Bouncy, thick curls are every curlie’s dreams. But, you might notice your curls starting to look under the weather lately. After having healthy curls for so long waking up to notice them weak and looking limb is not a sight you want to see.
Before you slip into panic mode over the state of your curls, there are some explanations on what could be happening and what you can do to get your hair healthy and your curls back.
- A recent hair cut
If you had a recent haircut, it could be the underlying problem for your curls. Some kinds of haircuts that include thinning, debulking, texturizing, carving, slicing, and razoring can cause irregular curl patterns. It goes without mentioning that if the right tools like left-handed shears for left-handed hairdressers are not used, the impact can be more severe.
The process of sliding shears onto the hair shaft can break off hair cuticles making the hair more susceptible to damage. The lost bulk also means your curls have nothing to keep them together and they may end up looking stretched and lifeless.
Solution:
If you have to cut your hair for any reason, the best approach is to opt for a dry curl by curl haircut. It takes more time, but the results are always excellent. Using this technique, you can cut the curls when they are in their dry and natural state, allowing each curl to be uninterrupted after the styling.
- Applying Heavy products
There are plenty of products you use on your hair to make your curls look perfect. But, as the saying goes, too much of everything is bad. The build-up of heavy, buttery, oil products filled with silicone starts to take its toll on your hair. This affects your hair’s ability to form curls and your guess is as good as mine: The curls end up looking stringy and defeated.
Unfortunately, you can’t do away with hair products. After all, your curls still need the nourishment they provide to thrive. However, there is a practical solution that can help you achieve both goals.
Solution:
Clean your dresser of all heavy hair products and replace them with weightless silicone-free products. They work wonders for your curly hair. When experiencing limb curls, it makes sense to reassess the type of products you use on your hair. Especially when your curls are often struggling.
- Washing too often
If you wash your hair every day, you could be doing it a great injustice. By washing the hair too often, you strip it off essential oils that help protect the hair strands and keep them strong.
Solution:
You only need to wash the hair once or twice a week. While washing the hair, avoid using layered products that can weigh down your hair. Also make sure you use lukewarm and not hot water. Using hot water strips more of the natural oils from your hair and causes more damage.
- Drying your hair the wrong way
The way you dry your hair has a lot to do with how your curls end up looking. Even though hair is naturally strong, it is easily stressed out.
Drying your hair using the wrong tools or method will easily stress the hair and make it lose its form. Using the wrong towel, for instance, can make the hair frizzy.
Solution:
When choosing a towel, it’s best to use a microfiber towel that will dry the hair faster and leave the curls full of life and spring. It’s also crucial to let the hair air dry for a while before diffuse drying it on medium or warm settings. This helps the products you use to set in and you don’t subject the curls to too much heat.
- Using the wrong tool for your hair
The problem may be the last thing you would think of – your equipment. Check to see if your curling or flat iron has a heat setting. Heat setting is a crucial feature that allows you to select how much heat you want to use when styling your hair.
Hair is different. Some people have thick hair, which requires more heat to style while others have light and thin hair, which doesn’t need as much heat. By picking up a curling iron that has one standard heating, you can easily set yourself up and make it hard for you to get the right curls.
Solution:
Unfortunately, the answer, in this case, will hurt your pockets. But, it will be worth it in the long run. You need to replace your equipment if it doesn’t have a heat setting. You should be able to customize your heat settings to the nature of your hair.
Also, try and pay a little attention to the curling techniques you use to provide you with better and longer-lasting results.
- Not taking enough time
If you’ve noticed your hair is struggling and are concerned about it, it’s because you love it! You should take the time to show it that love.
When planning to style your hair, you should budget enough time to work on the hair and give it the time it needs at different stages. Bundling the hair and working on it in big sections will get you out of the door faster, but your curls will be a mess.
Solution:
Section the hair adequately and work in chunks that are about one inch. This ensures the heat goes through the entire section. Take time to pin and cup runaway strands while they cool to make sure they get in the wavy line of the curls. By giving your hair enough time when styling, will provide you with the right results.
Final Thoughts
There are many reasons why your curls might have lost life. Some are because of ill advise like frequent and compromising haircuts, others are because of bad hair care habits and others are simply because of lack of knowledge.
Hopefully, you are now better equipped to take better care of your curly friends and nurse them back to health using these great tips.
Feature Image source: https://thecuriousjalebi.com/2017/07/11/frizzy-dry-curly-hair-tips/
