Ever spend hours shampooing, conditioning, deep conditioning and styling your hair to only end up with an uncouth mess? These minor details can make the difference between a cute, defined style and a frizzy, shrunken look. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying there’s anything is wrong with tighter curls or an afro. I love my afro. But when you have put in the work to achieve a specific style, you want your hair to look great. Here are some mistakes to avoid while styling curly hair.
What to Do
- Use products as instructed. To get the most out of your hair products, read the product instructions. This will ensure that you reap the benefits of the products.
- Use detangling tools or technique to define your curls and smooth ruffled hair before styling. This makes a huge difference in the finished product of your styling session. Many stylist actually recommend detangling your hair every time you wash to minimize single strand knots. Detangle and define your natural curls with a Denman brush or wide tooth comb. Finger combing is ok too but works better for wash-n-go styles.
- Incorporate a styling product. Styling products are very important to achieve hold and minimizing frizz. If you’re looking for an all-natural styling product try flax seed gel, aloe vera gel, or a mixture of shea butter and aloe vera gel called Shealoe.
What Not to Do
- Don’t flip hair over while washing and styling. It’s hard work detangling curly hair. Flipping hair over can turn nicely detangled hair into a rat’s nest. To help manage tangles, style your natural hair in the shower in the direction that it grows naturally.
- Don’t use too many hair products. Using layers of product can not only starve hair of natural moisture need to fight frizz, it can also cause nasty build-up. Some products just don’t work well when combined with too many other things.
- Don’t use too little styling product. You should use an ample amount of styling product for maximum results. If the syling product instructions recommend a liberal amount applied from root to tip, then be generous with the product to get the best results.
- Don’t braid or twist hair in the mirror. It sounds crazy, but think about it — if you’re braiding or twisting your hair in the mirror, you’re watching a mirror reflection of your hands which can be confusing.
With these tips in hand, you won’t waste hours on your hair without getting the results you wanted. Now that you are armed with the information you will need for styling curly hair, go for it!
Did these tips help you? Share your results!
