Five problems people with curly hair know all too well

I have had curly hair all my life, and it has never been an easy thing to deal with. I don't want to sound like I'm complaining because my curls and I have a love/hate relationship. I love having full and wild curls but I hate when they get matted or flatten out or just act confused as I like to say. Here are 5 problems people with curly hair know all too well:

1. Curly hair is dry! Unlike our straight haired brothers and sisters who have the issue of their hair becoming greasy if they don't wash it every day; curly hair is naturally dryer and so I only wash my hair 1-2 times a week and absolutely no more than that. I must use conditioner every other day on my hair otherwise it feels like straw. I've learned that to combat the dryness use sulphate free shampoos and alcohol free hair products. Also, if you can stand it, rinse your hair using cold water, as hot water weakens your hair, making it dryer and easier to break.



2. The curls don't spiral. Curls come in 2 basic shapes, the spiral or the S shape and both can be beautiful but let's face it, most curly haired people like to make their curls spiral so it looks a little neater. Whether your curls are tight or loose it's always a bad idea to brush you hair, especially when it's dry. Instead, try using a wide tooth comb to detangle in the shower with conditioner in your hair. Then if you are really patient you can manually wrap various strands of hair around your finger to encourage it to spiral.

3. Curls get matted. Because I don't brush out my curls everyday, they tend to get very matted, especially at the bottom of the back of my head. Now, I think dread locks are absolutely beautiful but I also like my curly hair and I'd like to keep it nice and in shape as much as I can. I don't really have a solution to this problem so if anyone out there does, please share. I usually just brush through the mats with my hand but that causes a lot of breakage.

4. The curls frizz. For all your ladies and gentlemen who live in humid climates, my heart goes out to you. Keeping a nice curl in humidity is a difficult feat. However, with the finger spiral method and good all natural products I think it's somewhat doable. Coconut oil is great for curls but make sure you put a little in your hair when it's still dripping wet. I have added coconut oil to my dry frizzy hair and I felt that it only made matters worse. I also occasionally use hair mousse which is wonderful, just make sure you get one that has no alcohol in it so it doesn't dry out your hair. Also, a good quality Argan oil will usually help as well.


5. The curls get flat. I absolutely hate when my curls look flat and lifeless. I used to like the tame look when I was still a kid but I didn't have an appreciation for my curls at that time. It's a tricky thing to get voluminous curls. The only way I've found to separate the curls is by doing a scratching motion at the scalp when your hair is completely dry and that should fluff up the root somewhat. Anyone out there have tips for this problem please share that info as well.

If I had it my way I'd wake up to curls that look like the images below:

Despite it's shortcoming I embrace my curly hair and feel lucky to have hair that's almost as confused as me. :)

Tata for now my natural beauties

Maureen