Curly Hair Tips From a Professional Hairstylist
The Best Styling Tips For Every Curl Type
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Coily hair differs from curly with its tighter curl pattern. 4A, 4B, and 4C are all considered coily hair textures.
Like the other curl patterns, you want to check your hair's porosity level prior to choosing a wash routine. When doing the float test, which is where you take a few strands of clean hair and place them in a cup of water, the results can lead you in the right direction. If your hair sinks to the bottom of the dish quickly, your porosity is high; if it sinks rather slowly, then it has a normal/medium porosity. If after a few minutes, the strand appears to just float on the surface, then your porosity is low.
Low porosity hair thrives when you use lightweight, water-based products like the Curls Blueberry Coconut Milk (£15) or the Bumble and Bumble Sunday Clarifying Shampoo (£26).
For medium-porosity hair, focus on infusing moisture and protein to maintain the hair's health. Products like the Tresemme Botanique Nourish + Replenish Conditioner (£3) and Redken's All-Soft Mask (£27) work extremely well.
High porosity hair is generally weak and prone to breakage. Those who have it should focus on hydrating, protein-rich products to help mend damaged cuticles. Mielle Organics's Babassu Mint Deep Conditioner (£15) and Shea Moisture's High Porosity Moisture Replenish Masque (£13) are products you'll want to look into adding to your routine.
Your moisture routine will also depend on your hair's porosity level. For example, if you have high-porosity hair, you should deep condition regularly before following up with a sealant and try to incorporate products with humectants into your routine. Regardless, you will want to have a product that has enough slip to make the detangling process easy and pain-free. One of our favourites is the Kinky-Curly Knot Today Natural Leave In Detangler (£20).
Got an old pair of ripped tights? Then you have everything you need to stretch your curls out overnight. Cut off the legs and use the control top as a DIY bonnet. Place the tights over your neck then pull it up over your ears and hair. This style will help you get more volume on day two.
If your short hair won't stretch into a pineapple, split the strands into four sections. Loosely layer two rubber elastics (yes, this is one time it's OK to use these particular hair ties) around the hair only once and place them closer to the ends. "If you put it too tight, you'll have an indent of the rubber-band on the hair," says Lebron. "Leave it sort of loose so there is less damage."