If you’re a coily girl who loves a sleek style, you already know how much your edges factor into your hairdo’s equation.
But when it comes to perfecting this part of your hair, you might be in need of a few tips for laying edges! Hey, that’s what we’re here for. We’ve found that these tips can be serious style savers.
Never skip the spray
Your coils need moisture! Not only is dry hair harder to style and manipulate, your edges are already the most fragile hairs on your head! Make sure you spritz these strands with water to start off on the right hydrated track. Any spray bottle will do the job, but we’re big fans of the Curly Hair Solutions H2O Water Bottle because it sprays a fine, even mist that’s perfect for re-wetting your dry curls and coils.
You have gel options
Many naturalistas swear by gel for laying their edges because it gives great hold, but the potential for curl “crunch,” product build up, and the drying effects of some gels can be a little daunting. If you’ve got damaged hair, or if you know your hair doesn’t like certain alcohols like laurel, cetyl, behenyl, cetearyl, and stearyl, the classics in the Ampro or Moco de Gorila families aren’t the only choices out there. There are plenty of gentle gels from brands like Aunt Jackie’s Curls & Coils Flaxseed Recipes Tame My Edges Smoothing Gel and Shea Moisture’s Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen, Grow & Restore Edge Treatment to get the same effects without the ingredients you don’t want to play with!
You can go with lighter products!
If you have fine or less dense coils and curls, you might find any gel to be a bit much for your strands. But there’s no need to be weighted down on a constant basis. Hair milks and hair butters can both be excellent options for sleeking your edges back if you’re looking for something a little lighter. A few butter options include Alikay Naturals’ Moisture Rich Hair Parfait as well as AG Hair Smoothing Balm, which helps lay edges down while offering hydration. On the other side of the ‘dairy aisle’ in milks, you have products like Carol’s Daughter’s Hair Milk Nourishing & Conditioning Styling Foam and SheaMoisture’s Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Style Milk which both offer a medium hold that isn’t as heavy on strands. Keep in mind that milks and butters are meant to provide lighter hold—so if you’re in a humid, sweaty, or other edge fluffing environment, you’re not going to get the same results as gels.
Issa Wrap
Coily styles take time! You have to let your edges set in order to get them lain down properly.
Wrap your edges in a silk or satin scarf and allow them to get used to their new position. This will allow your product to dry dry and locking in both the moisturizing properties in the products you used and the pattern you’ve styled your edges in. This usually takes about 20-30 minutes so make sure you’re styling it up in the first part of your morning routine, then unwrap before you step out the door to reveal beautiful edges that last all day!
What are your favorite edge techniques? Share the love below, and tag us @naturallycurly if you want your pictures to say 1,000 words!
