We've all been there, we step out the shower and love the way our hair is perfectly defined and frizz-free. Our coils, curls, and waves are at its most defined state fresh out the shower. What happens after that? We touch and manipulate, apply product too late, scrunch too aggressively, etc; before we know it we look up and our hair has transformed from smooth defined curls to nothing but frizz with a couple curls here and there.
Most of the time, you can just be missing one key step to change the outcome of your curls on wash day. So, even though these steps are simple, continue to read and tweak your curl defining routine until you have the look you desire!
Wash With Moisturizing Shampoo & Conditioner
- Shampoo in the shower: This doesn't seem like much, but when you shampoo in the shower (or salon sink) it keeps your curls pointing downward. The more you manipulate the curls the more frizz you create. Smooth curls start during the shampoo and conditioning process.
- Conditioning process: Same as the shampoo process, depending on how smooth and detangled your curls are during the conditioning process, also determines the amount of frizz you have once your hair is dry. So, detangle well. Detangle until you are able to easily run your detangling tool smoothly through the hair.
- Rinse: When it is time to rinse (for both shampoo and conditioner) rinse the curls by allowing the water to fall downward. Do not rinse by flipping your head upside down, then flipping your head back.
Make Sure The Hair Is Fully Detangled
Detangling the hair with a conditioner is the best way to do it. The step that most skip, is making sure the hair is THOROUGHLY detangled (I know we keep mentioning this, but that is how important it is). Meaning there is absolutely no tangles in the hair AT ALL. You need the styling product to go into the hair with ease.
Apply Product On WET Hair
The best time to apply product is in the shower, right after rinsing out the conditioner. If you choose not to apply your styling product in the shower, just make sure you do not dry the hair. Do not allow your curls to start drying before you've gotten a chance to apply your styling product. Adding styling products on wet hair locks in the style.
Keep a spray bottle of water handy. If you notice your curls are drying out, don't be afraid to add more water. Water is your friend, so use as much as you need while applying the styling product. Water is the secret to keeping frizz at bay.
Using styling tools is great too, curls love to be clumped together. Using tools like the Denman brush, a paddle brush, or your fingers, will help the curls find other curls to be "clump-mates" with.
TIP: Scrunch hair gently if you desire the curls to be "curlier"
Nahara's Curls offers a list of our favorite product recommendations for our extensions! ↓ Check them out here ↓
Don't Touch!
Once everything is to your liking, leave your hair alone! It's like the saying goes "Don't mess with perfection". You've created beautiful clumped and scrunched curls, you don't need to do anything else. If you mess with the hair after the styling process and before the hair is completely dry, you will cause unnecessary frizz. And who wants that after you've taken all that time to keep the frizz away? Nobody.
Gentle Techniques To Dry Your Curls
You're curls are clumped and your styling product has been applied, now it is time to dry. You have a few options. You can dry using a blowdryer and diffuser attachment, air-dry, or sit under a hooded dryer. All methods are great, but the most important thing to do with any of these methods is to NOT TOUCH THE CURLS. This also means no combing or brushing, otherwise you'll have frizz everywhere and sometimes might have to start the whole process over.
We do understand that you might have to touch it a little with the diffusing and air-dry method but it is important to still keep that to a minimum.
Air-Dry: Many find that air-drying is a great way to get a frizz-free look, but it can also be the worst. Air-drying is kind of risky, simply because it can take a while for curls to dry. Usually most of us are not sitting around being completely still for hours waiting our hair to dry. During those hours, your curls have a lot of opportunities to get frizz from the natural movement of your hair rubbing against your shirt, or when you brush your curls out of your face while doing a task, etc.
Basically it has a lot more time for your curls to be disturbed - compared to the 30 mins dry time you have when using your hooded dryer or diffuser.
Diffuse: Diffusing is a great way to achieve voluminous curls. While the hair is completely wet, you want to guide the blowdryer around your hair on cool-medium heat (yes, it will take longer, but it won't dry out the curls or cause frizz).
Once you feel comfortable you can gently tilt your head to each side to dry different sections. Continue to diffuse the hair with minimal touching and scrunching (can take up to 30 mins). You can choose to do this until your hair is completely dry or partially dry.
*Apply heat protectant to hair before using blowdryer*
Hooded Dryer: Is probably the most fool-proof way of drying your hair in a timely manner while getting the least amount of frizz! The hooded dryer is the queen of setting the hair. When you set the hair, that means you are locking in the style. Styles last a lot longer when they have been properly set. In order to properly set your hair, the hair needs to be FULLY dry.
*Apply heat protectant to hair before sitting under the dryer*
What method works best for you? ! Leave a comment below! ↓
Want kinky curly extensions that match your natural?
Shop our clip-ins, bundles, and lace closures!