HOW TO STYLE CURLY HAIR – MORNING ROUTINE

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if when we woke up in the morning, all we had to do was remove our protective overnight style, shake our curls, and be ready to go?

Unfortunately, for most of us, it does take a bit more effort to get our hair ready each morning. But it need not take long. You can achieve great waves, curls, and coils with minimal effort. Read on for some tips on how to achieve great hair each and every morning!

Let The Curls Settle

For starters, in the morning after you remove your bonnet, buff, scarf, braids, or pineapple, let your hair settle for a little while. Allow your hair to be free while you apply your makeup, eat breakfast or read the news, then assess the state of your hair after 30-45 minutes. Your hair may look alarming at first after being up in a pineapple or bonnet for 6-8 hours, but let gravity pull it down before you touch it. Often, after the hair has settled, only a couple of strays or frizzies need to be refreshed.

Tip: Do not rake your fingers through the curls when refreshing. Do not use a comb or a brush either. This will separate the curls and create frizz.

Use A Shower Cap

The steam from the shower may help reform your curls. You can either keep them in the bonnet or use a shower cap instead. However, try not to stay too long in the shower – it may create frizz or cause your curls to fall flat from too much steam.

Gel Refresh

Assess which individual curls need refreshing. Wet your hands with water and take a little bit of gel. Mix the gel and water together in your hands. Gently smooth over frizzy hair sections with praying hands. Add more as needed. If you need definition, gently scrunch curls to encourage definition and allow hair to air dry. A gel cast should form. Scrunch Out The Crunch (SOTC) as usual.

Leave-in-Conditioner or Cream Refresh

Instead of gel, you can use a leave-in conditioner or (thin) cream. This will not give you much of a cast but can be more hydrating. Wet your hands and rub a bit of conditioner between your hands. Gently run your hands over the curls to glaze, especially the ends and frizzy spots.

Lube Refresh

Another Curly Girl favorite is to use good ole lube to refresh. (Yes, that lube.) Just make sure that whatever lube you use does not contain any harmful ingredients such as petroleum and parabens. An organic lube is preferable. If you often experience dry hair and frizz, avoid lube that contains glycerin.

Some good aloe-based lubes are Almost Naked Good Clean Love (95% organic) and Aloe Cadabra. If your hair can handle glycerin, Equate and KY Jelly are other options.

Spritz With Water

If none of steps 3-5 are working for you, fill a spray bottle with water (you can add a few drops of lavender essential oil to it) and gently spritz this throughout your hair avoiding the roots, and gently scrunch to reactivate the curls. The water may reactivate the styling products already in your hair. Instead of lavender, you can also mix in some of your favorite conditioner. Gently diffuse on low heat to set the curls.

Tip: If your hair smells of smoke, spritzing with rose water or a water/lavender oil mixture may help eliminate the smell.

Conclusion:

Voila – refreshed curls, no wet roots and you are ready to take on the day!

If you are just starting the Curly Girl Method and have damaged hair, getting your hair to look beautiful and consistent beyond wash day initially can be quite difficult to achieve. If your hair is very fine/thin it is even more difficult. So, stick with the CG Method and be patient. Eventually, your hair will get to its embraceable natural state.

Here are some excellent YouTube videos for wavy/curly/coily techniques:

Overnight Pineapple

How To Preserve Curls Overnight Pineapple Method | Grace Shari

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS_qO6zMgu8 3:26

Multi-Mini-Pineapples for short hair | Miss Charmsie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7usfsQcfM0 10:51

How to sleep with curly hair: 10 ways for long and short curly hair | Jannelle O’Shaughnessy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-Ob-EVVjm8 11:42

The Pineapple method: Curly Hair | Rocio Isabel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XubQiZ6iFaQ 2:19

Protect your curls while you sleep – How to get a buff to stay on your head overnight | Marisa’s Curls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dfw5JLPyVKA 2:59