The more curls your natural hair has, the more moisture you need. Curly hair types tend to be prone to dryness and the more heat styling you use, the potential for damage increases. Heat is not the enemy! It’s the frequency of usage that makes everything a frightening mess! That cute curling iron can make your hair cascade in flirtatious ringlets but it can also cause heat damage.
It’s awesome to give your hair a break. The next time you want to reach for that hair curler, you can try these natural methods to achieve those sexy curls.
1. Pin Curls
This one may be considered a relic method but it works. This is one of the situations where dry hair works well to start with. You can start working on previously stretched hair and part your hair into sections. Once you make those circular spirals, you will then pin them to your head. Now all you need is time. Wait a few hours and remove the pins. Slowly separate the curls and enjoy.
2. Curlformers
If you want to be the master of your own size of curls, these formers will get you there. The different sizes help you with the range of ringlets you can have to your hair. Start with your hair damp and use some setting lotion; enjoy the lasting style that comes with the culrformers. This style is so low maintenance so you can hop out of your bed and get going with your day.
3. Cloth Curls
This is the method of curling natural hair using an old shirt that you cut out or an old pillowcase. Basically you are using rags to achieve your spirals. Notice I did not say cut up an old towel! A towel will just create a frizzy hot mess so go with cloth that resembles a t-shirt. Just use the cut outs to your preferred length and start rolling away. When you reach the end of the roll (the scalp), tie the ends and secure the hair there.
4. Rollers
When it comes to rollers, you should stay away from spongy material. Sponge is made to absorb and these babies will wreck your moisture levels. The oil in your hair will also ruin the rollers since it breaks them down and they begin to crumble like tissue. If you still want to use sponge types, look for the ones that have a satin covered feature. The satin covering builds a layer between you hair and the roller so you don’t need to worry about all that moisture sucking!
You start off with shampooing then you condition your hair. A good tip to follow: the more smaller your rollers are, the more curly the curls will be. The more larger your rollers are, the more straight (more wavy) your hair will be. I recommend magnetic rollers since you can curl everything from long hair to short hair with these. To avoid frizzy curls, you should always remove your curls when they are DRY! Use a hooded dryer (indirect heat) to speed up the drying process.
5. Bantu Knots
Bantu knots are super cute and you can do them on wet/dry hair. I love to wear them with Shea butter while my hair is semi damp. The more moist the hair is, the more curl definition you will get. In the case that your hair is dry, you will get a more loose hold.
6. The Drinking Straw Method!
This is where you will actually use regular drinking straws to achieve curls. The curls you achieve are tight and smaller. The straw set curls will define your natural curls and make them last more. After you use the straws, just finger comb through the hair to separate your hair. Start on semi wet hair since it curls better than dry hair. Always remember that when you are using any of the curling methods. Sleep with a silk scarf and you will be static free in the morning.
7. Flexi-rods
I love flexi rod curls. These are my go to stretching method as well as spiral creators. You just curl you hair around them and then release them in the end. I recommend to start wrapping your hair from the the ends and roll inwards. From my experience, if you don’t start with the ends, your ends stick out when you take the rods off. You want every hair to lie smoothly all around.
8. Braids/Twists
A great braid out is worth the effort. Start on semi damp hair and apply Shea butter to your locks. You probably want to sleep on a satin pillow or use a satin head-wrap to prevent the frizzes from emerging.
What if your hair is really thick (or long) and you want to speed up that drying process?
Use indirect heat to dry your hair. Sit under a hooded dryer as opposed to using a blow-dryer. Enjoy your curl definition while knowing your hair is well protected.
Q: How do you achieve your curly girl method without using heat?
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