3A/3B Hair Products.

Nov 6, 2015

Aleena P.

Hello people! I'm sure any of you fellow curly girls know the struggles of defining curls, reducing frizz, and detangling without making the hair greasy or crunchy. I havent experimented TOO much with different products, for years I straightened my hair daily. But recently I want to embrace my curls, I decided one good curl day that I like them after all. So I am reaching out to see what products have worked for you guys. =)

Nov 6, 2015

Kailey L.

I have 2c/3a curls and this is the routine I finally perfected to get "perfect" curls:

Curl care starts in the shower. I recommend getting a sulfate free shampoo and conditioner (I like shea moisture). When you're shampooing, only shampoo your roots. Enough shampoo will run down the length of your hair to remove any product build-up. You can actually skip shampoo all together (a lot of curlies do). All you need to get rid of excess oil is water and friction. Think about the way your stylist really scrubs your scalp and roots and try to replicate those motions at home.

Condition as normal, just making sure all the hair gets saturated. This is a good time to comb your hair while it's nice and slippery (the less you touch your hair when styling, the better). Finger combing is best, but a wide tooth comb will work if you have very long or thick hair. Also, get in the habit of using a deep conditioning mask at least once a week! Shea Moisture 10 in 1 is fabulous.

Another trick I've learned, is that after rinsing conditioner out of your hair, part and arrange your hair where you want it while you're still in the shower. Again, the less you touch your curls while styling, the less frizz you'll get, and you'll get more definition.

When you get out of the shower, use a microfiber towel or cotton t-shirt to scrunch excess wetness out of your hair. Regular towels can rough up the hair shaft, causing frizz. And the scrunching motion will help you start to shape your curls without really touching them.

If you use a leave in conditioner, apply that first, gently, avoiding the roots. After that, scrunch your styling product throughout your hair. I am absolutely OBSESSED with DevaCurl's light defining gel (you might do better with the one a step up, or their curl cream). I can't recommend the brand enough, they really understand curls!

As for styling, this would be a good time to plop, if you have the time for it. Personally, my hair is too short to plop (translation: not-so-cute front afro), but if your hair is long, plopping is the gentlest way to dry/style your hair. Otherwise, if you don't already have one, definitely invest in a diffuser or diffuser attachment for your hair dryer. Again I turn to DevaCurl for this. Not only does it dry my curls perfectly, but it's shaped like a hand, which is both logical and kind of awesome to look at. I typically diffuse my hair until it's 60% dry and let it air dry the rest of the way. Once it's dry, I give my curls a light scrunch to break the gel cast (if you use a cream, definitely skip this step!) and then done! Honestly, the DevaCurl products do their job so well, I can not only skip hairspray all together, but my curls are still defined and frizz-less the next day.

Last piece of advice. If you are serious about making the transition from straightening to wearing your hair naturally, DEFINITELY see if there are any Deva-inspired stylists in your area and get a DevaCut! It was the best decision I ever made for my hair. Unlike traditional styles of cutting, a DevaCut involves cutting your hair dry, curl by curl, so you don't get the dreaded shrinkage or unevenness curlies usually get from regular haircuts. And supposedly you can go longer between trims too, but I can't say, as I'm only 6 weeks in (though my curls do still look just as good as the day I got them cut).

I hope some of this helps! For more tips/tricks for your specific curl type, check out naturallycurly.com. It's basically the curly girl's bible. Good luck! :)

Nov 7, 2015

Aleena P.

I used to go to a barber/stylist back home who would do that for my hair! (the devaCut) and I loved it so much! he wasnt affiliated that I knew of, but I never asked him where he got the technique.

Thank you guys for all the advice =)