How to Style Naturally Curly Hair
Following on from our article on how to care for curly hair, we believe that with a little bit of know how anyone can transform frizzy locks into glossy curls. We’ve been working with curly hair for over 35 years. Experience tells us that getting hair properly prepped for styling is just as important as how you style naturally curly hair.
So what do we mean by prepped? Well, from shampoos to conditioners and curly hair treatments, the way you care for your curls makes the difference in how easy curly hair is to style and how curly hair looks in the finished style.
How to Prep Curly Hair for Styling
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Shampoo
- Loving your curls starts with loving your scalp. We know there’s a lot of noise out there about not shampooing curly hair but we have to politely disagree. Our view? Keep the scalp clean and free of build-up so that the follicles can grow healthy hair.
- Choose a gentle shampoo that adds moisture to your scalp and curls. Not only does the scalp like being clean, but it also loves hydration too. We use pro vitamin B5 in our shampoo as it’s a good moisturiser for the hair and the scalp.
- Choose your shampoo based on your curl type and the texture of your hair. There isn’t one size fits all with curly hair.
- Our model above has thick, tight curls. Her hair needs lots of additional moisture so we used Hydrate and Shine Shampoo to wash her hair. For someone with fine curls, we would recommend Revive and Shine Shampoo as it boosts volume.
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Conditioner
- The job of conditioner is to add moisture to the hair and smooth the cuticle. Wet hair absorbs moisture more easily. However, make sure your hair is not too wet as product slips off the very wet hair.
- Take your microfibre towel into the shower with you and soak up any excess water before you apply conditioner. You’ll get the best results from your conditioner when your hair is wet but not dripping.
- We used Hydrate and Shine Conditioner to prep our model’s hair. We left it in for a few minutes to let her hair soak up the nourishing ingredients.
- As you rinse your hair, your conditioner should start to release some of the tangles. Simply use your fingers to gently detangle as you rinse, being careful not to put any tension on the roots.
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Deep Conditioner
- If you have curly hair and you’ve yet to experience the joys of a deep conditioner it’s time to change that. Using a deep conditioning hair mask every week, once a week will transform your curls.
- The fact is that curly hair, with all its beautiful twists and kinks and bends is more prone to breakage. Keeping it hydrated with a deep conditioner for curly hair will lock in moisture by smoothing the cuticle which will help to keep your curls frizz-free, detangled and shinier.
How to Style Curly Hair
The key thing for everything we’ve talked about above is this. Build a good routine of regular cleansing, conditioning and deep treatments to keep your curls looking fresh and frizz-free. The more hydrated your hair is, the more flexible it becomes, leaving hair easier and quicker to style.
So now we are ready to get styling those hydrated curls! Frizz no more…
Option 1
How to Style Naturally Curly Hair – Air Drying
Curly hair responds well to air drying and here’s what we recommend:
- Rinse hair after conditioner and wrap a microfibre towel around your hair. Don’t rub the hair at this point. Do nothing. Just let the towel soak up the extra moisture.
- After 2 to 3 minutes, depending on how quickly your hair dries you can remove the towel and gently squeeze the end to get rid of any remaining drips.
- Once your hair is drip-free you can start to apply your styling product at the ends and mid-lengths. The hair should be still quite wet but not dripping.
- At this point, you can use a curl cream or leave in conditioner. If you have thick, coarse curls like our model’s you can even use a little Hydrate and Shine Conditioner at this point. Simply smooth into the hair as you would a curl cream.
- Having applied your curl cream or leave in conditioner you can simply leave your hair to dry. If your hair is longer you can twist the hair in large sections as it dries and release when the hair is almost dry.
- When hair is almost dry, you can use your fingers to move hair into place.
Option 2
How to Style Naturally Curly Hair – With a Hair Dryer
Ok, so air drying hair is not for everyone. It could be that your hair takes too long to dry or you might prefer the finish you get with a hairdryer.
- Follow steps 1-3 above.
- We recommend using a leave in conditioner spray prior to drying your hair with a hairdryer. If you are using our Glossy Mist, simply give hair a 2 -3 spritzes and leave to settle in the hair for a couple of seconds. If you are using other leave in conditioners, follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Once you’ve applied your styling product you can get going with the hairdryer. We recommend using a diffuser attachment on your hairdryer. A diffuser disperses the air to help reduce friction on the cuticle and prevents frizz.
- Keep the hairdryer on a cool setting and what follows is our most important bit of advice. Don’t over-dry the hair. Over drying the hair leaves it frizzy and it’s the most common mistake when it comes to styling naturally curly hair.
- As soon as the hair is dry, its time to stop. If you’re not sure when to stop just try reducing the drying time by 30 seconds or even a minute and see how the hair looks and feels. Play around with timing and see what gives you the best results.
- Once you’ve finished drying, use your fingers to gently move the hair into place.
How to Reboot your Curls in between Washes
A couple of days after washing, or even after a day (depending on how thirsty your curls are!) you might feel your hair needs to be refreshed. So here’s a simple tip to get your curls looking fabulous again.
Take a little Hydrate and Shine Conditioner, add a little water, mix well in your palms and smooth into the hair. Start at the mid-lengths and take it through to the ends using your hands to work the product through. Use a little at a time so that you don’t overload any areas of the hair.
Et voila! Re-defined and de-frizzed curls.
Recommended Reading
We’ve worked with a lot of curls in our time and we’ve written extensively about caring for curly hair. We recently wrote our Ultimate Guide On How to Curl for Curly Hair. If you want to know more about different curly hair types or you want to read up on topics such as The Porosity of Hair we recommend taking a look.
The guide also includes some great information on caring for different curly hair types.
How to care for Fine Wavy or Curly Hair
How to care for Thick Wavy or Curly Hair
How to care for Coily or Afro-Textured Hair
About Us
Ogario London is a salon developed, natural hair care range. As a niche brand, we are passionate about our products and delivering the best results is at the heart of what we do. If you have any questions about our products, would like advice on the best products for your hair type, or have another question about how to look after your hair, please get in touch at info@ogariolondon.com
Shop for Curly Hair Products
Generally, we recommend our Hydration range for curly hair types. However, if your hair is fine, Revive and Shine Shampoo will add volume to fine curls. You can still use our Hydrate and Shine Conditioner if the ends of your hair are dry. Alternatively, if you want a lighter conditioner, Revive an Shine Conditioner is a good choice.
