Y’all are doing too much
I’ve been on this sub for over a decade now and there is one new trend I’m starting to see a lot of: most posts from people who are struggling with their hair follow a routine that uses too many products and too many labour-intensive techniques when they don’t need to.
I can totally see how this happens. A lot of beginners either pick up some random curly-labelled products at the store or see a content creator do a certain routine with multiple steps and figure that will work for them too, and then when it doesn’t, it’s hard to know why it might have not worked.
Here’s my recommendations on what to do instead. Start with assessing the situation without leave-in products. Wash and condition your hair then let it air dry.
From there ask yourself the following questions:
1 - does my hair look nice enough as is? If yes, don’t bother with products. If no, proceed.
2 - does my hair feel dirty despite washing it? You might have product or metal build up, use a chelating cleansing shampoo before conditioning then proceed.
3 - are the curls too fluffy/fuzzy/frizzy and I want distinct curl clusters like when my hair is wetter? If yes, you need a hold product. Which type depends on your hair. Usually the coarser/thicker your hair the heavier the hold product. This is not a hard rule but a good first guess. If the product isn’t giving you the level of definition you want, go heavier. If your hair is getting greasy, go lighter. Spread the product evenly around the hair and apply extra where you see the most fuzziness in your “no product” results. For many people that’s the tips, but for some it’s the roots or a patch of hair that refuses to form nice curls for whatever reason.
Note: if the product gives you a hard cast, that’s not a bad thing but you’re not done. Casts are meant to be broken mechanically (dry scrunch and root fluff). A big mistake I see a lot is that people use oil to break their cast. This undoes the work of the gel because oil will soften the hair back up too much. Do not use oil to break a cast unless it’s still too hard after scrunching and fluffing your hair dry. If your hair becomes frizzy after you break their gel cast, oil is not the answer, but rather conditioning, proceed to the next step.
4 - is my hair still frizzy despite seeing curl clusters? Do I get a strong “halo” of frizz despite using a hold product? If yes, you probably need a conditioning product. Same guidelines applies as for hold: coarser/thicker hair typically need heavier conditioning products, so start based on that. Sometimes a combined hold and conditioning product takes care of hold and conditioning at the same time. For example, a creamy mousse can do both for someone with fine hair and loose curls; a custard-jelly can do both for someone with thicker hair and tighter curls.
Say now you have definition and no frizz but your hair is a bit flat.
5 - do I have way less volume than when my hair has no products in it? If yes, you might have smoothed your hair down too much. You can add back texture using a texture spray or foam, or you can experiment with replacing any products that have extreme slip and conditioning with ones that are a bit less slippy.
This gets most people through most of their problems. But what if your curl pattern is too uneven, and your curls have different textures? Then go to 6.
6 - is my curl pattern too uneven for my liking? This is where styling brushes and finger coiling do their magic. These techniques will allow you to form identically sized strands and allow you to direct the curls in the direction you want, which will “standardize” your curls all over your head.
I hope this helps and if there is something I didn’t touch on, please tell me and I’ll be happy to help. I’ve been on the curly hair journey for decades and have also helped many friends and family members with finding a decent curly hair routine so I’ve seen more textures and hair types than just my own.
My current routine:
- Andrelon Oil and Care Shampoo
- Andrelon Oil and Care Conditioner and detangle
- Umberto Giannini Mousse raked in
- Curl Smith Fragrance Free Strong Hold Gel with prayer hands then scrunched all over