We all know the feeling of having someone recommend a unicorn curly hair product that just doesn’t seem to deliver. The secret that most people won’t tell you is that healthy habits are greater than products. Today I’m sharing How To Establish A Healthy Haircare Routine – For The Curly Girl.
If you are new or confused about how to get started on your curly journey, Friend, I have just the thing for you!
I created a simple cheat sheet that breaks down the basic steps to get started transforming your curls. This curly girl cheat sheet is a simple guide to help you break down an often overly complicated process and know the exact steps to bring dead curls back to life.
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For many years I obsessed over finding the perfect product for my curls and was met with a lot of frustration when I wasn’t getting the results I wanted.
Don’t get me wrong, fancy products have a place in a curly girl’s life for sure. But at the end of the day, no matter how amazing your products are if you have not taken the time to implement healthy habits and learn about what your hair needs, then you will never have the curls of your dreams.
The secret is truly found in learning to love your curls and giving them what they need to thrive.
In this post, my goal is to guide you along your journey in finding and establishing a healthy haircare routine that works for your busy schedule.
How To Establish A Healthy Haircare Routine – For The Curly Girl
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Determine How Often You Need To Wash Your Hair
This is different for every curly girl. It is really important not to get caught up in the “who can go longer without washing their hair” bit.
Because so much has to do with your specific hair type and your chemical makeup. It will be different for everyone. Not washing your hair enough can cause many scalp problems and even hair loss.
In contrast, it’s also important to not wash too often. Nurturing curls starts with a healthy scalp and natural oils play a huge role in that.
A few signs that you need to cleanse your hair are…..
- Your hair is dirty
- Your scalp is excessively itchy
- You have buildup on your hair
This will take some experimenting so be sure to keep detailed notes of when you washed, what you used, what treatments you did, and what the outcome was. I use and LOVE My Miracle Curls Daily Tracker to help keep track of my curly girl journey.
This way you will have a point of reference going forward.
Clarify Once Per Month
Even if you are using clean products, you need to clarify once per month.
Dirt, oil, and products all have a way of building upon your hair strand and can cause your curls to become weighed down, frizzy, or limp.
By clarifying once per month, it makes your hair super clean and will give you an idea of what it needs and how it is reacting to different products.
Always follow a clarifying wash with a deep conditioning treatment.
This is a great clarifying wash
Incorporate A Daily Scalp Treatment
Beautiful curls begin with a healthy scalp. Use a hair oil and your fingertips (or a scalp massage tool that I personally love) to message scalp in circular motions.
Benefits to a scalp massage include….
- Conditions scalp and prevents flaking
- Helps enhance blood circulation
- Strengthens and nourishes the hair shaft
- Promotes new hair growth
I use this hair oil and this scalp messaging tool.
Experiment with different treatments
I recommend starting with a weekly rice water treatment followed by a deep conditioning treatment. The rice water treatment will add protein and the deep conditing will balance that protein with moisture.
Once you have an idea of what your hair likes and dislikes, you can experiment with how often you need to do a treatment.
You can find my rice water treatment recipe here.
Map out your week in advance and schedule your wash day around any special event
Create a weekly schedule and map out your washdays. This way you will have a good idea of when you need to wash your hair for specific events. My hair, for example, is always best on day two. So I schedule my wash day accordingly.
There is a weekly schedule included in my daily curl tracker that is super easy to use.
You can get a copy of the curl tracker here.
*see example below*
In Conclusion:
By taking the time to learn about your hair and establishing healthy habits, you will be on your way to gorgeous curls.
Determine how often you need to cleanse your curls, clarify once per month, incorporate daily scalp treatments, experiment with different treatments, and always map out your wash day.
As always, every curly girl is different.
What works for me may not work for you. Always always always keep a detailed log of what works and what doesn’t work for your curls so you will be able to go back and learn from past mistakes.
Xoxo
Curly Colleen
P.S Don’t forget to grab your FREE curly girl cheat sheet here.
