Updated Curly Hair Routine
The ugly truth about curly hair is that it never looks the same twice. If you have been blessed with a mess of curls, you know this to be true. I have severe anxiety about my wedding day because I have always had the most trouble when it comes to big events and my hair, as evidenced by the last time I tried to entrust my locks in a non-curly haired hairstylist’s hands. No joke, I will have to have at least 3-5 trial runs for my wedding hair and very well may end up doing it myself because all my trust has been lost in everyone else forever.
All this to say, just when I think I’ve found the perfect set of products and the right method to style my curls, it changes. Not too long ago, I shared my shiny new curly girl hair method for 3A/3B curls and, while it’s still an amazing routine, I’ve since been to my Hairstory hairstylist and was reminded of the holy grail of curly hair products and have been using it again ever since. So allow me to confuse my fellow curly girls more with my updated method that’s been garnering results I am very happy about lately!
I don’t shampoo anymore.
It’s true. I’ve been told not to take shampoo to my curls for years and just couldn’t wrap my head around that approach. Curly hair dries out fast and needs all the moisture it can get. Shampoo is naturally drying and strips the hair. But no shampoo? It just sounded so gross. However, Hairstory approached me about serving as an ambassador to their line of hair products and because I’ve been seeing Nina at the Hairstory salon here in Dallas for 3 years now, I decided to give it a fair shot. For the last few months, I’ve been using their New Wash (Rich) and can’t say I’ll ever go back. It’s all I use, as it both cleanses and conditions in one. I use a shit load each time, and work it into my curls with their silicone shampoo brush. My hair is hydrated and clean, and that’s seriously all I can ask for with curls. The best part, though, is that Hairstory New Wash isn’t just for curls—it works great on straight, fine hair, too. Take their hair quiz to see which of their products you need! I “wash” my hair with this twice a week and have been super happy with that routine. Use code EMMA10 for 10% off!
I STILL USE THE SAME HAIR TOWEL, THOUGH.
I love my Devacurl hair towel so much, man. It’s just such good quality! A lot of the time with curls, methods will tell you not to dry them AT ALL before putting in product. To leave it sopping wet more or less (again, all 👏 the 👏 moisture 👏 we 👏 can 👏 get!). I agree BUT not completely. Personally, when I’m done with my shower, I take my Devacurl towel and VERY LIGHTLY scrunch my curls into it to soak up the literally drippings of water while still leaving it pretty wet. This is like 1-2 scrunches at best to do away with that initial just-got-out-of-the-pool kinda drippage while not ruining the wet integrity of your curls.
HOLY GRAIL FIRST.
Uncle Funky’s Daughter Curly Magic Curl Stimulator. This is the holy grail and the best curly hair styling product I have ever used. For some reason, I retired it for a bit (I will claim temporary insanity if ever taken to court on it) but was gleefully reminded of it when I saw my hairstylist at the end of April. It is everything. It smells great, the consistency of the product is great, and IT WORKS. It holds and defines your curls so well and completely lives up to the “magic” in its name. Depending on how thick or thin your curls are, you should play around with how much you use. My curls are on the thinner side, and I use about 2 full pumps and scrunch it throughout my hair* right after I give it those 1-2 dry pats.
*Remember, when scrunching product into your hair, you should hear the squish sound. If you can’t make a squish noise with your curls, you’ve taken out too much water and probably need to rewet it a bit. That bit of wetness is literally key in locking moisture into your curls and defining them properly.
JUST A LITTLE BIT OF THIS.
Once the holy grail is intact, I finish my curls off with a dime size amount of Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Defining Cream. My hairstylist told me a little cream goes a long way with curls because it literally serves to define, that’s it. So, I use the smallest amount by scrunching it in, then call it a day.
Now, we wait until our curls are about 80% dry (the underbelly always takes a bit longer) and, at that point, we
SCRUNCH
👏
OUT
👏
THE
👏
CRUNCH
If you want soft, bouncy curls, scrunching out the crunch is the most crucial step of this entire process. Your products create a cast on your hair which is what holds your curls’ shape and definition, but also makes your hair crunchy. So when it’s almost totally dry, scrunch out the crunch with your barehands, your Devacurl towel, or a silk pillowcase. Flip your head over and ruffle up your roots, too. Basically, shake your head and go crazy on it and you will end up with the most luscious curls.
I promise not to update my method for at least another 6-8 months. But when I do, you’ll be the first to know!
