Curly hair is the underdog in the hair world; they say every woman with straight hair wishes she had curls, but most will vote in favour of straight hair rather than deal with frizz. The great news is curly hair, when treated right, is often the most beautiful of all. Here are some things every curly-haired maiden should avoid doing, including NOT brushing your hair!
DON’T brush your hair
If anything, use a wide-toothed comb. As anyone with curly hair knows, brushing your hair is a recipe for disaster”the brush’s job is to untangle your curls, which basically undoes them. This results in a frizzy mess of who-knows-what. You may choose to brush your hair in the shower, between shampoos, so that your hair is untangled but automatically recurls itself.
DON’T blow-dry your hair without a diffuser
Heat and curly hair are not the best of friends. However, a diffuser controls the focus of the heat and will allow your hair to dry in a safer manner. When you do blow-dry your hair, be careful not to do so for too long, as you want to limit the exposure to heat. Heat lifts the external layers of your hair, allowing moisture to escape and creating frizz.
DON’T straighten your hair often
Tampering with your hair’s natural oils and applying heat to your hair can damage it. One of the greatest advantages to curly hair is that it can easily be rendered shiny, sleek and straight (whereas straight hair, sorry, will never come close to looking as real as true curls). However, you really shouldn’t use a straightener often, as the heat can damage curls and even lessen the curliness of your hair (in a bad way).
DON’T use products to mend split ends
It won’t work. The best you can do is keep your hair moisturized, which should help prevent split ends. Otherwise, make a trip to the hairdresser because it’s time for a trim.
DON’T cut your hair too short
Unless your curls are fine or gentler in nature, curly hair tends to expand, rather than follow the shape of your head, so a short hairstyle may transform into the popular afro of the seventies. Unless this is the look you hope to achieve, and depending on your curls, you may or may not be able to get away with a shorter style; you may want to stick to layers, which make curly hair look amazing.
DON’T get stressed
Sounds much easier said than done, but stress can cause premature shedding. You shed about 100 strands of hair a day, so imagine how much hair stress can cause you to lose!
DON’T let frizz get you down
Frizz is probably the reason you get frustrated with your curls; without frizz, your curls would be the envy of every woman who looks your way. Most curly-haired women find frizz is the greatest issue when treating their hair. This may tempt you to pile on the hair product, but try to limit yourself to a few trustworthy products that work for your hair. Pouring cold water on your hair at the end of your shower, or adding a blast of cold air from your blow dryer, will close your cuticles (your hair’s external layer), reducing frizz the natural way. When cuticles are smooth, light will reflect off your hair, giving it a shiny, clean look.
Follow these curly hair DON’Ts to achieve a big curly hair DO: maintain beautiful curls that you can flaunt with pride!
