Is finding a product that doesn’t weigh down your waves/curls seemingly impossible? We know — It can be frustrating, time-consuming, and costly.
Before you go out and buy your next round of products in hopes for the best, we’re asking you to take a step back and examine your products and routine based on the following: 1. collaboration, 2. adding water, and 3. emollients.
1. Find Products that Work Together
Number one on our list is the importance of your products collaborating with one another. This probably isn’t something you usually think about when picking out products. You might be wondering — how do I know if my products will collaborate? Well, there are a lot of factors that go into products collaborating with one another. These factors include the weight of each ingredient used to formulate each product and the type and quality of ingredients used to formulate each product. Another factor that plays an important role is the state your curls/waves are currently in because this can play a role in what types of ingredients your curls need and how they might react to the products.
Good news — our products are all specifically formulated to collaborate with each other! This makes our 360° Curls Collection lightweight and layerable, when used in moderation.
2. Add Water
Water is SO important for your curls/waves in both your products and your routine. It allows your hair cuticles to lift by breaking the hydrogen bonds and enables curl pliability, elasticity, and longer term moisture. Products that contain active ingredients that weigh less than water and penetrate the curl shaft will aid in your curl success.
Don’t forget to include water in the application of your products as well. Make sure to emulsify your products with water before applying them to your curls. Rub the product together into wet hands, then apply it. Repeat this process for each product individually as emulsifying your products all together will create competition instead of product collaboration.
So, what’s at the top of our ingredient list? Water! Plus, our products are all water-soluble and easy to wash out, which helps in preventing product build-up.
3. Let's Talk About Emollients
An emollient creates a smooth, even film on the surface of the hair. These ingredients are often used as anti-humectants and/or sealers to help regulate the amount of moisture in each hair strand. Emollients can also be used as lubricants to increase the amount of slip in a product and make for easier detangling. There are some emollients that are lightweight enough to penetrate the hair cuticle, while others can help to smooth and flatten the surface of the hair cuticle.
With this in mind, take a second to determine what kinds of emollients work best for your curls/waves. If you have fine to medium width curls/waves, you may want to reach for lighter emollients that are less likely to weigh down your hair. On the other hand, if you have medium to thick/coarse width curls, you may want to look for heavier emollients. Now, the word “heavy” is a relative term based on your curls, and it will take some trial and error to determine what kinds of emollients work best for your curls/waves.
Alright Curly, now you’re ready to reassess your product choices and styling routine. Consider collaboration, water, and emollients and you’ll be well on your way to saying goodbye to flat, weighed down curls/waves.