2024 was the year of the curly girl method. Whether you’ve always known you have curly hair or you just discovered it, we all know that curly hair can be hard to manage. These tips will help you fix your frizz and get the perfect curly hair routine.

Get the Right Products

When starting your curly hair journey, it’s so important to focus on buying products that are meant specifically for your hair. Curly hair by nature is drier and more prone to breakage, so it’s important you treat it carefully. Most curly haired products are meant to be tailored to these specific needs, but sometimes it’s hard to navigate the market. Maui Moisture haircare products are tried and true for many people with wavy, curly, and coily hair with multiple product lines tailored to your hair thickness and texture. Not only are the shampoos and conditioners a must-try, but so is the curl smoothie; an after-wash hair product that will keep your hair soft and moisturized.

After coating your hair in the curl smoothie and styling— which will we get into later— the next step is scrunching with gel. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on hair gel; the LA Looks Hair Gel is less than three dollars and keeps your curls in place until your next wash day.

After your hair has dried, by air or using a diffuse, it’s time to break the gel cast on your hair. The best way to do this is by separating your curls with an oil. Our favorite is the Odele Beauty hair oil.

The Occasional Treatment

Sometimes it’s nice to go all out with our haircare, other times… we don’t have the time for it. The good news is, there are a plethora of products that are meant to give you the spa like treatment, that are for every once-in-a-while usage.

Pre-Wash Conditioning

As has been emphasized, curly hair tends to be drier, especially in winter months. As curly girls, we’re not washing our hair every day— maybe you wait two to three days in between washes, maybe you can go for longer. Either way, every one to two weeks, you should be hydrating your hair before you wash it out. Coconut oil is a favorite: it’s natural, it smells amazing, and it makes your hair feel soft and luxurious. Making sure you’re placing a heavy emphasis on moisturizing will take your haircare routine to the next step.

Clarifying Shampoos

Sometimes a regular shampoo isn’t enough to get off a weeks worth of product and oil build-up. That’s why we recommend that every one to two weeks, you supplement your regular shampoo process with a clarifying shampoo; just focus it at the roots and massage your scalp with it before proceeding to a regular shampoo. The regular shampoo process, while focused mainly at the roots, is also meant to wash down into the mid section and ends of your hair, whereas you should aim to keep the clarifying shampoo at your roots. Check out Twist for a clarifying shampoo that will have you feeling squeaky clean!

Deep Conditioners

Lastly, after you’ve conditioned and de-tangled your hair, every one to two weeks, you should be leaving a deep conditioner in your hair for 10 to 15 minutes, to really emphasize moisturization. Deep conditioners containing coconut oil, tea tree oil, and other hydrating oils are recommended for this step.

Curly Girl Styling

Curly Girl Cut

The N’ Crew can attest that the best thing you can do for your curly hair is to get the curly hair cut. There are salons everywhere that do them, which is worth it if you don’t trust yourself with the scissors.

However, if you do, here’s a helpful tutorial. This haircut really emphasizes the flow of curls, focusing on each individual curl and your own pattern.

Brush Styling

After you’ve cut your hair, it’s even easier to style it. Many curly girls are fans of brush styling— it’s a great way to reduce frizz and define your coils. If you’re interested in brush styling, you don’t have to start off immediately with a Denman Brush, though we do recommend them eventually. You can use a Wet Brush, or any other type of brush that’s meant to be used on wet hair. After your shower, between your curl smoothie and gel steps, use your brush of choice to brush your hair upwards, and then bring it back down while coiling it around the handle of the brush. Then scrunch with gel and you have beautifully defined curls.

Protect Your Hair

Last but not least, remember, curly hair is dry and damage-prone, A.K.A. fragile. You should be making sure to keep it safe by wearing heat protectant when using heat on your hair, trying not to excessively heat-style your curls, etc… The work doesn’t stop there; extra attention and protection is important especially while you’re sleeping! Wearing a silk bonnet while sleeping keeps your curls frizz-free for longer. First put our hair in a loose high ponytail with a silk scrunchie, and then put a bonnet over top. Pair this with a silk pillowcase and a little bit of oil in your hair before bed and your golden.

It’s hard to take care of curly hair. Not only is it complicated, but also, people on the internet aren’t always nice about hair texture— the curl police! Don’t get discouraged; beautiful curls are waiting for you at the end of this ride!