the starters
i don't have a set schedule, but i tend to go 3-4 days inbetween hair washes. anymore than that dries my hair out and any longer makes my hair feel gross and tangled. washing my hair often takes 45 mins to an hour, not counting the time spent defusing and drying it afterwards.
- here's a list of products/supplies i use (specific products listed later)
- • shampoo
- • conditioner
- • leave-in conditioner
- • styling cream
- • clear hair gel
- • a wet brush
- • hair dryer (with a defuser attachment)
- • deep conditioner
- • argan oil
1. wash + condition routine:
wash and rinse your hair as usual, making sure to scrub your scalp and letting the shampoo sit for atleast a minute before fully washing it out. i use this biolage anti-dandruff shampoo ($38 for 33oz on amazon) for, you know, dandruff.
rake conditioner into your hair, with a focus on the tips of your hair and any other dry spots on your head. do not put conditioner on your scalp, as the natural oils from your skin should keep your roots moisturized. i use this pattern conditioner ($42 for 29oz).
let the conditioner sit for a few minutes before detangling with a wet brush, then rinsing out the conditioner afterwards
2. styling
here's the important part!
on still-wet hair, start by putting in leave-in conditioner, focusing on the same dry areas as regular conditioner. i use this pattern leave-in conditioner ($42 for 25oz).
then put in styling cream, making sure NOT to break any curls that have been formed. using both hands to smooth product onto hair works really well to keep curls intact. i use this pattern styling cream ($25 for 15oz).
finally, smooth in hair gel using the same method as the styling cream. you can finger curl your hair at this point for tighter curls, but i usually don't bother because it takes a lot of time. i use softee clear hair gel (32oz, i can't find the price online but i remember buying it for like $3 at the dollar store lol).
i used to just rake in product, but i switched to smoothing it in and it's really worth it. it's a small difference in application but that can be all the difference sometimes!
3. drying
after you're done styling, you can gently squeeze or scrunch water out of your hair with an old t-shirt or towel before air-drying. i use my defuser to dry my roots first, because air-drying tends to add a lot of excess volume to hair.
when defusing your whole head of hair, i don't like the method of placing hair in the defuser and scrunching it (causes too much frizz). instead i prefer to just aim the defuser downwards at my hair, in order to prevent movement and frizz. it helps speed up the drying process for hair, although you can't completely dry your head using this method.
i think drying is kinda the make it or break it for hair sometimes...it's very easy to mess your hair up while it's still drying and end up with tons of annoying frizz and extra volume
1.5. deep conditioning
every few weeks, i deep condition my hair. it adds more moisture to my hair and makes it feel super soft and nice afterwards. to deep condition, follow your normal wash routine and apply deep conditioner to clean wet hair. i use this deep conditioner from curlsmith ($28 for 8oz). once your hair is covered in conditioner, tie it up in a towel and let it sit for at least 30 minutes before washing it out. i tend to leave it in for 1-2 hours. after washing it out, i skip leave-in conditioner and continue the rest of my styling routine.
bonus comic: hair process
this comic is the reason why i decided to make this page in the first place! a friend told me about her (lack of) a curly hair routine and i was so flabbergasted that i drew this to cope
