The good, the bad, and the ugly of curly hair.

Curly hair can be hard work – but then again so can straight. Having weird straight-ish hair with a little wave, I’m that in-between of beautiful curly locks and poker straight strands. A little bit like a 90’s perm gone limp. But I’ve always wished I had curly hair? Much like I’m sure if I had curly hair I would long for straight. Let’s face it we’re never happy with what we’ve got are we?!

I may not have the curly hair I wish for, but I love learning all about different types of hair, so I’ve decided to step inside the life of the curly haired and share some of the best do’s, don’ts, tips and styles for you all to enjoy too. 

Different types of curls

First things first, how many curls are there? A lot! Depending on your hair type the curls can range from wavy to curly to coils, even to zig-zag! Each curl type then has a sub curl to it; soft wave to deep wave, classic curls to corkscrews. While figuring out your curl type is as easy as looking in the mirror, how you treat your curl type is a different ball game.

Treat your curls well

When deciding on the best product for your individual curls there are three things you’ll need to take into consideration.

First, how porous is your hair – how easily does your hair suck up liquid? If you aren’t sure on this one an easy test can clear things up. Dunk the ends of a lock of your hair in a cup of water (or take a bath, any excuse), and see if your hair floats, sinks, or stays somewhere in the middle. If your hair floats, it’s non-porous and doesn’t easily absorb product, so you should reach for heavier creams that’ll fight the good fight and get the job done. If it sinks, your hair takes in liquids easily. Look for lighter, water-based products. Who knew hey?

Second, elasticity. How easily do your curls bounce back into place? If when you pull a curly lock and it doesn’t automatically go back to that luscious curl, you are lacking elasticity and you need more moisture. But the worst thing to do when you need more moisture is add oil; we all know water and oil aren’t the best of friends so when searching for a product use a water based product to help your hair lock moisture in – not keep it out.

Lastly, taking us back to our earlier point, curl type. Most people with curly hair don’t fall into the ‘one curly type’ category. You can be in-between curl types or have coiled curls behind your ears and back of the neck but waves everywhere else. This is where you can mix and match your products, don’t be afraid to go for water-based products everywhere and pop a bit of cream in the curlier spots. You’ll find the best combination for you in no time.   

Finding the right products can seem daunting but we’re here to help – why not pop into your nearest salon and our trained technicians can advise what products would best suit your hair. The Curl Manifesto Range from Kerastase is absolutely amazing.

How do you brush yours? 

Now I could literally write an entire blog on the best techniques for brushing curly hair. But I’ll just stick to the basics for now (maybe I’ll write that at a later date). Golden rule number one; never brush your hair dry – if you need to detangle your hair in between washes simply use your fingers – sounds crazy doesn’t it? As most hair types need to limit how much they brushed when wet to limit the damage. But if you brush curly hair when dry not only do you risk losing the curl definition, you also increase the chance of frizz – which nobody needs in their life. Other tips for brushing include trying not to blow dry, use a wide tooth comb and protect protect protect using your favourite oils or creams.

Styling your curls

Now I personally think all curls deserve to be set free, and the bigger the better in my eyes. But it wouldn’t suit for us all to feel the same. I mean I’m sure having big bouncy curls at the gym could get in the way – so I’ve looked at some of the best and easiest ways to style your curly hair… from half up and half down, messy buns and braids to simple ponytails. Take a look at the below for your curly hair inspo, the good thing about curly hair is that bobby pins can easily hide away behind the next curl…… you see now why I’m longing for curly hair!