Curly hair, especially naturally curly hair, is never something to hide. Those bouncing locks should be enjoyed and celebrated. The key to loving your curls is learning how to properly manage and style it. Embracing your curls not only helps enhance your natural beauty, it saves you time.
The frizz potential is usually the most annoying part of having curly hair. It's the one factor that drives many women to go to extreme lengths to straighten their curls. Flat irons and blow dryers may help straighten your tresses, but the time and damage isn't worth the results. Give yourself a break and stop the cycle of styling practices that make frizz even worse
Care
Help your curls of hair be as soft and beautiful as possible, rather than spending all that time trying to destroy them. Basic curly hair care requires a gentle shampoo and deep, hydrating conditioner. As long you don't have oily hair, leave-in conditioners usually work best to help hydrate and weigh down hair. Dry curls frizz, but hydrated curls bounce and shine.
Style
After washing and conditioning, pat your curly hair dry with a towel. Avoid blow drying unless you want to end up with a big puff ball for a hairstyle. Let your hair air dry instead. Scrunch your hair between your fingers to help create more curls, or run your fingers gently through your hair to help create softer curls.
Embracing your curly hair means throwing away all your brushes. Curly tresses are only broken up and turned into a mess by brushes. Instead use a comb or pick to help smooth curls together and create a tidy appearance. Only use the comb or pick on dry hair, though. Combing wet hair only weakens and tears the strands.
Helpful styling products
There are a few curly hair care products on the market that anyone with naturally curly hair must own. The first, and most important, product is some sort of smoothing serum. These silicone based liquids help keep your hair smooth, reducing frizz and adding shine. They can be the most important step for keeping your curls smooth and managed all day long.
Hairspray and gel can also be useful styling products for curly hair. Hairspray is generally handy for holding upswept styles, making dangling ringlets, and keeping curls together. Gel can be used for the same thing as hairspray, but also works for keeping the tips of your hair from frizzing. Always work the gel into your curls, otherwise you end up with big globs that make your hair crunchy.
Harmful styling products
Throw out any mousse or volume enhancing hair products if you have naturally curly hair. Mousse makes your hair lighter and adds lift, as do volume enhancing products. This will just make your hair look poufy or frizzy. Stick with products that help define your curls, not ones that blow them up.
 | Curly hair usually needs extra moisture and a gentle touch. Brushes will cause frizz, so use your fingers or a pick to smooth out tangles. Avoid blow dryers, or use a diffuser if your specific hairstyle requires blow-drying. |
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