Dry and damaged hair is one of the worst things a girl can endure let alone a curly girl! When your hair is dry the curls don’t look the same, the luster is off and, you probably have a dry and brittle afro going on… not cute. These are items that are knows to help combat dryness and restore your hair to its previous glory!
First things first, it is very helpful to use a clarifying shampoo to start all over. You want anything that is on your hair to wash out so you can start new. If you’re not comfortable with the clarifying shampoo go right in with moisturizing shampoo for CURLY HAIR!
Wash with a curly shampoo and conditioner that is meant for curly hair! This is important because items that are meant for curly hair are geared to make sure your curls are poppin’ by the time you are done with the process.
Detangling in the shower is also helpful. Combing while you have conditioner in your hair is a great way to go. Make sure you are using a wide tooth comb and start at the bottom making sure to not pull to hard. Combing while you have the slip from the conditioner makes the process less painful and a lot quicker.Using an old shirt to dry your hair will help not to ruin the curls that are formed! Don’t shake the curls just twist and ring out all the excess water gently.
Deep conditioning is the best thing that can happen to your hair minus getting a cut. Now there are a couple of different ways to do this. You can choose your favorite oils and combine them together in a squirt bottle and apply that way. Put a shower cap on your head, sit under the dryer for about 30 mins, rinse out with warm water and style.Another way you can go is using a store-bought conditioner that you like and amp it up a little with adding some coconut oil, almond oil, and olive oil to the bottle shake up and pull through your thirsty locks. Adding heat to the deep conditioner is important so that all the great nutrients can go deep into the hair shaft and penetrate to restore.
Doing the “big chop” sometimes is very necessary. Doing so will help cut back on split ends, shedding and having knotting ends which makes detangling and combing a lot harder. If you’re not up to that challenge you can always take it step by step and do it slowly, maybe taking off an inch at a time.
After conditioning you can add styling products that are suited for your hair type. Curly hair has a lot of different brands that do different things. Ouidad, Aphogee, and DevaCurl are some of the brands that get rave reviews for their products. You can seal your ends with a light weight oil such as argan oil, Moroccan oil, or almond oil. Something that is lightweight and won’t weigh your hair down.
Protective styling helps to keep you and your little fingers from ruining your curls and shaking this up too much! Once hair is dry and set, leave it alone! Keeping your hands off is one of the few things that will let your curls have a longer life span. You can do Loose braids, pineapples, loose buns, low ponytails etc. This can help transitioning girls not go crazy.
Most importantly don’t forget to be patient and know that in time you will see the length and health come back better than ever!