Perfect tresses are something that most people rarely achieve naturally. Getting that perfect look, healthy bounce and smooth texture can take a lot of time, attention and preparation using specially formulated products and proper techniques.

Here are a few tips to help you make the most of your curls.

Perhaps the main thing necessary to keeping one’s mane looking silky smooth, shiny and as healthy as possible, is moisture. Hydration is important as it keeps the shaft full, the cuticles closed, the strands flexible and the frizz under control. Applying styling and conditioning products while tresses are still wet, and allowing the post-shower steam to penetrate curls naturally will provide both lift and volume.

One of the most common mistakes made by most individuals is selecting shampoos that contain a lot of sulfates, salt and detergents that are designed to strip oils from the strands, leaving them unprotected, dry and rough. Cleansing formulas that are made using blends of just oil and water will produce little to no lather but will do a more productive job of cleaning. Reducing washes to no more than twice a week will also aid in maintaining a healthy glow and voluminous bounce.

When it comes to conditioning, people who have curls need to take extra care to get moisture along the entire shaft to prevent frazzling from the middles to the ends. Applying styling products with leave-in conditioners directly after showering, concentrating on the tips, is a very effective way to get optimum smoothing. It is recommended that one select formulas that abstain from using heavy oils and are balanced for one’s specific texture.

Avoiding products with a high alcohol content, which literally sucks the moisture from each strand, can help eliminate tresses that feel hard and crunchy like dried soup noodles. Hair sprays are some of the worst offenders. Leading stylists suggest using gels of a water soluble nature or aerated foams and mousses to get fullness, bounce, control and shine without that sticky feeling.

Curls also require a bit of special attention when it comes to styling routines. Replacing brushes with wide tooth combs or picks, using a diffuser when blow drying – concentrating on getting the roots to middle completely dry but leaving the ends damp – and avoiding touching dried tresses excessively will go a long way towards decreasing frizz. It is also a good idea to request cuts be done without dampness in order to get a truer idea of how locks will fall naturally.

On the subject of cuts, an individual should consider the various factors particular to their own locks. If in doubt your hairdresser will be able to help. For example, someone who has curls that tend to be very tight and springy may wish to stay away from really short styles which often result in a triangular or helmet shaped finish. This is a prime reason it is strongly recommended that one request their stylist to do all cutting on tresses that are dried naturally, with no dampness or product to alter the way the strands lay.

Not only does the high heat generated by styling tools drain the moisture from one’s locks, it also changes the configuration of the proteins in natural oils that give curls their flow and bounce. It is recommended that blow dryers, flat irons and curling wands be used at low to medium settings, never exceeding 400 degrees and used no more than twice a week. Applying moisture treatments and conditioning masks as part of a showering routine may also help keep beautiful tresses hydrate and silky.

Frizz is also caused by friction that may occur while one is sleeping and unaware of body movements. Cotton fibers not only absorb moisture, leaving locks dry, they also have a tendency to snag individual strands, leading to breakage and weakened shafts. Switching to silk pillowcases, or using a satin night bonnet, may not only be beneficial in keeping curls under wraps, but also holding in hydration and reducing tangles.

Following these useful guidelines and going through a little trial and error to find the perfect combination of products and techniques for one’s individual needs, can lead to a head covered in beautiful, smooth, bouncing curls. Remembering that moisture and hydration are key requirements as much as heat, friction and alcohol are things to avoid, makes maintenance significantly simpler. Though adjustments will have to be made depending on the thickness, length and tightness of the lilt of one’s locks, these suggestions are quite effective methods for obtaining and maintaining a desired look.

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If You Are Pressed For Time These Simple Styling Tips For Curly Hair Will Come In Handy

Just because a woman has curly hair whether natural or permed, does not mean that she doesn’t have to spend time getting it to look its best each day before she leaves the house. Curls require their own special care if they are to appear vibrant and bouncy, rather than untamed and frizzy. These simple styling tips for curly hair will ensure that one’s glorious mane of curls looks outstanding by just investing a few minutes before bed or in the morning.

Curly locks are fabulously versatile, and have the advantage of looking great up or down. Pin up hair with a clip or chopsticks and then allow a few curls to cascade down, this creates a less formal, playful look. A fast fix for “bed head” that usually works wonders is to gather the curls up into a bun and leaving it up until one reaches her destination, this helps improve its manageability, so when it is let loose it will look neat and presentable.

One effective way to ensure that one’s locks look great the following day is to style it at night before going to sleep. Not only will this save valuable time in the morning when it’s bound to be hectic and busy, but it also allows one’s styling product of choice to work on the hair overnight. In order to get the most out of a styling product applied before bedtime, one can lightly mist her curls with water in the morning, improving the hair’s appearance and how well it behaves for the rest of the day.

Braids and twists are great for shaping curly locks but ideally they need several hours to produce the desired effect, which is where putting them in before going to bed comes into play. The next morning, when they are released, curls will have amazing form and bounce to it. One can further enhance the beauty and condition of her curls by wrapping it up in a satin head scarf or sleeping on a satin pillowcase since regular cotton ones can be very damaging on hair, causing breakage and frizz. It will make for easier styling and reduce the effects of “bed head”.

Keeping things as simple as possible in the morning will help save time, there are different ways to ensure this. It can take a long time to separate one’s curls into multiple layers and it isn’t always necessary as the top one is generally the most noticeable, simply styling the top layer is a good way to reduce the amount of styling time and is sometimes all that’s needed. Another way to shorten one’s morning hair routine is to limit product use to just one favorite styling product rather than piling on a whole array of lotions, gels, and sprays.

Curly locks sometimes have several needs and won’t fair so well with the use of one product alone. If this is the case, and saving time in the morning is still a concern, a smart solution is to make a concoction that combines all of one’s products of choice that each work on the hair in their own way. For instance, one could blend a conditioner with a gel to both provide extra hold and combat frizz. This mixture can be prepared the night before so it is ready to be applied when one wakes up the next morning.

Those whose styling ritual involves multiple stages may wish to bring the product or products they require along with them to work, school or wherever they are going. If only the first stages in the styling process are completed at home, most people can get away with putting on the finishing touches during a washroom break later on. So anyone who finds themselves running late, may wish to simply throw their final stage product in their purse and deal with it during lunch or whenever, just to save minutes when every one counts.

Blow drying is a preferred method of drying for many women because it eliminates the need to wait around for one’s curls to dry, and it also helps boost volume considerably. However, it can still take up a fair amount of time and so it pays to know how to do it as quickly as possible while maximizing the results it produces. Since the bottom layer typically takes the longest to dry, one way to achieve this in less time is to flip the hair upside down and dry it from underneath, working the heat through the curls with the fingers. Once dry, the top layer will take less time to follow suit, and it has the added benefit of increasing the hair’s body, leaving it full and bouncy-looking.