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How to Manage Curly Hair: Hair Routine for Curly Hair and Top Care Tips
Curly hair types are different to other textures because of the shape of the hair follicle and the direction of the hair growth. But whether you have loose waves, bouncy curls, or beautiful corkscrew tendrils, it’s important to build a curly hair routine that nourishes your scalp and strands.
Our cardinal piece of curly hair advice is to embrace your natural hair texture and seek out products that are formulated specifically for the needs of curly hair.
Want to know more? Read on for our expert-approved curly hair tips to help you enjoy lasting shine, bounce, definition, and vitality.
How to care for your curly hair: 11 tips
Learning how to care for curly hair of all shapes and sizes comes down to hair care formulas and daily habits. We recommend adjusting your washing schedule, focusing on nourishment, and switching to curly hair shampoos, conditioners, and treatments that support your natural texture – and promote moisture retention and shine.
Explore our 11 expert tips on how to look after curly hair below.
1. Try a sulfate-free shampoo
Sulfates are great at removing oil, debris, and dirt from hair, but these cleansing agents can also disrupt the balance of essential lipids on the scalp, which can dry out hair.
Curly hair relies on moisture to maintain bounce, shine, and strength – so one of our biggest curly hair tips is to opt for products without sulfates. The Curl Manifesto Hydrating Douceur Shampoo for Curly Hair is free from sulfates and enriched with manuka honey and ceramides to impart lasting moisture to your scalp and curls.
2. Avoid Excessive Shampooing
Curly hair tends to be drier than straighter hair textures as the oil from the scalp doesn’t travel as easily down curved hair follicles.
One of the simplest changes you make to care for curly hair is to stretch out your hair washes – this will help prevent your curls from drying out.
Here is a general washing guideline for curly hair types:
• Type 2 Wavy hair can be washed every three to four days.
• Type 3 Curly hair can be washed once or twice a week.
• Type 4 Coily hair can be washed once a week or fortnight.
3. Use moisturising hair treatments
Daily environmental stressors like UV radiation, dry weather, chlorine and saltwater can all dehydrate hair. To promote elasticity and provide deep nourishment, use a moisturising hair mask once a week in your curly hair routine.
We recommend the Curl Manifesto Hydrating Nutrition Mask for Curly Hair: an extra rich, nourishing treatment that leaves your curls smooth and free of tangles. You can also apply the Nutritive Magic 8H Night Serum a few nights a week to hydrate dry hair and care for your curls while you sleep.
4. Cut back on the heat tools
Heated styling tools – like curling irons, straighteners and blow-dryers – can achieve an array of flawless looks, but frequent use can cause damage like breakage and split ends.
To give your curls a rest and minimise heat damage, we suggest learning how to style curly hair without the use of heat styling tools – which we’ll touch on later.
If you do reach for a heated styler, be sure to spritz your hair with a heat protectant spray beforehand. Our pick is the Genesis Anti Hair-fall Heat Protectant Spray, which provides 24-hour frizz protection along with 230°C thermo-protection.
5. Switch to a microfibre towel or cotton t-shirt
Regular terrycloth towels can rough up your curl pattern, so one of the simplest curly hair tips is to switch to a softer alternative. A microfibre towel is much gentler on your hair because the fibres are much finer than a regular bath towel. If you don’t have a microfibre towel, try using an old t-shirt – just ensure the material is 100% cotton first.
6. Experiment with the 'plop' method to air-dry hair
The plop method is a tried-and-tested technique for curly hair types to enhance natural curl patterns, control frizz, promote volume at the root, and define individual curls – without heat.
Starting with wet hair, apply a generous amount of the Curl Manifesto Crème de Jour Anti-Frizz Cream for Curly Hair to your hair, distributing cream evenly from roots to ends.
Lay your clean t-shirt or microfibre towel on a flat surface. Flip your head forward, gently ‘plopping’ your hair onto the centre of the towel so it makes a ‘pile’ at the top of your head. Then, wrap the towel around your head: leaving it on for at least 15 minutes before carefully unwrapping to let your hair air dry.
7. Use a diffuser on low heat when blow-drying
Blow-drying can revolutionise your curly hair routine, but the wrong technique can result in flat, frizzy hair. For increased bounce, invest in a blow-dryer diffuser attachment.
This attachment softens the air flow from your blow-dryer and evenly disperses air into your curls, minimising frizz and supporting bouncy, defined curls.
8. Steer clear of heavy products that weigh down the hair
To maintain the fluid, bouncy nature of curly hair types, we recommend prioritising lightweight products that don’t weigh down hair. Applying too much product or heavy formulas can drag down your curls, resulting in flat or dull strands.
Instead, apply a five-cent-sized amount of lightweight styling product.
9. Detangle gently
One of our biggest pieces of curly hair advice is to handle it gently.
Curly hair is more fragile, so take extra care when detangling to avoid breakage and preserve your natural curl pattern.
When detangling wet hair, it’s best to use a wide-tooth comb and conditioner in the shower, gently working through strands while they’re fully saturated. For dry detangling, use your fingers without tugging. Be sure to detangle the ends of your hair first and work your way up towards the root so you don’t pull the knots down.
10. Trim hair regularly to avoid split ends
Split ends are the enemy of curly hair; they disrupt your curl pattern, cause frizz, and lead to breakage. So, it’s important to keep your curls in good condition with regular trips to the salon every six to 12 weeks. In between visits, you can keep your ends nourished with the Elixir Ultime Refillable Hair Oil.
11. Refresh curls between washes
It’s natural for curls to go a little limp and less defined between washes. So, to avoid over-washing your hair (and drying out strands), we recommend integrating our hero product Curl Manifesto Miracle Curl Refreshing Spray into your curly hair routine.
This second-day curl refreshing spray imparts hydration, enhances shine and re-energises your curls – without the need for a full hair wash.
How to Perfect Your Curly Hair Routine
Now that you have a curated list of curly hair tips, it’s time to channel them into your curly hair routine. Caring for curly hair can look a little different for every curl type, but nourishment is at the heart of each routine.
Whether your focus is enhancing shine in ringlets or nourishing coils, a few transformative products are all you need – and the Curl Manifesto collection is up to the task.
To get you started, follow these hair care steps:
1. Massage shampoo into your scalp to gently cleanse, then rinse thoroughly.
2. Apply conditioner to seal the cuticle – providing additional nourishment and anti-frizz properties.
3. Treat your curls with a hair mask and leave in for five to 30 minutes for a powerful dose of shine and moisture.
4. Follow up with a leave-in conditioner, such as the Curl Manifesto Crème de Jour, to help provide long-lasting hydration and heat protection. Style as usual.
5. Refresh your hair on day two (or three, or four) with the Curl Manifesto Miracle Curl Refreshing Spray for weightless lift and shine.
Combatting frizz is a big focus of any curly hair routine. So next, explore our tips on how to treat frizzy hair.
Curl Manifesto Hydrating Douceur Shampoo for Curly Hair
The Curl Manifesto Shampoo, Bain Hydration Doeccur, is a nourishing scalp & hair fibre cream curl shampoo. This cleansing shampoo removes dirt, pollution and build-up while infusing all curl types with vital hydration with no weigh-down. Leaving enhanced curl pattern, volume & radiance. 100% sulphate-free shampoo for curly hair. Discover our newest curl shampoo now.
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Curl Manifesto Essential Hydrating Conditioner for Curly Hair
Nourish your curls with the new Kerastase Curl Manifesto Conditioner. A lightweight moisture replenishing curl conditioner that infuses curls with lightweight moisture with no weigh-down. Achieve shiny, ultra-soft and fully rejuvenated curls with the new nourishing, anti-frizz conditioner.
Curl Manifesto Crème de Jour Anti-Frizz Cream for Curly Hair
Define your curls now with the leave-in Crème De Jour Fondamentale Curly Hair Cream. This anti-frizz cream for curly hair promotes curl definition and elasticity while providing extreme hydration to your luscious locks.
Curl Manifesto Miracle Curl Refreshing Spray
Own your curls in-between washes with the Curl Manifesto Refresh Absolu spray for curly hair, very curly hair and coily hair. Use the curl refreshing spray to re-hydrate and re-activate second-day curls for weightless, defined curls. Discover Kerastase's spray for curly hair now.
The Curly Girl Must Have
Curl Manifesto
Embrace your curls with the new Curly Girl Must-Have, Curl Manifesto. Suitable for all types of natural curls, this hair care for curly hair is formulated with hydrating Manuka Honey & Cementing Ceramides to define, strengthen and hydrate your locks. Manifest your curly hair now.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Answers To Your Frequently Asked Curl Questions
