How To Moisturize Curly Hair
Frizz, dryness, dullness, and breakage. These are just a few of the struggles that are all-too-real for curly girls. We know how difficult it can be to find a simple solution to these hair woes, but we aren’t here to tell you a doom and gloom story. No, we have the answer, and will help you choose the right hair products online to achieve the perfect look.
One of the common causes of frizzy hair in curls is a lack of moisture. When hair lacks moisture, it becomes more fragile, prone-to-frizz, and lifeless, but when it is properly hydrated it is strong, smooth, and shiny. Hydrated hair is healthy hair, but unfortunately, curly hair is all too susceptible to moisture loss.
While curly hair can be tough to keep hydrated, you don’t need to worry—we’ve put together a proper plan to keep your curls healthy. So, if you’re looking for curly hair tips for moisturizing, you have come to the right place. Here, we’ll show you how to moisturize curly hair in a few simple steps and how to keep it moisturized too.
Why Curly Hair Lacks Moisture
The reason you’re experiencing a loss or lack of moisture with your natural hair is explainable through science—and we know science. Let us start by saying, if you’re dealing with the symptoms of dehydrated hair, it’s not your fault! Curly hair is actually more prone to these problems because of its unique structure.
The curves and texture of curly hair make it difficult for natural oils to travel down the hair shaft, leaving hair dry, especially toward the ends. These curves also expose the cuticle (the outermost layer of the hair), which makes it easier for moisture to escape, no matter what natural curly hairstyle you are wearing. When the cuticle is exposed and lifted, hair is more vulnerable to frizz and increased friction, which gives it that dry, coarse feel.
If that weren’t enough to suck the life out of your curls, there’s more. The proteins in curly hair are unevenly distributed, unlike their even distribution in straight hair. While this makes it easier for the cuticle to stretch and bend over the curves of your curls, it also means these curly strands are much lower in strength. This lack of strength leads to fragile strands that are more prone to breakage.
In order to restore your hair’s strength, shine, and smoothness, and keep it that way, it has to be properly moisturized through a proper hair treatment or conditioning. Keep in mind that there are different curly hair types, making some easier to manage than others. Once again, you have nothing to worry about because we’re here to help you get it that way.
How To Moisturize Curly Hair
Step 1: Shampoo
You probably don’t (and shouldn’t) wash your hair every day, but for the sake of this moisturizing hair care routine, we’re going to start from the very beginning. When you do wash your hair, use a gentle shampoo that will cleanse your curls without stripping them of moisture. Our Curl shampoo is a creamy, low-lather shampoo that gently, yet thoroughly, cleanses with a hint of conditioning power to boot. It will prep your hair to accept all the hydration you’re about to supply it with.
Step 2: ConditionConditioning is a crucial step to infusing curls with moisture. Condition in the shower with our Curl Conditioner, which is designed to provide a treatment-like feel when rinsed and to moisturize and detangle all types of curl textures without leaving a heavy residue. It’s thick enough for the strongest curl textures but light enough to not weigh down looser waves. An added bonus? It also helps eliminate frizz.Both our Curl shampoo & conditioner feature our Healthy Curl Complex, which boosts strength and prevents breakage, increases hydration, encourages curl groupings to enhance definition, enhances shine, and even controls frizz. You’re only two steps in and already your hair is more moisturized and getting stronger.
Step 3: Apply TreatmentNext up, apply a product that will help heal and prep your hair. Immediately post shower is the optimal time to apply a leave-in hair treatment to help retainthe moisture from the shower and supply your locks with additional moisture. At this step in the process, you have a variety of options based on your personal hair texture.
We recommend reaching for a product that provides both treatment and styling benefits. Our Curl Collection styler products offer the conditioning of a leave-in treatment and styling benefits of a styling product. Our curl defining and curl enhancing products contain a perfectly balanced conditioning base and a cuticle sealer to lock in moisture and deliver visibly healthier and more defined curls. With each use, you will see curls that look shiny and frizz-free, and over time, visibly healthier.
Step 4: Hair Oil
The next step in your moisturizing hair care routine should be a hair oil. Oil will both add moisture to each hair strand and provide a barrier that keeps that moisture from escaping. The ultimate hair oil choice? Our Curl Moisturizing Shine Oil.
This oil features a custom oil blend that mimics hair’s natural conditioning fatty acids and lipids to replenish lost moisture and help eliminate frizz. Plus, it is formulated with a moisturizing base specifically created for textured hair that delivers added smoothness, manageability and shine to any curl type. You can apply it to wet hair before or after your styling product, or to dry hair when your curls need an extra boost of moisture and shine.
In Addition: Deep ConditionLast, but definitely not least, use a deep conditioning treatment 1-2 times per week to restore moisture and strength to extra thirsty curls. Choose a hair mask based on your own unique needs. For example, consider our Weightless Mask for a lightweight and natural deep conditioning treatment, try our Restore Mask if your hair is feeling exceptionally dry and/or damaged, or use our Intense Moisture Mask for a rich, frizz-fighting deep conditioning treatment.
To help the mask penetrate your curls, tuck your hair into a shower cap after applying the product. The shower cap will trap in heat from your body to keep the hair cuticle open so the mask can reach the hair shaft and really get to work.
The LOC Method
While the above steps will help anyone achieve moisture-rich curls and healthy hair, everyone’s hair is different and may require a different order of application to experience the maximum benefits. Depending on your hair type, you may benefit from using the LOC Method. LOC is an acronym that stands for Leave-in or Liquid, Oil, Cream and makes the steps to moisturizing curly hair extremely easy to remember. Another way to remember this method is to simply think about applying your moisturizing products from thinnest to thickest. This will help your hair absorb all of the products more easily.
1. The liquid step for Living Proof is water – it is as easy as wetting down your hair in or out of the shower.
2. For the oil step, you can use our Curl Moisturizing Shine Oil or any other oil that works well for your hair.
3. For the cream step, you can use a heavier hair butter or one of our Curl Collection conditioning stylers.
Each subsequent step will add more moisture and help lock in the moisture supplied in the previous step.
Our curl collection is totally customizable so you can use the products however you like, whether that’s according to the LOC Method, the LOC method, or any other order. You can use the conditioning stylers as your leave-in conditioner and/or your hair styling cream. You can also apply them over, underneath or mixed with Moisturizing Shine Oil. Our advice? Experiment using the products in different orders to see how your hair responds best.
How To Keep Curly Hair Moisturized
Avoid: Washing Too Often
Washing, while necessary, causes friction on your strands and can pull moisture from your hair. This is why washing your hair too often can lead to damage and dryness. But there’s good news! When you use an effective cleansing shampoo such as our Curl Shampoo you can get away with washing your hair less frequently. You’ll experience fresh clean hair for longer and avoid the side effects of overwashing.
Avoid: Using Excessive Heat
We all know heat causes damage, which leads to frizzy, unruly, dry and unmanageable curls. If you can, avoid using hot tools on your curls as much as possible. When you do blow dry your hair, use a diffuser on a low setting to avoid blasting your sensitive curls with too much heat, and always use a heat protectant. Never used this tool? Check out our guide on how to diffuse curly hair before getting started! We recommend using either our Heat Styling Spray or Restore Instant Protection before blow drying or curling any pieces of hair to provide ample heat protection.
Avoid: Build Up
When product builds up on the hair, it acts as a barrier and makes it difficult for any additional product to supply moisture to your hair. You can avoid build up by avoiding products that feel too heavy for your hair (i.e. your hair still feels dense or oily hours after you apply product) and by using a cleansing, yet hydrating, shampoo that deep cleans your hair without stripping it of its natural oils.
While these tips will help you fend off build up, sometimes it’s unavoidable. For a deep detox of product buildup, you can try our Triple Detox Shampoo.
If you follow these simple steps and take care to avoid the above, you’ll have no trouble keeping your curly hair moisturized. And when your curls are hydrated, they’ll look and feel stronger, smoother, shinier, and healthier all around.