Tips & Tricks for Naturally Curly Hair

By Roxie Jane Hunt, Hairstyle Tutorials Expert

After years of struggling with multiple personality hair disorder, I feel like I finally have enough tools in my DIY natural hair kit to make my hair work for me. I have my ShamPHree routine down, I regularly trim my ends to keep my hair healthy, and I've got my favorite hairbrush to tame my mane when all else fails. I also have some pretty valuable tricks up my sleeve for humid days when my hair wants to do its own thing!

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The FauxDeva Set

To start my naturally curly routine, I use a pre-poo conditioning treatment. Let’s call it a pre-free though; it sounds better. I also like to use a DIY honey coconut masque on my hair to help seal in the good stuff. The night before my ShamPHree day, I apply the masque to my dry ends only. I literally warm the masque in my hands and work it into the last inch of my hair, with my head flipped upside down. Then I put my hair in a loose braid and sleep on it. I ShamPHree the masque out in the morning using warm water.

When styling my curly hair, I usually create what I like to call a FauxDeva set. I love the look of a DevaCurl set, especially because DevaCurl educators have an incredible formula for setting curls using their products. It works wonders for wavy to kinky hair, encouraging pretty, defined, well-formed, long lasting curls. In this article I will illustrate to you a basic curl setting technique, minus the DevaCurl Products. And for the record, I love their products. I often use DevaCurl on my curly clients at the salon, I just don’t use them on my own hair because I'm a product minimalist.

To create the FauxDeva curl set, all you will need is a micro-fiber or t-shirt towel. At the end of your shower, flip your hair upside down and rinse it using light water pressure. Turn off the water and then gently wring your hair out at the ends. Carefully insert your fingers into your hair at the scalp, loosening the hair up without bringing your fingers through the ends. Give your head a gentle upside down shake to set your hair free. If you use a certain product in your hair, now is the time to very gently spray or scrunch it into hair. 

Once you have applied your chosen product. Take your micro-fiber towel or your t-shirt towel and bring it up towards your scalp, gathering all the ends of the hair into a deep scrunching. Don’t squeeze the hair in the scrunch until your hands are all the way to the scalp. Then turn your head to one side and repeat the deep scrunch with the hair on the side. 

Now, softly flip your head backwards and scrunch the back up into the scalp a couple more times with your towel. Viola! You are all set with curls evenly scrunched and activated! Let your hair air dry and don’t touch it until it is fully dry! Once dry, scrunch your hair a bit more and shake it out and let it be wild. Hooray for natural curls!

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Curl Ribboning 

This is one of those tricks that I use on every curly client that sits in my chair. After the dry curl cut, I will generally rinse and condition my client's curls. I squeeze as much water out as I can after washing, then I rake through the hair with my fingers to where it falls naturally. Then I diffuse it a bit, sometimes upside down.

When it the hair is about halfway dry, I get a little pinky-nail-sized smear of my absolute favorite DIY curl product, Liquid gold polisher and rub it between my hands. Then, I smooth it gently onto the surface of the curls. Remember friends, handle curls lightly and gently always, so as not to disturb the curl pattern or curl cast too much.

Scrunch a bit of the product gently into the ends. Then, take a single curl and twirl it around your fingers in the direction that it moves naturally. This helps to define the curl while smoothing it and working the product into it a bit more. Do this to many random curls and you will see the difference. It cuts down on frizz and fuzz and gives the hair a much more shiny, springy look!