For many years I, like many young women, flattened my thick frizzy hair with hair straighteners. Sometimes I would put the waves back in using barrel tongues, which meant I’d spend a whole two hours voluntarily touring my hair! Five hairdressers in a row taught me this craziness because they had no clue how to handle naturally wavy/curly hair.
I really think life is too short for us to be miserable with our natural hair type. Not to mention how much damage using chemical or heat straighteners can do. We should be proud of our natural hair type and work on defining it rather than changing it complettley.
Below is a guide but first, here are my four favourite types of oil to use on hair. I would only use olive oil on long, incredibly thick coarse hair (like mine) as it will be too heavy for other hair types.
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Neal’s Yard Remedies Jojoba Oil
Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Step 1 Preperation
Before shampooing (depending on the length and thickness of your hair) rub a small amount of oil between your palms, making sure there is no excess. Smooth over hair including your roots. Work more oil into the ends of your hair until evenly but very lightly covered.
Step 2 Shampooing
Using a deeply moisturising shampoo. If you feel your hair turn really coarse or it gets incredibly tangled, you are either using a shampoo that is too strong or you are using too much shampoo. It can be better to fill a small cup with 1/3 shampoo and the rest warm water. It dilutes the shampoo and makes it much easier to spread through your hair. Rinse thoroughly.
Step 3 Conditioning
Apply a thick moisturising conditioner or hair mask (I recommend Argan Dew Replenishing Hair Mask which makes hair incredibly soft and easy to manage), then either wrap hair in a thick towel or wear an oh-so fetching shower cap for 5 minutes. A cellophane wrap can be difficult to manage if you have long hair and it doesn’t let your scalp breathe. If you can stand it, rinse with cool water (cold water really isn’t necessary) to close those cuticles, until the water runs clear. Don’t ‘leave a bit of extra conditioner on for good measure’ as this can dull hair, delay it’s drying time or even irritate your scalp.
Step 4 Pre Drying
Gently wring out your hair and wrap in a thin dry towel. Leave the towel turban on for a moment while applying moisturiser, plucking your brows or whatever. Don’t leave it too long though as you want your hair to still be really damp (but not dripping) when you take the towel off. Very gently tease out any knots using a wide tooth comb with dull ends.
Step 5 Oiling
Avoiding the roots rub and small amount (again depending on the length and thickness of your hair) of oil between palms and spread through your hair. Smooth the last little bit of oil on your palms over your roots. Always better to under oil your hair and then quickly add a little more if it’s starting to frizz as it’s drying. Remember the dryer your hair, the less oil you can get away with applying before it looks greasy. The aim is to replenish your hairs natural oils, not to add a excess product like you would with a cream or gel. Scrunch or twist curls/waves into shape. While your hair is still wet you can quickly get away with doing this, without it frizzing. The more your hair dries, the more you need to leave it alone!
Step 6 Styling
Holding a heat defence spray around 30 centimetres away from your head, mist your roots lightly. Turn your hair dryer to it’s lowest setting or press the fancy ‘cold’ button. Standing upright with your head tilted to one side use a diffuser and blast the roots underneath your hair for a short while. If your hair looks too big for your liking then use the narrow hairdryer head on the same cold setting for a short while to smooth down your roots. It’s really important to stop using the hairdryer while hair is still a little damp and let it air dry. Never. Ever Brush. It! If you want to separate the curls it’s best to do this carefully with your fingers or a big wide tooth comb to avoid frizz.
Now your hair should look beautifully shiny, healthy and naturally styled into either…
Curls
Ringlets
Waves
Since my mid twenties, I’ve only been washing my hair every ten days or so which has made it look a lot healthier This isn’t during hot summer months or if I’ve been exercising though!
I hope styling your hair in this natural way makes it quicker, easier and more enjoyable for you.
Chrissie xx
Vamp It Up 