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If your curly, frizzy, thick, long hair feels unmanageable, take heart. There are hairstyling tricks that help you control your frizz and shape your hair into big, beautiful curls. Drop the straight-hairstyling tools and learn how to make the most of your curly locks. Keep your curly hairstyle looking sleek rather than frizzy by getting damaged ends trimmed every month.
Defined Curls
Don't fight what nature gave you. Learn to rock a full head of beautiful curls. The process begins in the shower, where you use minimal shampoo or a lotion-style conditioner to scrub your scalp. Rinse your hair and squeeze out the water until your hair is just damp. Rub thick leave-in conditioner through your locks from roots to tips, gently detangling your curls with your fingers. Leave the shower and spritz styling gel or massage hair putty through your curls to set them. Clip the top layer of your hair with bobby pins to separate it from the underlying layers as it dries. This gives your hair more bounce. Air-dry your curls and remove the bobby pins. Shake out your hair and spritz in finishing spray or shine serum for extra gleam.
Deconstructed Curls
The look on the red carpet and the runways is bold, kinky hair that looks like an afro gone awry. Women with very curly or kinky hair can rock this look with second-day hair. Sleep on a smooth pillowcase or wrap your curls with a satiny scarf to keep knots and tangles at bay. In the morning. run mousse through the roots of your hair to freshen it up and gently shape it. Carefully separate any curls that are stuck together, but avoid combing or brushing your hair. Turn your head upside down and shake your hair wildly. Flip back up and gently shape your curls outward and upward. Spray on shine serum to set your style and give it sheen.
Messy Updo
When you want a slightly sleeker look, a messy updo makes you look glam in minutes. Finger-comb your hair or use a wide-tooth comb. Gather all or part of your hair in a messy bun. Affix the bun to the top of your head, or farther back, by using a wide elastic band covered in cloth to keep from snarling your hair. Pull tendrils from the top and sides to create a soft fringe that frames your face. A spritz of spray gel controls flyaway curls and keeps frizz to a minimum.
Maintenance
If your hair does not want to behave, adopt some new techniques. Skip extremely layered cuts and try thinning your hair instead, using shears with notched blades. Never use a razor to trim delicate curly or kinky hair, as it's too damaging to the hair shaft. Skip brushing or combing your hair and just finger-comb with conditioner while showering. As your hair gets longer or thicker, switch your styling products to thicker formulations such as mud and putty.
