Curls, Curls, Curls

Curls, curls, curls! I’ve decided to really focus on taking care of this curly-ass hair of mine. I’m Hispanic (Dominican), and have been blessed with pretty curls that are on the frizzy and prone-to-tangling side. Last weekend I sat around and did tons of research on what it takes to get purdy and well-defined curls. I found a lot of very helpful info, especially the following things:

1. Read labels! I learned that ingredients ending with -ate are too drying for curly hair. I realized that I was buying shampoo with too much detergent in it (i.e. Sodium Laureth Sulfate). Sulfate-free shampoos help remove icky buildup without drying out hair.
2. Speaking of shampoo, it’s not really needed for very dry and curly hair. Co-washing (or “no-poo”) is an acceptable way of cleaning and conditioning hair. Here’s how to co-wash your hair.
3. ‘Cones! Ingredients that end with -cone (i.e. dimethicone) cause buildup in here that usually requires shampoo with which to wash it out. ‘Cones just sit on top of the hair instead of sinking into the hair shaft. More on ‘cones here. (Note: there do exist great products that contain ‘cones.)
4. Oils are great for curly hair. I’ve started using coconut oil on mine. Smells great and really adds needed moisture! I’ll sometimes blend it with my conditioners or styling products (see below).

The conditioners and styling products I’m currently using.

• Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine Fortifying Cream Conditioner
• Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Fortifying Cream Conditioner
• Kinky-Curly Tiny Twirls Styler
• Cantu Shea Butter Leave-in Conditioning Cream
• Queen Helene Cholesterol Moisturizing Cream (for deep conditioning. Yes, it does contain a sulfate as well as mineral oil, but this stuff works, especially with heat.)
• Hair Therapy Wrap (for use with deep conditioning. Haven’t used it yet.)

I have 3c curls, which are “curly-kinky” and corkscrew-shaped. Here’s a pic. My hair now is shorter than in the pic, but it gives you an idea of what my curls look like). More info on the types of curls out there.

(image via naturallycurly.com)

And, finally, here are some helpful links for more info on curly hair:

• Curly Nikki
• Thank God I’m Natural
• My Curly Knots
• Naturally Curly
  

This is all the info I have for now. As I try other products and come across more articles on the care of curly hair, I’ll post them.

Thanks for reading, and I hope this post was very informative!

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