity to restore and replenish your natural texture before too much damage can occur.
Specifically, the following seven steps will restore moisture to your curly hair:
1. Wash your hair with a gentle, sulfate-free shampoo
Hopefully, you’re not washing your hair every day. But if you have been washing too frequently, the easiest way to infuse some life into your curly hair is to use a gentle, curly, sulfate-free shampoo that won’t strip your curls of moisture or their natural oils and prepare your hair to absorb the necessary hydration. Pairing your new curly shampoo with dedicated curl-supporting products will restore your curls to their former glory by strengthening and softening your texture.
Pro tip: Avoid shampooing your hair too often, as this can strip the hair of its natural oils!
2. Apply a deep conditioner 1-2x a week
After shampooing especially, but also in general, you always want to apply a deep conditioner 1-2 times a week. Do this even when your curls aren’t suffering to help maintain their health.
A deep conditioner like the Cha Ching Moisturizing Hair Mask and Expert Procrastinator Frizz-Control Hair Mask will provide a professional feeling when rinsed. If your hair is dry and breaking, use Cha Ching, and if frizzy, use Expert Procrastinator. Feel free to experiment if you aren't sure which one to choose!
Your post-shower life will be much easier if you deep condition your curls, which can help boost strength, prevent breakage, increase hydration (decrease frizz), enhance shine, and define and encourage natural curl groupings.
3. Use a leave-in conditioner to prevent breakage
Of course, the deep conditioner should be rinsed out. But we don't want to leave our curls defenseless once this treatment is over. Thankfully, One Hit Wonder leave-in spray is here to save your curls post-shower.
You can soften your strands with this leave-in product containing cannabis Sativa seed oil (don’t worry – it’s legal), giving your mane long-lasting moisture and shine. One Hit Wonder is a 10-in-1 product that detangles, protects your hair from heat, boosts shine, and strengthens your hair simultaneously! Conditioning does not have to be a ten-step process 😉
4. Use a hydrating curl cream
After our leave-in spray, we can continue to heal our curls with products that provide treatment and styling assistance. The Honey That’s How I Roll Curl Cream offers the benefits of a conditioning treatment and the styling benefits of a styling product.
Coconut oil helps soften, sculpt, and define curls without a "crunchy" texture with traditional mousse or gels. And you don't have to stress if you suffer from humidity frizz. Even when the air is so thick that you could cut it, this product holds in moisture, tames frizz, and boosts shine for hours.
The more you use Honey That’s How I Roll, the healthier your curls will become over time.
5. Dry hair with a diffuser to lock in moisture and curl
Curls love diffusers. Here's why; Since wet hair is so fragile, it is vital to dry it correctly. If you must "towel-dry," use cotton t-shirts and microfiber towels to minimize friction. Frizz, dullness, and breakage can happen even with a bit of friction.
When you dry your curly hair with a diffuser, you can remove excess water without stripping your hair of the moisture it needs. As a result, your curls will retain their shape without being blasted into the next century by a traditional dryer. It should go without saying that you should use a heat-protecting product and use the device at low temperatures! You'll need more time, but your hair will be more beautiful in the end.
Pro tip: After styling your hair, dry it immediately to lock in your style and moisture.
6. Apply hair oil on dried curls
If you have air-dried your curls or are taking some time to care for dry hair, using a hair oil like Voodoo Oil will continue to add moisture to each strand of curls while providing a barrier that prevents moisture from escaping.
All hair types can benefit from Voodoo Oil's softening, smoothing, and shine-enhancing properties. Argan & Abyssinian seed oil are the main ingredients in this product, which replenishes lost moisture and helps manages textured curls. Start at the middle of the damp or dry hair lengths and work your way down.
7. Trim hair frequently to prevent split ends
If you’re trying to grow your hair, this may not be music to your ears, but you probably need a trim!
Split ends can cause more breakage and only add to the appearance of frizz, so removing them is vital to maintaining your beautiful curls. It's also the ends of your hair that are driest since they are furthest from your scalp, which produces all those hydrating oils. As a result, they are more likely to split when your hair has been dry for a long time.
Treat yourself! You should trim your hair every 6-8 weeks, depending on the condition of your hair, to prevent split ends and breakage.
Why does my curly hair get so dry?
Many factors contribute to curly hair becoming so dry, but the texture and proteins in curly hair naturally promote dryness. What a lucky bunch we are, right?
Knowledge is power, and since we know curly hair is naturally drier than other hair types, we can use this information to properly care for it. Keep it natural, and don't overheat your curls. Or, if you must heat-style, One Hit Wonder is an excellent heat-protectant. When curly hair is styled without protection, the cuticles are damaged, which leads to frizz. The moral of the story is? Always use protection!
Curly hair naturally dries out due to its shape. Your scalp has a more challenging time hydrating this hair shape since it's not a straight line down the hair; it's winding! Our hair can always benefit from deep-conditioning treatments and leave-in products that nourish and moisturize it.
How to prevent hair from drying out
Of course, the most significant thing we can do once we achieve healthy curly hair is to protect it from drying out!
There are three easy ways to do this:
1. Stop washing your hair too often
Of course, washing your hair is necessary, but it also causes friction that can pull moisture from your hair. Using a gentler, curl-specific shampoo and limiting the number of washes per week will help you experience fresh, break-free hair for longer while avoiding frizz.
2. Never use hot tools too often without heat protection
We all know that hot tools damage your hair. But since we also want what we can’t have, like straight hair if we were born with curls, sometimes these desires can lead to overuse. If you simply must indulge in hot tools or are weaning yourself off slowly, at the very least, you can use a heat protectant to help prevent the frizz and dryness of over-styling or traditional blow-drying.
3. Don’t allow product to build up on the scalp
You may think that deep-conditioning, leave-in sprays, heat protectants, curl cream, and hair oil are too many products to use simultaneously, but the RIGHT products won't build up! The products you use will be absorbed by your hair instead of clogging your scalp's pores if you avoid those that make your hair feel too heavy (dense or oily hours later).
If you feel your hair or scalp has accumulated a build-up, you should wash and deep-condition it immediately.
Takeaways
By following these simple steps and avoiding the above, you'll be able to keep your curly hair moisturized. As a result of keeping your curls hydrated, you will notice that they are stronger, smoother, shinier, and healthier (which will probably make you HAPPIER).
Questions about curly haircare? Ask us on social media!
