We know it’s tempting, but don’t touch your waves! Touching your hair before the curls are formed and dry is just as damaging as brushing your hair and can cause friction and separate your natural curl pattern. If you spend too much time manipulating your style and touching your hair, you will end up with frizz, perhaps the most dreaded curly hair problem.
The key is to style and touch your waves in the right way and at the right time.
- Use a shower comb. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, the shower comb is my favorite tool! If you use a shower comb when you’re applying conditioner, you won’t need to comb once you’re out of the shower. The less you use the comb, the less you will disperse your waves.
- Be gentle when towel drying your hair. Don’t rub your hair dry or twist it up in a turban — this creates breakage and frizz. Instead, pat your hair dry. For even better results, try using a microfiber towel. It will reduce frizz and speed up drying time, which is great if you usually air-dry.
- Apply styling products to soaking wet hair. Don’t make the mistake of combing your styling product through your hair, even if you’re just using your fingers! Instead, “scrunch” from the ends of your hair and work up to your roots, to give your waves better definition and extra lift.
- Use a diffuser or air-dry your hair. This is the hardest part — don’t touch your waves while they’re drying. If you don’t have the time to air-dry, be sure that you use a diffuser to preserve definition.
- Need a touch up? Lately I’ve been using Curly Hair Solutions Tweek to refresh my style. I work it through my dry hair, from roots to ends. If you have longer waves and you find your hair losing volume throughout the day, bend over and work the product through your roots that way. When you stand up straight again, your hair should have some extra lift.
So stop twirling your locks, ladies! You will notice less breakage and less frizz if you just keep your hands off your hair.
