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Top 13 Challenges for Curly Girls and the Best Solutions

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    Are your curls being too stubborn? Going natural is very liberating and very frustrating too especially if your hair is just too frizzy and dry. It’s not easy to take care of curly hair, but when you see how gorgeous your tresses look, the effort is definitely worth it.

    There are many challenges in taking care of curly hair. You have to fight against frizz and brittleness of the strands. You also have to battle humidity and external factors too. Your hair is so unpredictable that you won’t know how it’s going to look in the morning. Some days, you’ll wake up with puffy hair that seems all over the place. There are also days when your hair looks as if you’re ready to walk the runway. Your hair behaves differently every day, you ask yourself if it is still worth it.

    Having great hair these days has nothing to do with chance. The products you use, your hair care routine, your habits, and the environment are the factors that affect how amazing or awful your curls will turn out. Embrace your curls and deal with these challenges head-on. Don’t worry, we’ve got tips that will help make it easier for you.

    Curly girl at the beach

    #1 Fighting frizziness

    All curly hair has the potential to be a ball of frizziness. Frizziness makes your hair fly away, forming a halo of stringy strands. Many factors can affect the state of your hair. For frizziness, humidity and lack of moisture are major catalysts. Frizz happens when the cuticles of your hair are raised, allowing moisture from the environment to swell the strands.

    Your hair becomes curlier or frizzier the more it swells. Hair loses its smooth texture and shape, giving you puffy hair. Frizzy hair is dry and has a static appearance too. 

    How to Deal With It
    TIP 1: Use oils before and after blow-drying. Oils smooth out your cuticles to prevent them from lifting up. Using oils before blow-drying will protect your hair from the heat as well. The oil you apply after conditions your hair so it stays soft and moisturized all day long.
    TIP 2: Choose cool air instead of warm hair when you blow dry. The heat from the blow-dryer will remove the moisture from your hair, leaving it vulnerable to frizziness. It can make your hair dryer than usual too. Cool air will dry your hair as fast, without causing hair damage.

    #2 Achieving consistency

    Sometimes you get great hair, and there are also days when you can’t seem to tame your hair. The lack of consistency will push you into a love-hate relationship with your curls. However, you don’t have to worry about having good hair once you know the trick to keeping it soft and manageable. Keeping your hair healthy will help control hair damage and prevent hair concerns from happening. Using suitable products for your hair will help too. Achieve consistency and wake up to beautiful curls.

    How to Deal With It
    TIP 1: Sleep on silk sheets and pillowcases. Cotton and other types of fabric can cause friction on your hair. They can lift up cuticles, cause breakage, and lead to frizzy hair. Silk is gentle on your hair, even if you move a lot, it will not cause as much damage.
    TIP 2: Don’t touch your hair too much. We know it’s tempting to fix your hair when you feel it’s out of place. Even so, touching your hair frequently can actually make it more unruly than before. Combing, touching, and scrunching your hair often, disrupts the cuticles, which leaves your hair prone to frizziness.
    Organic oil for hair

    #3 Finding the balance between protein and moisture

    Is your hair dry and very brittle? It must have high porosity. Porous hair is more likely to break and get damaged. Your hair gets porous due to the frequent contraction and swelling of the hair shaft. It’s quite common for curly hair to be weak and brittle. However, frequent breakage is a sign of hair damage. This happens when you moisturize your hair with conditioners that do not provide protein to hair.

    Hair shaft swells when it is wet or when it absorbs moisture. It contracts as it gets dry. The ability of the hair to expand as it absorbs moisture is called hygral property. When you continue to moisturize your hair frequently, it will develop into hygral fatigue. Your hair loses elasticity and proteins, making it break easily. It is important to prevent hygral fatigue to strengthen hair.

    How to Deal With It
    TIP 1: Try pre-poo conditioning. Oils that have great moisturizing ability protect hair from getting dry when you shampoo it. It is important, especially for curly hair, to apply pre-poo oils. These oils will absorb right into the hair shaft without making it expand too much.
    TIP 2: Alternate a moisture-rich conditioner and protein-rich conditioner every week. Protein strengthens the hair strands to reduce breakage. It restores the elasticity and resilience of hair so your tresses won’t suffer from hygral fatigue.

    #4 Getting rid of knots and tangles

    Curly girls don’t want you touching their hair. Other than messing with the perfectly styled ringlets, curly hair is often full of knots and tangles that your fingers are sure to catch on one. These tangles are precursors to breakage. Forcefully removing them will not only hurt. They cause hair breakage that may develop into split ends and other kinds of hair damage too. Brushing your hair with the wrong tools can also worsen the damage. 

    How to Deal With It
    TIP 1: Detangle your hair after applying conditioner and before you rinse hair. Your hair is more elastic when it is wet. The conditioner smooths out the cuticles as well to prevent them from lifting up from the shaft.
    TIP 2: Detangle your hair in sections, starting from the tips going upwards. This helps minimize the damage of detangling hair. Brushing your hair in one sweep from the roots to tips can break the strands or make them fall.
    Smooth and tangle-free curls

     #5 Trying to keep moisture in

    One of the main problems of curly girls is that no matter how much conditioner you apply to hair, it will still feel rough and dry. Curly hair is naturally dry and brittle compared to wavy hair or straight hair. In order to condition this hair type, you need rich moisturizers that seal the water content to the hair shaft. Porous hair is more likely to get dry faster compared to normal curly hair. You can improve the porosity of hair by using protein-rich conditioners.

    How to Deal With It
    TIP 1: Use sulfate-free shampoos. Sulfate is an ingredient that acts as a surfactant in shampoos. It can dry your hair by removing the moisture from the strands. Sulfate-free shampoos cleanse your hair and scalp without making it dry. They use organic or natural ingredients that are good for your curls too.
    TIP 2: Try to cut back on shampooing. Even when you use sulfate-free shampoos, washing your hair every day with cleansing formulas can still make it dry. You should limit the number of times you shampoo your hair in a week. Try shampooing your hair only 3 days in one week to see the difference.

    #6 Cutting back on long styling hours

    Combing hair is a painful experience, using too many styling products make your hair crusty, and cutting your hair short is a risk you’re never willing to take. Just drying your hair takes a lot of effort. Styling it into the form that you want will take you hours. Too many hours if you ask the experts. Instead of investing hours on styling your hair, ditch the products and tools you won't need.

    How to Deal With It
    TIP 1: Twirl your hair and diffuse it. Instead of using curling irons or applying holding formulas all over your hair, you can instead try this easy styling method. Twirling your hair brings out its natural form. To diffuse your hair, you just need to attach a diffuser tool at the end of a hairdryer. This tool spreads the flow of air to reduce the damage caused by heat.
    TIP 2: Mix and match. Applying products to hair takes too much time especially if you need to wait for them to get absorbed. The best way to tackle this problem is to mix products that complement each other. You can even use this method to achieve your styling needs. For example, mixing a serum with a mousse reduces the crustiness or dryness of hair.
    Applying moisturizing products to hair

    #7 Using suitable hair products for curly hair

    Regular shampoos and conditioners will damage curly hair. Your hair needs specific formulas that can help prevent hair concerns such as breakage, damage, and frizziness. You should also keep in mind that not all curly hair products work for you. Your hair has different components and needs that you have to consider before using a product. Sometimes, buying products especially for curly hair can be expensive. You can buy from brands that cater to your curly hair needs without ripping a hole through your wallet. These tips will save you money and effort too.

    How to Deal With It
    TIP 1: Try using shampoos that contain oils. Oils are highly-nourishing for your hair. Argan oil and castor oil are two of the notable oils experts recommend for curly girls. They improve the overall health and strength of hair so you don’t have to worry about brittleness and breakage. If you have dandruff or a flaky scalp, you can use a shampoo that contains a blend of tea tree oil and other organic oils. They help control dandruff to keep your curls flake-free without drying your hair.
    TIP 2: Use leave-in conditioners. Leave-in conditioners can save you from spending lots on creams, serums, and oils. They have thick and rich formulas that seal the moisture to hair while making it softer and shinier. Leave-in conditioner saves you from the trouble of buying and applying several moisturizing products.

    #8 Protecting curly hair from weather changes

    Say hello to humid and rainy days with a smile. Anyone who has curly hair knows how frustrating it is to style your hair only to lose its shape during rainy days or when humidity rises. Moisture in the air is a great thing for your skin, but not for your curls. Weather it out by using the right product that will hold your curls, rain or shine.

    How to Deal With It
    TIP 1: Bring a bottle of hair moisturizing spray with you. A few spritzes on your hair will moisturize the strands so they don’t get frizzy and fly all over the place. You should apply it before and after going outside.
    TIP 2: Secure your hair in a loose low bun with bobby pins. This helps maintain the shape of your hair so you can still get defined curls after you take the pins out. A few twirls and a small amount of leave-in conditioner or moisturizer bring your hair back to life.
    Various products for hair care routine

    #9 Improving stringy ends

    Straw should not be a word that describes your hair. However, the tips of your hair often lack in attention and care that it ends feeling like straw. Curly hair, aside from being really dry, is also very frizzy. Especially for the tips of your hair that doesn’t receive enough moisture. Stringy ends make your hair look frizzy and damaged. 

    How to Deal With It
    TIP 1: Get a trim every month. Trimming your hair controls the damage by preventing them from spreading upwards. It helps remove the damaged ends of your hair as well, so you’re left with healthier and smoother ends. Always go to a professional salon because they know how to handle and cut your hair.
    TIP 2: Apply a second layer of moisturizing products on the tips of your hair. It will not only help moisturize the tips, this method is effective in preventing flyaways too.

    #10 Looking for the perfect wash and go method

    Curly girls are well-versed about wash and go. This is a practice of wearing your natural hair without using styling tools or products. With this method, you only need to wash and condition your hair without shaping and styling. Finding the perfect method and products takes time. It all depends on your hair and the shape that you want. If you want fluff, then go for moisturizing products. If you want definition, curl-defining formulas are the best choices.

    How to Deal With It
    TIP 1: Keep it simple. The fewer products you use, the better. Unless they are for moisturizing your curls, don’t use too much product or they will leave residues on hair and scalp. A simple wash and condition system is enough to bring out the natural shape of your hair.
    TIP 2: Find your own method. You can try the method that other people use. You can even experiment with their recommended products. Just because it works for other people, it doesn’t mean that it will work for you. You can find formulas that work best for your hair and its needs.
    Frizzy curly hair

     #11 Defining the shape of your curls

    Curls without definition look like a messy bunch of static hair. Your hair has a natural shape. Various factors like lack of moisture and humidity make your hair loose and undefined. Even when hair is not frizzy, curls can still lose shape. Styling your hair can sometimes disturb the natural twists of your hair. 

    How to Deal With It
    TIP 1: Try a mix of air drying and diffusing. It is healthier for your hair to dry naturally as much as possible. However, to preserve the defined shape of your curls, you should use a diffuser. Diffusing your hair right after can increase the frizziness, while air drying loosens the shape of your curls.
    TIP 2: Dry your hair properly. Lots of curly girls notice how curls look sleek and defined when wet. However, as hair dries, it loses its shape. The problem lies in how you dry your hair. Rubbing your hair is a big no-no. It causes friction that increases the frizziness of hair. The towel you are using can also affect your curls. Use a microfiber towel to gently pat your hair dry.

    #12 Growing curly hair out

    Big curly hair sure is sexy. However, you will notice that for some reason, it doesn’t seem to grow long. A possible cause could be stunted hair growth. Hair grows at its optimum rate with enough nourishment. A healthy scalp grows strong and shiny hair. It might seem like your hair does not grow, but it does. The problem with curly hair is that it’s so brittle that breakage is almost normal. This prevents your hair from growing long. If you want longer and stronger hair, make sure to use the right products that will stimulate its growth.

    How to Deal With It
    TIP 1: Apply hair treatment masks every week. Hair masks provide extra moisture and nourishment to hair. They help repair hair damage as well and fortify it in order to reduce the risks of frizziness and brittleness. Diffusing and air drying can make is the perfect combination for defined curls.
    TIP 2: Use protein-rich hair products. Your hair is made up of protein. Applying products rich in protein helps to strengthen hair and improve its resilience. It increases the elasticity of your hair too in order to reduce breakage. Start with your shampoo, as it is your hair’s main source of nourishment.
    Moisturizing oils and towel for hair

    #13 Increasing the volume of thin curly hair

    Volume is not a problem for curly hair unless your roots are over-conditioned. Yes, that can happen even for curly hair. A common misconception in hair care is that moisture = oil. The moisture that your hair needs is actually water. The oil that your scalp produces smooths out your hair and seals the moisture in the shaft. This is why some curly hair looks so thin and limp. You can bring back hair volume with quick hacks.

    How to Deal With It
    TIP 1: Use water-based hair products instead of oil-based ones. Ditch your oil-based conditioners, shampoos, and creams. Water-based formulas are better for your hair. They improve the thickness of the strands while making sure that your hair stays hydrated and healthy.
    TIP 2: Try the L.O.C method. Liquid, oil, cream method is a great way to seal moisture to hair and increase its volume without making it puffy. This works by trapping the moisture to the hair shaft and sealing all cuticles. The cream and oil work together to improve the shine of hair too.
    It’s never too late to wear your natural hair. Those gorgeous curls that bounce are worth the effort. After all, curly hair is a blessing. With these tips and the best hair products, you can easily achieve the hairstyle that you desire. For all curly girls out there, be proud and let your curls free. 

    Give your curly hair the best care it deserves with Shiny Leaf Shampoos and Conditioners. Get them here.
    Conditioner Hair Care Shampoo

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