One question I get often is how to reduce frizz and preserve curls for multiple days.
…and I totally get get it.
After spending valuable time washing, styling, and drying your hair, it’s perfectly natural to want it to last as long as possible.
Today I am going to share a few tips and tricks on how to stop frizz and keep curls defined without having to completely rewash your hair.
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How To Stop Frizz & Keep Curls Defined Without Re-washing
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Start With A Solid Foundation
Any time we talk about reducing frizz and creating definition, we need to revisit the key pillars of success for curly/wavy hair care.
Because in order to get results that last multiple days, you have to have a solid washday.
……and in order to nail your wash day, you first need to make sure your hair has everything it needs to thrive. You need to start with a solid foundation.
Here are a couple things to keep in mind when it comes to giving your hair everything it needs to thrive:
- Do you understand exactly what your hair needs? It’s super important that you are treating your hair with deep conditioners, and treatments that help protect and repair the hair cuticle. If you do not understand your hair’s needs, you will always struggle to reduce frizz and maintained washdays.
- Have you established a healthy hair care routine? Consistent trumps products EVERY.SINGLE.TIME. If you are not being consistent with the treatments you hair NEEDS, then you cannot expect it to thrive.
- Do you know how to style your hair? Every curly girl knows that styling can be…well…complicated. There is no one size fits all approach and its super important that you test and experiment with different styling techniques in order to nail your washday.
When you join my curl community, You will have access to the 5 pillars off success when it comes to curly/wavy hair care.
This is my simplified approach that I developed after working with women around the world to tame their hair into healthy hair they love.
Definition Starts With Your Wash Day
Once you understand understand (and implemented) the five pillars of success for curly/wavy hair care, lets talk definition….
When it comes to definition there are a couple factors to keep In mind…
Protein And Moisture Are Key
In order to really get definition your curls need two things…
- Moisture: This helps keep your curls smooth and shining.
- Protein: This helps your hair keeps it’s curl structure and its abilities to hold.
You have to be able to maintain the right amount of protein and moisture in order to create definition.
If you hair seems to lose it’s curl pattern quickly and have excessive frizz, it could indicate that you have too much moisture and your hair is lacking the structure to hold.
While if your hair seems greasy, heavy, and/or crunchy, it could have too much protein and not enough moisture.
If either are the case, a good place to start is a clarifying wash. This will remove any build and help rebalance your hair.
Brush Style
Using a brush (Denman or Behairful) is my top tip for creating definition.
When you use a brush to style it helps gather curls clumps and distribute product evenly which help to produce more definition.
Curl Training
This is a somewhat controversial topic in the curly world, but I whole heartedly believe that you can train your curls to a certain extent.
I’m not saying that you can train waves into spirals. I am saying that you can train your hair to take a more structure curl pattern.
Results will vary from person to person.
Styling With A Strong Hold Gel
If your goal is definition, you should style with a strong hold gel.
Unlike mousse or curl cream, gel has a way of helping to keep your hair strand smooth and hold its shape.
When using a strong hold gel, be sure to apply it on soaking wet hair and don’t be afraid to add water to your hair while you are styling.
Water helps to distribute the product as well as keep your curl clumps together and keeps your hair strand nice and smooth.
All of this will help to maintain definition for multiple days.
The Secret To Refreshing Without Rewashing
Once you’ve mastered above steps, then you will be able to have consistent bomb washdays. Which will will you allow you to wear your hair multiple days!
This is my favorite way to do a quick refresh on day 2,3 and sometimes 4
➡️Important note: You have to start with a healthy foundation. If you have not established a healthy haircare routine that gives your hair everything it needs to thrive, then you will always struggle with refreshing
☝🏻 Mist your hair in layers avoiding your roots (you want to keep all the volume from your second day hair) I only get my hair about 15% wet. It’s just enough to reduce frizz and add definition
🤫(PRO TIP) Focus on your ends using what I call the “pull & tug” method. This revives those frizzy ends and adds moisture to them
✌🏻 Use a light curl cream & dilute it. This will add enough hold without weighing it down or giving it that “product-y” feel to it.
🤫(PRO TIP) If you were a bit heavy handed during your wash day, you may not even need to add product at this point. Sometime the water is enough to reactivate the existing product and create definition
3️⃣ Glide product over your hair using praying hands/tug and pull method
4️⃣ Scrunch to re-establish your curl pattern
5️⃣ Dry as usual
I’m using @bouncecurl curl cream which is my favorite product to refresh with
You can see my Instagram tutorial here.
In Conclusion:
➡️You must master the 5 pillars of success to curly/wavy hair care in order to reduce frizz, and create definition
If you have not taken the time to fully understand curly/wavy hair care, then this method simply won’t work. You have to establish a healthy foundation in order for your hair to last multiple days.
➡️Definition starts with your washday
That’s right…… Even down to the way you are deep conditioning your hair. Every single step in the washing process can lead to frizz or definition. It’s super important to reduce frizz and enhance definition at the beginning of the styling process.
➡️My secret refresh technique using the #tugandpull method
This is a method I developed after testing and experimenting for years. I’ve found this is the best way to refresh my hair without having to add a on of water. It’s simple, easy, and doesn’t take long to dry at all!
If you found this post helpful, I’d love for you to leave a comment below!
Xoxo
Curly Colleen 💋