0345 601 8129
CURL CARE GOT YOUR HEAD IN A SPIN?
January 24 2023 by: Jo M
If you’ve decided to ditch the straighteners and embrace your natural curls for the first time, or you’re trying to take your current haircare regime to the next level, you might be getting overwhelmed by the seemingly endless array of techniques and routines in the super-popular ‘Curly Girl’ method, or simply bamboozled by the terminology (‘plopping’ anyone?!)!
Well we hear you, and we’re here to make your Curly Girl journey as easy as possible, so let’s start with a simple guide to the most common terms you’re likely to encounter!
Air dry. Well, this is exactly what you would imagine. It simply means allowing your hair to dry without any intervention, like hairdryers, or styling brushes. The benefit of air drying is that this method gives you the most frizz-free definition. Just remember to avoid touching your hair while it’s drying.
Build-up. This happens when the ingredients in hair products are absorbed into the hair shaft and are layered repeatedly, which can cause your curls to stretch and appear limp, become dry, frizzy, and tangle more. Suppose your hair feels like it’s stopped responding to your favourite conditioners and products that used to work so well. In that case, it might signify that it’s suffering from product build-up and it’s time to use a clarifying shampoo. For your curl-defining hair products to work as they should, your hair needs to be able to absorb them, and if your hair has a layer of built-up product residue or silicones sitting on the surface, then your curls won’t look or act their best.
Clarifying wash. So, you think you are suffering from build-up, but how do you remove it without adding to the problem? That’s where a clarifying wash comes in. These are sulfate and silicone-free shampoos that use gentler surfactant ingredients such as Cocamidopropyl betaine, derived from coconut. They will help remove all the build-up layers weighing your curls down and preventing them from looking their sleek, bouncy best! But, you do need to be careful and not do this too often as it can still leave your hair too dry. Curls need moisture and that is why most curly-girl routines prefer the ‘no-poo’ method and only use a co-wash.
Co-wash. Just when you think you’ve got it sussed and know what a clarifying wash is, you then find out there’s also a co-wash! Simply put, it stands for ‘conditioning wash’, which means you’re ditching regular shampoo (yes, even your clarifying shampoo) and using a conditioner to clean your hair. But not any conditioner will do – you are looking for a cross between cleanser and conditioner. Creme-based co-washes contain more cleansing ingredients (surfactants) than a regular conditioner but fewer surfactants than a normal shampoo/cleanser. It doesn’t foam and is more moisturising than a regular shampoo while being a little lighter in texture than a regular conditioner.
Curl type. You’ll often hear curly girls talk about their individual curl type and might be confused as to what the numbers, letter and names mean. Here’s a simple guide:
At the most basic level, hair can be classed as one of four types – straight, wavy, curly or kinky, and within each of those types you have a further three characteristics.
Type One – straight hair. Sadly, the curly girl method won’t magically result in beautiful bouncing curls if your hair falls into this category. You’ll need to grab those curling wands and work some magic this way if you want to style up your hair, but don’t forget to protect against drying and damage – you’ll find Naturtint’s Anti-Ageing CC Cream is perfect for this!
Type Two – wavy hair. This type of hair is further defined as either 2A slight waves, 2B soft waves or 2C defined waves.
Type Three – curly hair. The three types you’ll find here are 3A classic curls, 3B spiral curls and 3C corkscrew curls.
The final category is Type Four – kinky hair, with 4A slightly coiled, 4B kinky and 4C super kinky.
Each of these nine curl types have very different physiology and because of these differences in curl definition, hydration, porosity, and density, they need specific ingredients and care to achieve the best results.
Diffuse. If you watch any Insta reel featuring the curly girl routine, you’ll probably see a diffuser being used. This is the huge round attachment on a hairdryer, and you’ll see people hold it very close to their curls and don’t move it around as this will disturb the form of your curls. Use the diffuser attachment as if it was your hand, gently cupping hair in the bowl of the diffuser and softly scrunching the curls from the ends up. Move around your head, working in small sections, spending a few seconds on each section, and moving up toward the roots as you go. For extra volume, you can tip your head upside down when you do this.
Cuticle. The hair cuticle is the outermost part of the hair shaft. It is formed from dead cells, overlapping in layers, which form scales that protect and strengthen the hair shaft. When your hair looks dry, tangled or frizzy, it’s a sure sign that your hair cuticles have opened and are damaged.
Deep condition. This essential step in any curl-caring routine involves a nourishing mask to restore moisture, repair damage, and add shine. It can help to tame frizz, improve manageability, and give your curls a healthy boost.
Finger coil. Remember when you were a kid and you used to wind your hair around your fingers as you daydreamed? Well, this is a finger coil and it helps to form naturally tight, defined curls.
No-poo. This is what we explained when we talked about co-wash. It’s ditching your regular (often drying) shampoo for a co-wash. The poo is short for shampoo – what, you thought it meant something else?
Raking. Now, this is an easy one – it just means using your fingers to gently comb your leave-in conditioner through your curls instead of a comb. Raking through your curls with your fingertips will help to detangle and smooth. As your fingertips near the end of each section shake your hand to loosen-up strands. The shake is what will help your curls form in their most natural way.
Plopping. Now this one always makes us laugh – but it simply means wrapping your hair up in a microfibre or old T shirt instead of a more traditional bathroom towel. The reason is that a towel will absorb too much moisture, which your curls need, and can also damage your cuticles, which will lead to frizz. Many women plop for 10-20 minutes before they diffuse or air-dry their hair, and some even keep their hair like this overnight.
Slip. Nope, nothing to do with the icy weather, this term refers to how lubricated a product makes your hair feel after applying. The more slip a product has, the easier it is to rake your fingers through your hair.
So, now you’ve mastered the terminology and the Curly Girl basics, are you ready to take it to the next level and supercharge your curls?! Great, because Naturtint have created three regimes developed by haircare specialists to meet the unique needs of each type of curl;
TYPE TWO HAIR – WAVY
You’ll need four products from the Naturtint Curl Definer range for this type of hair – the shampoo, leave-in conditioner, co-wash balm and oil repair.
Your specific regime is broken down into a two-week cycle, using the shampoo and leave-in conditioner during week one, and alternating that with the co-wash balm and oil repair during week two.
TYPE THREE – CURLY
You’ll need all five products from the Naturtint Curl Definer range and your personal regime is broken down into a three-week cycle.
Week one – use the shampoo, leave-in conditioner and oil repair.
Week two – just the co-wash balm and oil repair.
Week three – your final week involves the shampoo, hair mask and oil repair.
TYPE FOUR – KINKY
Girls with this type of curl also have a three-week cycle using all five products from the Curl definer range.
Week one – use the shampoo, co-wash balm, leave-in conditioner and oil repair.
Week two, take out the shampoo and introduce the hair mask, so your routine is co-wash balm, hair mask, leave-in conditioner and oil repair.
Week three, this week you’re simply using the co-wash balm and oil repair.
Remember, you only need a tiny amount of the oil to repair the mid-lengths and ends of your hair, for more defined curls.
And that’s it. Welcome to the most beautiful, natural curls that a girl could want!
Previous
Back To Blog
How does these products act on dyed hair especially type 4
Hi Jackie, thanks for your question 🙂 The Curly range is suitable for coloured and non-coloured hair and as the products are all about moisturising curls and hydrating the hair, you should hopefully find them beneficial as dyed hair is often more dehydrated than natural hair. Hope this helps! ❤
Hi Jackie, thanks for your question 🙂 The Curly range is suitable for coloured and non-coloured hair and as the products are all about moisturising curls and hydrating the hair, you should hopefully find them beneficial as dyed hair is often more dehydrated than natural hair. Hope this helps! 🧡