Lizzie Carter, Founder and director of Only Curls, shares the following top tips to help get the perfect curls even if the humidity levels are high and you’re on a tight time scale…
Mastering a hair routine for curly hair can be tricky – especially when dealing with frizz issues and unruly curls that insist on differing in direction and style, no matter how hard you to try to control them.
Lizzie Carter, founder and director of Only Curls shows how making simple tweaks in how you wash your locks can make all the difference. Lizzie says:
1. Condition and comb
“Apply a good palm full of conditioner (the Only Curls All Curl Conditioner, £16.00 from onlycurls.com is ideal) and rake through using your fingers, detangling as you go.
Grab a wide tooth comb such as the Only Curls Pink Speckle Comb (£8.00 onlycurls.com) and gently comb the conditioner through your curls.
It can take a few minutes to completely detangle your curls, so this gives the conditioner a nice amount of time to soak in and do its job!
Tip your hair forwards and scrunch with your hands. This forces the water and conditioner into the hair giving maximum hydration. Rinse thoroughly.”
2. Keep hair hydrated
“While your hair is still soaking wet, apply a hydrating curl cream such as Only Curls
Hydrating Curl Crème (£16.00, OnlyCurls.com). The hair cuticles are smoothest when wet, so applying product at this point is a good way to begin the process of lovely smooth and frizz-free curls.
Rake the creme through with your fingers, then with your palms together and hair in between, smooth down each section. This will ensure the product is evenly distributed.
You might see the term ‘praying hands’ flying around on social media for this application method. Tip your head forwards and scrunch again to form the curls.”
For curly hair styling tips I also recommend reading https://www.britishcurlies.co.uk
3. Scrunch Dry
“I recommend scrunch drying with a microfibre towel at this point to help speed up the drying process. Microfibre yarns are incredibly smooth and won’t roughen up the cuticles, so this method of drying (vs a regular cotton towel) is a real frizz buster.
Gently scrunch using the towel, holding each scrunch tightly for a couple of seconds. This will help form lovely bouncy curls. Try the Only Curls Hair Towel (£17.00, OnlyCurls.com).”
4. Define and Diffuse
“Apply some Enhancing Curl Gel such as the Only Curls Enhancing Curl Gel (£16.00, OnlyCurls.com) to help define and hold. Again scrunch this into your curls in section, using your hands. Dry your curls using a diffuser on a low heat, medium speed setting.
Dry in large sections by tipping your hair into the bowl and lifting up towards your roots. Dry until your hair is around 90% dry, then leave to air dry.”
5. Scrunch out the crunch
“If you find that the gel has formed a little cast around your curls, this can simply be scrunched out with a little Coconut Oil. Warm the oil between your palms and then gently scrunch to break the cast and let your curls free!”
6. Deep condition
“It’s a good idea to deep condition every so often to hydrate deep into the hair shaft. Apply this in the shower or bath and the warm steamy environment will open up the cuticles and help the conditioner to penetrate. Leave for around 20 minutes for maximum hydration.”
7. Refresh between washes:
“Between washes, try refreshing your curls. Create a spritz bottle of water mixed with conditioner and use this to evenly dampen the hair. Scrunch in a small amount of gel to redefine the curls and diffuse dry.”