I have one best tip for curly hair.
It’s not using a t-shirt to blot dry, or a microfiber towel {although those are good tips — check out this one on Amazon WITH a wide-toothed comb, a necessity at my house}
It’s not a certain brand of gel.
But it is about the conditioner.
BTW I talk about this a LOT on my recent podcast:
don’t rinse all the conditioner out of your hair.
Naturally curly hair is naturally dry hair. You need to try to lock in as much moisture as possible and to do that there’s no reason to rinse it all out just to put more back in.
So, when you’re in the shower just do a quick dip under the water after you’re done conditioning. You’ll have to figure out how much you can leave it (I can leave a fair amount in). I also try to rinse more from my scalp area (as that is more likely to look greasy) than the ends. I used to rinse til’ I was squeaky conditioner-free, but no more (which saves me time in the shower, and allows me to use less product outside the shower)!
Related Post: How I do Curly Hair
Related Post: Apple cider vinegar for itchy scalp
Check out my helpful update that includes WAY more info on my curly hair routine:
One in 3 women in the US has curly hair (although you’d never know it!) — btw, my friend Katie has less curls than me, but this post shows how to use the curly girl method with her waves.
It doesn’t really matter what type of conditioner you use. I have used Aussie for a long time, I’ve also tried it’s a 10, but lately I’m loving “cleansing conditioner” like these. I think I’m going to try this Herbal Essences one next.
Besides my shower conditioning routine, I now have a HUGE love of
Mixed Chicks leave in mixed with a small drizzle of Biosilk. Then I scrunch in a little gel and it has been working SO well. Give it a try!
If you want more info on curly hair, check out this post:
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls, the content was sponsored by Dove — the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Lynness says
I’ve had the unusual experience of having both natural straight and naturally curly hair- it was straight (not even wavy)… except for the time I got a perm…until I hit puberty. Then it curled! Not so curly as yours, but still ringlets, not beach waves. My mom’s hair had a little wave until she hit puberty too- then it was curly. Having experienced both, I have to say I love my curls too! It’s easier to take care of, I think- I just shove it up in a claw clip every day with curls piled on top.
Hilary says
Yeah, I totally agree. Im not sure why everyone is so into straightening. It’s annoying.
Joyce says
Just wanted to say I had the same experience with my hair. I had straight hair all my life until my mom passed and I now have a combo of wavy/curly hair. I love it but it is fine and thin. It is a challenge making it look full on the sides but keeping curls defined and not weighed down.
Havok says
Curly hair is much more interesting than straight hair, all day erry day! When I was growing up, my mom would go get a perm every year (and now many years later, her hair still is half permed naturally now!) and while it took her a lot of time to care for it, she loved it. While I may not get to be in the curly hair club, I agree that there is too much hair-hate. And while I could spend a ton of time trying to tame my overly frizzy hair, it’s pointless – my hair has more character than it ever would being straightened, ha!
Hilary says
Blech, straightening takes SO much time. Sure, it’s fun every now and then, but I feel sorry for women who do it frequently. 🙁
Stephanie says
I have been trying leaving conditioner in.it seems to work. My issue is still poofy hair later
Hilary says
Like it’s not poofy enough, or too poofy? It’s a fine line… 😉
Stephanie says
Too poofy. Lol. I have tried everything to just get my hair to behave. Flat ironing doesn’t last. During the summer I give up. Haha
Hilary says
Well, too poofy isn’t my speciality. Frizzy… yes. 🙂 Good luck!
Paula Jones says
I am familiar with curly, frizzy and poofy. This is what I have learned in 65 years. Because I color my hair it is dried out even more. I have followed another blogger’s suggestion of putting gelatin on my hair. Because it is protein, you don’t want to do this but once, then again only if you lose the effect. It has made my hair feel thicker and heavier and has controlled some of the frizz. I have found a “shampoo” similar to WEN at WalMart. It’s really a cleansing conditioner. Even after I finish with that, I still use a conditioner with argon oil. But what really tamed my curly, frizzy wild poofy hair was to turn a fan on high, sit in front of it and let it style my hair for me. It’s much better than heat drying because heat seems to make hair frizz up more. Comb thru your wet hair to get the tangles out, then let it blow.
Hilary says
Oh man, if I sat in front of a fan, I’d have poof all over. I just air dry. 🙂 What’s the shampoo?
Paula Jones says
It’s Pantene Pro-V Cleansing conditioner. (intensive conditioner and gentle low-lather cleansing) And about the fan, what made me try it was I had just washed my hair and was just about to use the hair dryer. I remembered back to when I was a pre-teen and a neighbor took my sister (with the stick straight hair) and me, bushy head to the pool. My mom said we could not swim without our swimming caps. We hated those things and were not going to wear them. On the way back home, I held my head out the window so my hair could dry. By the time we got back home my hair was dry and my neighbor said that was the straightest she had ever seen my hair. So I went to the fan. Please try the fan, I think you”ll be pleased.
Hilary says
Huh, interesting. Is your hair super curly? Mine is ringlets so I don’t want to separate the curls….
Rachel says
I do the exact thing with a fan, not much frizz to speak f afterwards, I also spritz my air with a mixture of water and aloe and then run a bit of conditioner through my hair and let the fan do its thing a couple times throughout the remainder of the day. @loe is bomb.com for curly hair
Hilary Erickson says
Interesting – Aloe, i will have to try that!
Mandy says
Doesn’t this Shampoo have sulfates in it? I have really curly dry hair and cannot use Shampoo with sulfates. I really like the loreal sulfate free line with rosemary. It has a minty smell. It’s awesome.
Hilary says
Mandy, I have yet to find a sulfate free shampoo I really need to look harder. I’d like to try that one, I’ll have to look further!
Bonnie says
I’ve had 65 years of dealing with curly, not wavy, but CURLY, hair, so I believe I might have something to contribute here.
It’s not the curls I’ve battled but the FRIZZ!!! And I don’t like the short curly bangs that go with my curls, makes me look older than I am, ha. No one but a small child wants to look like Shirley Temple, it’s just looks like a ‘non-style’. Wintertime is easier, with the lack of humidity, but summertime is a constant frizz battle. I wear lots of baseball hats.
I’m not a big fan of Loreal’s Sulfate free shampoo, but their sulfate free Repairing Conditioner is very nice. I prefer the Organix line, all sulfate free, both shampoos and conditioners and a variety of offerings. And John Freida’s line of Frizz Free does help, but I don’t know if there is a definitive answer for curlies who battle frizz…..frizz just seems to win every time.
I’ll try the fan, seems worth a try. I know when I let my hair dry naturally with only blow drying the roots with cool air, a lot of frizz is eliminated.
Thanks for your posts.
Hilary says
I agree…. it’s the frizz. I have a post coming up with some of the things I learned during my recent makeover. Stay tuned. 🙂
Bonnie says
Thanks! I will.
Jan says
All of the shampoos and conditioners by OGX are sulfate free. I went sulfate free a couple of years ago and I will never use products with sulfates again. My curly hair has never been healthier.
Hilary says
Huh, where do you buy those?
Jan says
You can find them at Walgreens, Target and Walmart. They have a lot of different formulations for different hair types, including curly hair, and they all smell great.
The ones I’ve tried so far are here on my Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/janniewh/hair-care-products/
Jan
Hilary says
OH! I’ve seen them. I’ll have to grab one!
Anabela says
Hello! I’m the mother of a beautiful curlie girl, she is 2 years old and althought I don’t have curls she has , at least so far. I love curly hair , I would love if I had curls, but anyway, I would like to ask is if these products from Dove are soft and safe enough to use in a 2 year old little girl. I love her hair after de shower but then when I dry it the curls are not so defined and after sleeping she looks like a lioness with frizz 😉 Can you give me some advice? Thank you
Hilary says
I think you just have to use them in smaller amounts. I like to throw some conditioner into her hair after a shower to make it easier to comb through, but just a dime sized amount.
Carol Ferguson says
Hi there fellow curly haired girls! I noticed nobody commented on using a diffuser when they blow dry. I have found this helps with the frizz, as long as you don’t touch your hair much while drying and turn the blow dryer off before hair is completely dry. Also, I like to apply plain Argon Oil (Walmart in the vitamin section-$5) to my ends and wear a shower cap around the house or to bed once a week. Just my findings…
Hilary says
interesting on applying that argon to the ends. I try to diffuse…. I must admit I’m pretty lazy and I do love the air dry. 🙂
Donna says
Hi! I took have super dooper curly hair . I found the OGX brand of shampoo and it doesn’t have sulfates, I like it so far. I use a leave in conditioner and usually air dry. It’s been helping so far , but we shall see what humid summer weather brings.
Donna says
I forgot to add , Walmart & major drug stores sell OGX and its not super expensive or a salon product
Hilary says
ahahahaha!!!! sorry, I obviously didn’t read up. Great!
Michelle says
My 5 year old daughter has very curly hair and I have found Paul Mitchell spring loaded products work best for her curls, her hair is thin but she has a ton of it. They cost a bit more but I find I don’t use as much of it as cheaper products. And the loreal curl shampoo and condition almost made her hair straight. I also found that getting the right hair cut can make a huge difference too in her curls. It’s so hard when you don’t have curly hair to learn how to take care of hers. It’s a whole different ball game.
Hilary says
interesting, I’ll have to check out those products!
Lindsay says
Agreed. I only use salon products on my curls. My daughter has straight hair and I’ve started buying them for her too. Pureology is super expensive but worth it
Hilary says
Pureology…. I need to check that out!
Brenda says
I too have curly hair!! I do not deal with frizz but instead my problem is fly away hair. The top layer of my hair just lifts and flies in which ever direction it feels like and makes my hair look parched and poofy even though it feels soft. I have to use a leave in oil such as Frizz Ease or Zero Frizz to help to weigh it down.
Hilary says
Interesting. I don’t have the top layer issue…. I do have a new sea spray I’ve been DIY’ing that has been helping a lot. Stay tuned for a post soon about it!
Kathy says
I have found using Shea Moisture Weightless shampoo and creme rinse (YES! They actually call it creme rinse 🙂 Super cool) Is the only thing that really works for me it is sulfate free but still lathers amazingly well! Give Shea Moisture a try they have several different types in their sulfate free line but this one doesnt weigh down my curls. For some odd reason Im losing them….Im trying to keep them as long as I can I LOVE curly!!
Hilary says
Intesting, I’ve tried others of the Shea moisture line. I’ll have to give that shampoo a try!
Martha Sauter says
I have very curly hair and I have used Pantene BB creme for years. Nothing else works as well.
Hilary says
Huh! I’ll have to check it out!
Delia says
I’ve found lately that curls unleashed curl fresher works wonders for my locks. When I use this is don’t have to use another product in my hair – it locks in the moisture and curls.
Hilary says
Huh, that stuff sounds great. Where do you usually buy it at?
Kasey says
Hi All
I am 40yrs old and have naturally, very curly hair. I comb my hair in the shower only, while the conditioner is in. I then rinse first from top to bottom slightly, and then I flip my head and rinse from bottom to top, making sure I leave a little conditioner in. I do also like to finish off with a burst of cold water to seal that conditioner into my hair. I roll my hair into a towel on to of my head for a few moments before gently scrunch drying my hair upside down. Afterwards I again flip my head upside down and scrunch through a little coconut oil and a little leave in conditioner.
Since rinsing my head upside down I have found my curls on top to have minimal frizz and my curls underneath (which used to sit like inch long ringlets even though my hair is close to my waist when wet) are now maintaining the curl but gaining some length. I found that the pressure of the shower was “washing my curl out” to some extent, therefore with my final rinse being on the underneath of my head it prevented this from happening.
I LOVE my long “bleached blonde” curly, frizzless but still with much body hair. Please try the brush only with conditioner before rinsing and rinse upside down. You just might love it too.
Best of luck all x
Hilary Erickson says
Rinsing upside down… interesting!
Kasey says
Give it a go?
Joyce says
Like this tip. My hair is fine and thin. I have wavy to curly hair. I think that was my problem. My hair will straighten a lot with the force of my shower. Thanks for the tip. I will definitely try this.
Robyn says
I love all these great ideas! I finished chemo recently and my normally wavy hair grew back totally curly. I guess it’s called “chemo curls” and I am at a loss, have no idea if it will stay curly or revert back someday, lol! It’s hard to manage because even with gel (a must) it becomes a big poof by the end of the day. Think Little Orphan Annie, haha. I am a go with the flow gal, so these comments and your advice is very helpful, thank you!
Hilary Erickson says
Oh INTERESTING… I think it’s a gift –curls are great (but hard to figure out if you’ve only had straights). 🙂
Janie says
I had curly hair but straightened it with a flat iron every day, 4 like 5 years, Now I am trying to get my curls back my hair is just barely wavy, any suggestions I would be very grateful, Thank you in advance
Hilary Erickson says
I have quite a few curly hair posts linked to within this post — hopefully some of those can help out! I also have a curly hair Pinterest board with lots of ideas: https://www.pinterest.com/pullingcurls/curly-hair/
Brandy mink says
Hilary honey I am almost positive that Aussie shampoos and conditioners aren’t ever curly girl approved…. Are u not familiar with what to use on curls or are I not even on the method? Of your not please try it. U will have. Much better curls. More. Moisture more volume, grows quicker EVERYTHING u had ever wished for your curls. Because I mainly was worried that most all of the products u mentioned ate not ever approved on the CGM (curly girl method) I swear to I if u take my word and start this journey u will totally thank me later… Here join our support group on facebook. It’s called “curly girl method (conditioner washing only) International” u will know it is the right page when u see an Indian looking gal with long curls which has her before her big chop….. Come join and learn everything u need to know about keeping your curls as healthy as ever….. I’m telling u this, u aren’t gonna believe your hair could even look so good!!!!
Hilary Erickson says
No, I don’t think they are. I’ve started using the Kirkland conditioner at Costco and I LVE it!