CURLY HAIR TIPS: HOW TO MAKE CURLS MORE UNIFORM
One of the trickiest and perhaps most puzzling parts about wearing your curly hair naturally? An inconsistent curl pattern.
Sometimes it seems like a person can have several natural hair types, all growing out of one head. Today, we’re bringing you a few key curly hair tips so you can learn how to make curls look more uniform.
WHAT CAUSES CHANGES IN CURL PATTERN?
While many women with curly hair can have more than one curl pattern, there are some key things that can lead your natural hair to go awry and cause even more texture inconsistencies.
The most obvious culprit? Heat damage. If you’re someone who switches up your style between curly and straight, there’s a good chance your curls are at risk for heat damage. To minimize heat damage, you should always use a heat protectant (we like Color Wow Dream Coat for Curly Hair). But if the damage is already done, you’ll likely notice your curls becoming more piece-y and stringy. The curl pattern itself may also become looser. The front facing pieces are most likely to be damaged.
Other factors that can cause your curl pattern to change include thin
gs that could be weighing your curls down. For example, environmental stressors like hard water. If you notice your curl pattern has changed after you’ve been traveling, hard water could be the reason.
Heavy products can also weigh your curls down, especially if you’re not properly cleansing your hair. Many styling products can layer up onto the cuticle, and if not removed with a proper cleanser, can build up and weigh on strands altering their natural pattern.
And here’s a dirty little secret we discovered; many shampoos today have unnecessary ingredients that do not rinse out easily, so they stick to your hair and scalp. Specifically, shampoos that contain silicones, thickening agents, heavy moisturizing and conditioning ingredients, or pearlizing agents, will leave behind residues that mess with your curl pattern. The worst offenders? Co-washes that 1) don’t really clean your hair and 2) coat your hair with curl-crushing conditioners.
We recommend a shampoo that leaves no curl-wrecking residues, like Color Wow Color Security Shampoo, for your freshest, cleanest curls from the start! You can layer on the best curl re-shaping, frizz-fighting and control products for your hair texture AFTER your hair is totally clean!
HOW TO MAKE CURLS MORE UNIFORM
Try Finger Coiling
If you think your curls may be suffering from damage and you’re trying to grow them out, try finger coiling to get a more consistent curl pattern. Start with soaking wet hair, then apply your styling product of choice. Our favorite is Color Wow Dream Coat for Curly Hair, because it contains a polymer that boosts your curl’s natural elasticity without stiffness or crispiness. If you use this styler, make sure you apply a liberal amount throughout your curls!
Next, take any fussy curls and wrap them gently around your finger. Hold in place for 20 to 30 seconds, then release and let dry.
If you find that the curls don’t hold, you can try encouraging your curls further by twisting them before wrapping them around your finger. Another trick? Pin the curls in place. Once dry, remove the pins and gently release your curls. You can encourage hold with a hairspray (like Color Wow Cult Favorite).
Try a Protein-Building Treatment
If your curls are weak and droopy, maybe they need a strengthening treatment. Oftentimes curly hair that’s lost its definition just needs a fortifying boost to restore natural curl shape.
We love Color Wow Kale Cocktail to give a little extra strength and oomph! Just be sure to diffuse curls when using Color Wow Kale Cocktail, as it is activated by heat.
Try Using Heat
One of the easiest ways to encourage curls to have more bounce is to dry your hair using a diffuser attachment. After saturating your hair with a curl-encouraging primer (like Color Wow Dream Coat for Curly Hair) give it a few minutes to air dry then begin diffusing with a bowl-shaped diffuser.
You’ll want to cup the ends of your curls into the bowl and gently scrunch up as you dry your hair. Try to stick to a low speed and minimal heat in order to minimize frizz.
Hair still being fussy? Here’s what to do with curly hair:
Turn to a curling iron.
Start by styling your curls as normal with your favorite product that also contains a heat protectant. This is especially important to protect your curl pattern from any future damage. Our go-to, Color Wow Dream Coat for Curly Hair, has heat protection built in.
After air drying or diffusing, reach for a curling iron with a similar width to your natural curl pattern. Wrap each contrary curl around the iron and hold for 10 seconds, then release. The heat will help secure the curl in place. For a more natural look, rotate the direction you wrap your hair around the iron, curling some pieces forward and others backward. This will help add a bit more dimension to your style.
Want to see how one of the Color Wow Pros touch up an inconsistent curl pattern? You got it.
Check out the whole process right here.
