The Self-Care Mom

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Caring for your curls might be something you dread every morning. Some days I’ll straighten my curls because I want to minimize the amount of time I spend getting ready in the morning.

I will admit that curly hair isn’t always fun, but it can be. If I want to have a more controlled look, I pull out my blow dryer and brush. If I’m going for a wild look, then I stick to my natural curls.

Beach waves are easy for me to achieve. I simply straighten my curls, place it all in a low bun and release when I’m ready to go out.

Trying Different Curly Hair Hacks

While shopping at Costco, I had a woman look at my hair and smile. She said she loved it because she always wanted to have curls.

Now, her granddaughter has it and she’s had issues maintaining it while swimming. I suggested a couple of curly hacks and it inspired this post.

The woman told me about the knots her granddaughter has had in her locks from the pool — really, it’s from lack of care. I’ve been there. As a teen, I didn’t know what to do with my curls.

Hair spray, gel, mousse. You name it, I tried it. From expensive to inexpensive, every product left my curls in need of a lot of TLC.

What I really needed was to learn how to embrace my curls. Once I did that, then I would be able to manage it. Pinterest works wonders, but nothing I found worked for my thick, frizzy curls.

It wasn’t until I received a product from a long-time favorite brand that I realized it was time to give one more thing a try. I’m forever grateful I took the chance. 

Curls For Days

My hair is long, and it’s a lot longer when I uncoil my curls. People are always amazed at the length it has reached.

My secret? Don’t trim, condition!

One of my favorite tips is rinsing my hair and applying conditioner throughout the week. I often add leave-in conditioner to my hair to help maintain it’s moisture. It helps with the weather in South Florida.

So, what’s been a blessing to my curls besides this affordable shampoo and conditioner? Here’s what has helped my locks:

1. Always condition your curls before detangling.

I heard about this idea in a commercial for a beauty brand. I thought it was a little silly until I tried it.

Conditioning your locks first helps with detangling your hair and allows you to get a better clean when you apply shampoo.

2. Learn to condition your curls while it’s wet.

As a child, my mother would try to style my locks when it was already dry. You can only imagine what that made my hair look like. I walked around with an afro for most of my childhood.

Styling your hair while it’s still wet makes it easier to stay down. I do this by doing twists or braids while my hair airdries.

3. Comb your hair from the bottom to the top. 

My mother has thin wavy hair, and I have thick curly hair. Her hair was easily untangled with three to four brushes. She tried the same routine on my hair as a child and it didn’t work. She would pull my hair several times, causing me to cry. It would also give me a headache.

To save yourself or someone you love from feeling those beauty pains, I suggest slowly combing the hair strands from the bottom to the top. The trick with curls is to be gentle. The more gentle you are, the better.

4. Condition in between each wash.

Many people don’t know about the importance of conditioning your hair. It’s a great way to refresh your curls. You can skip using avocado or mayonnaise if you get a really good one. I recommend trying this one or anything from Briogeo.

5. Avoid hot water.

The women at the salon thought I was nuts when I would ask for cold water on my head, but it was really giving my curls a boost of life. Using very warm to hot water can damage your hair and cause it to frizz. Think of it as adding excessive heat to your hair. No bueno!

Learning To Love Your Curls

No matter how many hacks you read online or the number of deep conditioner treatments you put in your hair, nothing will be more satisfying than loving your curls.

Although it took months for me to appreciate the beauty of my natural curls, it had a lot to do with how I viewed them. Oftentimes curls can be perceived as messy and unkept.

It wasn’t until I changed my mindset that I was able to love my locks. Even as an adult, I would receive backlash about my hair from family. I remember how they’d always suggest I straighten my hair, or that I shouldn’t trim it a certain way.

With time, I learned there was a need to not only change my mindset but to help change other’s perceptions of natural curls. There’s beauty in accepting who you are and learning ways to improve on that.

In certain societies, your looks define your status.

So next time you try a hack for your curls, learn about the most important one: embracing your natural hair.

Do you have any other curly hair hacks for maintaining curls?