Curly hair is beautiful, both kinky and loose, but it starts with the care. Maintaining curly hair can be a chore but the results are more than worth it. Keeping up with your hair is vital to the health of your curls. 

Now these are the basics, but if you’re new to hair-care it’s important to know your curl type. The spectrum ranges from 2A to 4C, beginning with looser curls and gradually getting kinkier. All types are beautiful, but they react differently to different things. I personally have 3C but my sister has 4A/B, so growing up it took us a while to learn we couldn’t use all the same products. Make sure you’re aware of this and your hair type for the best results. 

It’s also important to know if your hair has low or high porosity. To keep it simple, this just tells you how well your hair soaks in the moistures you put into it. If you have a lower porosity, your hair might struggle with saturation and you should find ways to make sure your hair’s getting the proper amount of hydration it needs. Testing the porosity of your hair is easy, I’ve attached a link of some ways you can try it.

When it comes to curls, hydration is life or death. If your curls are too dry, you’ll deal with breakage, dead ends, and all together the curls look less lively. Deep conditioning can be really beneficial to your hair. I try to do this one a week. 

Washing your hair everyday is a big no no if you have curls (though I will say 3A and above could probably get away with it). A lot of curl patterns are naturally dry which is why it’s important to oil your scalp and hair. Wash day for me is every 2 weeks, and CLEAR YOUR SCHEDULE. This is an all day affair so make sure you have no plans. 

Keeping up with your hair is definitely another big thing. Detangling and styling will help your hair grow and stay healthy. If you’re really working on strengthening your hair, protective styles are the way to go. Braids and twists are my favorite way to help safely preserve my hair. If you don’t know how, no worries! There’s so many ways to learn. Trial and error, ask a friend/family member, or look up a video. Time to get practicing!

Going natural is definitely something all curly hair people have to work their way up to doing. But remember your curls are amazing and unique to you. So try to begin to love those curls because they love you! Lastly-and I’ll only say this once-if you use Cantu, stop what you’re doing and go burn it. Don’t ever look back… I’m so excited for your healthy hair journey!