If you're just starting out on your curl journey, the amount of information you're bombarded with can start to feel overwhelming real fast. Porosity, curl types, LOC method, co-washing, protein moisture balance. All this when you just want to figure out what shampoo works best for your hair.
This guide isn't going to cover everything. What it will do is give you the best jumping off point, laid out in the right order, so you will know what you should focus on first and where to go deeper when you're ready.
Trying to take care of curly hair doesn't have to be complicated. But proper hair care needs to be built on the right foundation.
1. Understand what makes curly hair different
The reason products and routines made for straight hair often don't work for curly and coily hair is because curls aren’t just straight hair with a different shape. Curls and coils are different on a structural level.
The structure of curl patterns means that due to the twists and coils in each strand, your scalp’s natural oil (sebum) which is responsible for keeping your hair naturally moisturised, has a much harder time travelling from the root of your hair to its tip. With straight hair sebum is easily able to move down the hair shaft but because of textured hair’s curl pattern that movement is slowed down meaning that the hair types have different needs when it comes to products and routines.
Where straight hair can feel greasy if not stripped of moisture, for curly hair the main concern is that hair can feel dry because the sebum is not able to keep the strands moisturised. Once you understand the reason your hair feels dry, you can start to build a proper routine to care for your curls.
This also tells you the main goal of almost every product, technique and habit in a good curl routine and it's a very simple concept: keep your hair hydrated.
2. Start with your scalp
Before you deep dive into products, techniques and routines. Before anything else, start with your foundation, start with your scalp.
Your scalp is where it all begins. Where every curl grows from and how you treat it has a direct impact on how your hair feels, how it grows, and how it reacts to the products you put on it. And for curly and coily hair the scalp deserves more focus than most people give it.
Caring for your scalp means cleansing regularly to prevent the buildup of product and dead skin, applying a lightweight oil directly to your scalp and massaging it in between your wash days and treating your scalp with the same care you would the rest of your hair.
If you have been dealing with flaking, itching, persistent dryness at the roots, or hair that feels dry immediately after washing even when you've used conditioner. Then focusing on your scalp might help solve your issues.
3. Understand your porosity before choosing products
The number one thing that will help you know exactly which products to choose for your hair is understanding your hair's porosity.
Porosity is how well your hair is able to absorb and retain moisture. Porosity has a bigger impact on how well products work on your hair than almost anything else, including your curl type.
Low porosity hair has a tightly closed cuticle, which means products take a longer time to get absorbed into the hair and can sit on top of it for longer without sinking in. Heavier products tend to cause more buildup and people with low porosity hair should instead choose lightweight, water-based formulas and gentle heat during deep conditioning.
High porosity hair has a more open cuticle, which in curly hair is often the result of heat styling, chemical treatment or mechanical damage. High porosity hair absorbs moisture quickly and loses it just as fast. Richer, heavier products work better for high porosity hair, and regular deep conditioning can help maintain moisture levels.
Knowing your hair's porosity means you can choose products that actually help your hair rather than buying products based on marketing claims that may not do anything for you.
Go deeper: What is Hair Porosity and Why Does It Matter for Your Curls | coming soon
4. Learn to read an ingredient list
Most times the claims printed on labels are purely there for marketing and not real information. Filled with words like moisturising, rejuvenating etc. all the things that brands want you to believe about their product. But for the real information you need to be able to read and understand the ingredient list printed on the back.
The few basics you need to take with you that will make the real difference:
Ingredients are listed in descending order of concentration, meaning whatever is at the top of the list is the most prominent ingredient in the product. An oil second or third on the list is in a large enough concentration that it will have a meaningful benefit. The same oil listed near the bottom of the list will not be in large enough a concentration to make any meaningful difference.
Not all alcohols behave the same way. In the simplest terms, there are two types of alcohols: drying alcohols, which should be avoided as to not strip your curls of moisture, these include denatured alcohol or SD alcohol. The second types are fatty alcohols, these include cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. These are the ones you should look for when choosing your products as they help to condition and soften your curls. Both types are alcohol but one is beneficial to your curls, while the other is detrimental. Knowing the difference will help you immensely on your journey.
Silicones within hair products are there to give the impression of softness and shine but don't add any actual moisture to your hair. Silicones are also harder to get out of your hair and may require a harsher sulphate shampoo to completely remove, otherwise buildup can accumulate and cause irritation to your scalp.
5. Build a simple routine and stick to it
The best hair care routine is the one you can actually keep doing consistently. A complicated, hour-long ten-step routine once a month will be much worse than a simple three-step weekly routine.
A good starting point that works for almost all curl types is:
Wash day: Clean your hair with a sulphate-free shampoo to remove any buildup. Then condition the mid-lengths and ends of your hair with a moisturising conditioner. Deep condition your hair once every week or every other week, do this by applying conditioner to your hair then cover with a shower cap and leave on for 20 minutes before rinsing it out.
Styling: Always apply products to wet or damp hair. Start with a water-based leave-in conditioner, then follow it with a lightweight oil to seal in moisture, finally if you want definition or hold add a styling product in, before drying your hair with a diffuser set to low heat or air dry.
Between wash days: To keep your hair looking fresh between wash days, refresh with water and a small amount of leave-in conditioner as needed. Then apply oil to your scalp and massage it in. If you want extra protection for your hair at night. Consider sleeping on a silk or satin pillowcase or wearing a bonnet to reduce friction and moisture loss during the night.
This routine is a good starting point, adjust it based on your hair's response. But remember to give any new routine at least 3 to 4 weeks before judging if it works. It takes more than a few nights to improve damaged curls.
Go deeper: How to build the perfect routine for your curls | coming soon
6. Shrinkage is not a problem
If you're just beginning to grow out your natural curl patterns, the feeling of shrinkage can be one of the most frustrating things to get used to. Hair that looks significantly longer when wet but then contracts as it dries, can make you feel like it's not growing the way it's supposed to. Tight coiled curls can face shrinkage of more than 50-70%, which is completely normal.
Shrinkage is not a sign that your hair is damaged. In fact, hair that shrinks significantly when dry is a sign that your curl pattern is intact, and if naturally tight coils don't show signs of shrinkage, it can be worth paying attention to why.
If you want your hair to show more length, then there are some techniques you can use. Twist-out, braid outs, banding, stretching before drying and finger coils can all help encourage hair to dry in an elongated position and give your hair a longer look. But the most important thing to remember is that shrinkage is not something that needs to be fixed and is simply a natural condition of curly hair.
Go deeper: Why Does Curly Hair Shrink?
7. The most important thing to remember
Caring for curly hair is not about achieving a certain look or hitting a standard set by someone else. It's about understanding how your hair works, giving it what it needs, and building a habit that benefits your hair in the long run.
There is plenty of information out there that's genuinely useful. All you have to do is filter out the miracle claims, the dubious before and afters and the products promising you complete transformations. Just remember it's actually quite simple: keep your scalp clean, moisturise your hair properly, choose the right ingredients suited for your hair and do that consistently.
If you start from there. Everything else will follow.
Our free Curly Hair Guide goes deeper on everything covered here: curl typing, porosity, building a routine, and more. Read it here.