12 Expert Tips for Luscious Curls

The phrase “beauty is pain” may never ring truer than when a curly haired person is trying to manage their locks. Can you relate? Albeit beautiful, curls can be complicated. This is why we not only studied the science behind curly hair to come up with the best possible products to help our curly girls out but also why we did extensive research to come up with this list of curly hair tips. 

Keep in mind that there are many different types of curly hair, which means they can’t all be treated the same. When it comes to shopping for hair products online or figuring out the best products for your hair, make sure to account for your personal texture. These expert tips for managing curly hair from proper care to styling techniques will help your curls be at their best. What we really hope, though, is that they help you learn to love your natural curl – all of the time. Let’s get to it.

Curly Hair Type

You love your curls, but they’ve got a mind of their own. From frizz to dryness (and everything in between) nothing seems to keep them happy—until now.

Say goodbye to the unwanted side effects of curly hair when you care for it with the right curl products:

1. Choose the Right Shampoo

Washing our hair feels like a fresh start, but it can do more harm than good if you don’t have the right curl shampoo on hand. When cleaning your natural curly hair, it’s crucial to select a sulfate-free shampoo. Sulfates can be incredibly drying when they are in lathering products like shampoo, and that’s the last thing curly hair needs. Opt for a gently cleansing, yet hydrating shampoo such as our curl-specific shampoo for fresh, defined curls straight from the shower.

2. Condition Often

One of our favorite curly hair tips and tricks is to keep those locks nice and hydrated! Due to its curvy structure, curly hair is often drier than other hair types because the hair’s natural oils have a harder time traveling the length of the hair. When hair is dry, it’s more prone to damage and breakage. To take care of your natural curly hair, make sure you condition your hair often to replenish the moisture lost. We recommend our Curl Conditioner, which is made to moisturize and detangle all types of curl textures, while encouraging curl groupings, and has a luxurious feel to boot. Learning how to moisturize curly hair is absolutely essential if you want to embrace your curls.

3. Rinse with Cold Water

We get it, taking a cold shower is no one’s cup of tea, but at least rinsing your hair with cold water will help close the cuticle (the outermost layer) of your strands so they can retain moisture and strength and appear smoother and shinier. Now, a quick chill at the end of your shower routine is worth healthy hair, don’t you think?

4. Use A Hair Mask

>A strong foundation for gorgeous curls starts in the shower but doesn’t stop there. Using a hair mask or treatment in addition to your typical shampoo, conditioner, and styling products can make or break your hair. Select the right mask for your strands and you’ll see major results, and quickly. If your curls are fine, try our Weightless Mask for lightweight deep conditioning, if your hair is feeling dry or damaged, try our Restore Mask, and if your curls feel exceptionally dry or constantly frizzy, reach for our Intense Moisture Mask for rich, frizz-fighting deep conditioning.

5. Strengthen Your Strands

The key to more definition, hydration, smoothness, and shine in your curls is strength. That’s right, weak, vulnerable strands are at the root of your hair problems. Thankfully, there’s a solution. Our Curl Collection shampoo, conditioner, and conditioning stylers all feature our Healthy Curl Complex to infuse your curls with the strength they need to look their best.

How does it work? Our Healthy Curl Complex, developed specifically for curly hair, forms a strengthening shield around every curl. It reduces cuticle lift to boost strength and prevent breakage, replenishes hydration, encourages curl groupings to enhance definition, boosts hair alignment for added shine, and even controls frizz. The result? Smooth, defined curls from root to tip.

Styling Curly Hair

Caring for your curls is just part of what makes them shine. If you’re as hair-obsessed as we are, your routine doesn’t stop there. Style your curls the right way with these helpful tips and tricks:

6. Lather On the Styling Products

The right styling product can make all the difference in how your curls dry. Our advice? Lather it on straight out of the shower. As we mentioned above, all the stylers in our Curl Collection feature our magical Healthy Curl Complex to strengthen your strands and enhance their beauty and bounce. 

Our curl enhancing products offer different formulas depending on your hair type, whether you need a curl enhancer to revive wavy hair or a curl elongator for coily hair. All are formulated to provide both treatment and styling benefits so you can get the conditioning benefit of a leave-in treatment and styling benefits of a styling product in one wonderful product. We know you’ve been waiting for this.

7. Shape Curls In The Shower

If you like to wear your hair natural, take advantage of the slip of our Curl Conditioner and shape your curls with your fingers while you’re in the shower. Whether you have loose or tight curls, your pattern can benefit from a little in-shower shaping session: weaker curl patterns may require scrunching to form curl groupings while stronger textures may require a wide tooth comb to form curl groupings. After any type of in-shower curl styling with the use of conditioner, follow with a soft rinse (low pressure) to not disturb the curl pattern you just helped shape.

8. Use a Heat Protectant

When heat styling curly hair, or any type of hair for that matter, the use of a heat protectant spray is essential. This will create a barrier between your strands and hot tools so the heat doesn’t create as much damage. We recommend using either our Heat Styling Spray or Restore Instant Protection to provide heat protection before using a curler, flat iron, blow dryer, or diffuser.

9. Dry with a Diffuser

Learning how to diffuse curly hair can be an absolute game changer for some ladies! A diffuser is the curly girl’s favorite hot tool…or it should be. This blow drying technique will leave your curls more defined, less frizzy, and bouncy. Air drying is, of course, the healthiest way to dry your locks, but when you diffuse your curls the right way, you can limit heat damage and see incredible results consistently. Plus, you won’t have to wait hours for your curls to dry.

Additional Tips

Proper care and styling of your curls depend on your hair’s unique features. If you want to take an expert approach to managing curly hair and support hair growth, be sure to determine your curl type and hair porosity, and don’t be afraid to experiment!

10. Know Your Curl Type

While your hair will benefit from all of the above curly hair tips, knowing your curl type will only help you serve it better. Your curl type dictates the products and methods you should be using to properly care for your hair. Our Curl Collection is designed to help you embrace your natural hair—no matter what curl pattern or hair type you have. However, while many of the products, such as the Curl Shampoo, Curl Conditioner, and Moisturizing Shine Oil are designed with all curl types in mind, there are a couple of products specially designed for each of the curly hair types. For example, someone with loose waves should be using much lighter weight styling products such as our Curl Enhancer, than someone with tight coils who would benefit from a thicker styling product such as our Curl Elongator.

Additionally, your curl type affects whether your hair is more prone to frizz or breakage, and thus should influence the types of treatment products you choose or the hairstyles for curly hair you wear.

11. Determine Your Hair Porosity 

Hair porosity is a fancy way of measuring how much moisture your hair can absorb and retain. Each level of hair porosity has its own unique challenges; low porosity hair has a difficult time absorbing moisture but can retain it well, while high porosity hair has a difficult time retaining moisture, it absorbs and loses it easily. 

If you have high porosity hair, your curls are likely more prone to frizz, dryness, and breakage, but they can handle a lot of product, so you will want to focus on ultra-hydrating and rich styling products, a treatment hair mask, and oils to achieve your preferred hairstyle.

If you have low porosity hair, your curls are more likely to be easily weighed down by heavy styling products so it’s important to choose lightweight products and use techniques such as steam and heat to open the hair cuticle so products can penetrate the hair more easily. 

12. Experiment

Like the rest of your body parts, your hair is made up of cells and a unique structure. The more you know about the science behind your hair, the more you will know how to care for it properly. Think of your hair care and styling routines as science experiments. Experiment with different products, methods, and techniques to determine which ones work for you. With a little time and effort, you will find the best routine for your hair and your curls will thank you.