What is it about curly hair that has us clamoring for our water bottle, or favorite natural oil; or has our eyes scanning the ingredients lists on dozen of products, ferociously looking for that extra boost of moisture?
Many curlies have exhausted every effort to find that special ingredient that will keep their curls ‘tamed’, hydrated, and frizz-free! Why can't our curls just cooperate?!? Well my curly friend, I'm here to tell you that your curls are just doing what they were designed to do. Don't worry though, all hope is not lost! However, to get your curls to cooperate with your plans, it helps to know a bit about the science of curly hair.
It’s In the Curl DNA You may be surprised to know that the internal structure of curly hair is the same as that of straight hair. What makes curly hair curly, is the way it grows from the follicles of our scalp.
People with straight hair have almost-round shaped follicles that sit vertically under the surface of the scalp, and therefore, cause hair to grow vertically out of the scalp. For those of us whose follicles are more oval shaped, the follicles are more likely to sit at an angle. With oval shaped follicles, as hair grows out of the scalp, it curves, and is naturally crimped, and wallah! That's how you end up with a beautiful head of curls! Here's the twist (pun intended)...when the hair is ‘crimped’ by the follicle as it grows out of the scalp, each bend and turn that is created becomes a weak point of the curl strand, as the bend of the curly strand is thinner in diameter than the non-bent part of the strand. This leaves our newly born curls susceptible to dryness, frizz, and you probably guessed it, BREAKAGE! The key to combating this horribly vicious cycle is delivering moisture to your curls below the top (cuticle) layer. Delivering moisture beneath the cuticle layer of the hair - toward the cortex (this is where the color, texture, and strength of your curl strand is made) gets the best results to achieve strong, healthy strands. For lasting moisture, you need the right process of cleansing and conditioning, AND products with ingredients (like our all natural,
360° Curls Complex)
that are able to penetrate to the cortex,
to hydrate and protect strands. The Do’s 1. Do- Cleanse your hair every 5-8 days. Despite what you may have heard, this is key to removing the dirt, debris, and buildup that can prevent moisture from getting to your scalp and hair strands. If you’re concerned about stripping your hair of too much moisture, try our
Curl Renew & Restore Gentle Cleansing Rinse, which is made with plant-based cleansing agents to gently rinse away dirt, debris, and product buildup, without stripping strands of much needed moisture.
2. Do- Moisturize with WATER-based products If water is not the 1st ingredient listed on the ingredients list of your current conditioner or main styler, you’re probably missing out on moisture. Our
TréLuxe 360° Curls collection includes all water-based products, with botanical blends like our 360° Curls Complex, to deliver maximum moisture for days, while strengthening hair strands.
3. Do- Protect your curls Curly hair is often prone to tangling. When detangling, you want to use the least possible resistance, to protect strands from breakage. Our
Untie The Knot Nourishing Leave-in Conditioner is great for finger detangling, allowing you to remove tangles and single strand knots without putting too much stress on your strands. For best detangling results, detangle while hair is soaking wet.
Once curls are cleansed, detangled, and conditioned, you want to seal in the moisture, and protect your tresses from any harsh effects of mother nature. This is best done with a product that blends H2O and natural oils. Our
Curl Supreme 4-in-1 Hydrating Creme is a dense, but grease-free, multi-use product, formulated to strengthen, hydrate, protect, and style your curls, whether you have a loose or tight curl pattern. Curl Supreme contains light natural oils like apricot oil and avocado oil, in addition to shea nut butter and coconut oil.
The Don'ts 1. Don’t over-do it with heavy oils. This will leave hair limp, weighed down, and prevent water from penetrating through the oils and to your hair and scalp.
2. Don’t use products that leave residue on your hair and are hard to wash out. If your styling products are super-difficult to remove when cleansing, that’s a sign they may be more than what your hair needs.
3. Don’t over manipulate your curls. This often happens with excessive heat styling, or using harsh chemicals that permanently change your curl pattern, but can also happen with improper braiding techniques.
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