I’d longed to be a ‘wash and go’ girl since I was 11 years old. I’d hop in the shower and lather shampoo into juicy bubbles, smooth on a sumptuous conditioner, rinse and be on my way. My hair, my abundance of curly hair, would sit perfectly with no fussing or work to be done to it. As the day went on (and as I pulled it in and out of positions, ponytails and plaits), my hair would remain unbothered, never becoming puffy or tangled. I can forgive myself for coveting such a life. I was young, and women with hair like mine weren’t platformed as often or as powerfully as they are now.
Then, in the middle of a stifling summer, an epiphany struck: I could be a wash-and-go girl. My 90-minute daily wash and blow-dry routine could become a thing of the past, so long as I had the right approach. I knew I could learn how to care for and style my hair properly, with the right products for curly hair, the same way I had spent years perfecting my bouncy blow-dry technique. It would take some experimentation and allowing myself an adjustment period as I learned what worked well for my hair and what didn’t. Less of an overnight fix, I treated it like a relationship I was trying to rekindle. Two years later and I haven’t looked back. My wonderfully curly hair has become joyfully synonymous with my sense of self, something 13-year-old me would balk at. Giving myself the space and time to learn about my hair, experiment with products and try different methods gave me a deep appreciation for my hair’s natural form, including that sweet halo of frizz that expands outwards throughout the day.
So, if you’re at the beginning of your hair journey or have a storied history of trying myriad styles and techniques, here are the things that have helped make my routine run a little more smoothly.
1. Make moisture a priority throughout your routine
Curly hair thrives on moisture, it helps hair retain its shape, lustre and health. Because of the undulating texture and shape of wavy, curly and coily hair, the natural oils that help to hydrate each strand have a more complicated journey from scalp to ends, meaning moisture can be lost along the way. Rather than wait until your curly hair is already dry, adding hydration from the beginning of your wash routine helps ensure your curls are able to ‘squelch’ – the noise hair makes when adequately full of moisture.
Just remember, your hair doesn’t need to feel squeaky clean, in fact, if it does, you could be stripping too many of the natural oils out in the hopes of starting afresh. A gentle shampoo for curly hair that helps to cleanse and moisturise will help to keep your hair in balance. A product like the Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl and Shine Shampoo, that’s creamy enough to lather and rich with rosemary oil, shea butter and coconut oil, cleans my curls without weighing them down or taking too much from them. The ideal partnership.
2. Create a simple post-wash regimen you can stick with
If it’s too complicated, it won’t stick. An adage that’s true for beauty routines and habits in general, anything that’s too strict, too involved or relentlessly long, will fall by the wayside when life gets busy or, more likely, you just can’t be bothered.
My post-wash routine is two to three steps, takes around 90 seconds and I never skip it. A key moment to seal in the moisture left over from my hair wash, as well as prime and protect my hair as it dries, my post-wash routine focuses on three things: long-lasting conditioning, softness and shine, none of which will weigh down my hair as it springs into curls.
I like to pair a gel, like the Boucleme Curl Defining Gel, or a curl cream (I like Tracee Ellis Ross’ Pattern Leave-in Conditioner) with a lightweight oil for long-lasting shine. The Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Glossy Nourishing Anti-Frizz Hair Oil is well suited for this. It smells divine and lasts for months as you only need one to two drops.
I squeeze or drip them into my palm and then work from the ends to the roots of my wet hair, squelching towards my scalp and down again. This helps encourage curl formation even when the hair is wet and heavy and ensures even product coverage. Simple as. If it wasn’t, I’d have probably given up on it.
3. Your hairbrush should work for you, not against you
In a similar vein to point two: if it hurts, you’ll probably give up on it. Like many people with hair that has a tendency to tangle, pain is nothing new. From yanking to tugging and pulling, attempting to brush it through is about as enticing as having to call HMRC. It takes forever and you usually need to take breaks to get through it. And that goes for your hair, too.
Jokes aside, the gigantic leaps in brush development have halved and then halved again the discomfort of trying to untangle the hair. I’ve used a Tangle Teezer, specifically the Fine & Fragile Detangling Hairbrush, for years, astounded by the absence of stinging pain as I brushed my hair through, wet or dry. Because it didn’t cause me discomfort, I found myself more pulled to make it a priority, using the brush regularly to comb in oil treatments (the Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Hot Oil Treatment is one of my all-time favourites), hair masks and leave-in conditioners.
4. Tools are there to help you
Embracing your hair’s natural form doesn’t mean that you need to swear off using tools for the rest of your life. In fact, there are plenty of occasions when using something, like the Dyson Supersonic hairdryer with the diffuser attachment, has helped to amplify my natural texture, giving it body, height and softness. The fact it also cuts down on drying time is an added bonus.
So long as you’re prepping your hair with enough protection to withstand using tools (a quality heat protector is a non-negotiable) and you endeavour to give your hair a break regularly, then there’s no harm in keeping them part of your arsenal.
The bottom line is that your hair never needs to look perfect and you don’t need to do everything perfectly, either. Your hair routine shouldn’t be a proverbial stick you beat yourself up with for not doing or not doing exactly right. Instead, layer in benefits where you can (choosing a moisture-rich shampoo or conditioner), keep your post-wash routine simple and experiment with the rest. Eventually, it’ll all fall into place and you won’t think about it nearly as much anymore. I don’t.
