Your Guide To Healthy & Voluminous Curly Hair

Emma's Story

You're not alone if you haven't always loved your curly hair. Historically, curly hair has been sterotyped to be messy looking, not to mention the pressure of keeping up with the latest hair trends. One thing is for sure, curly hair is now getting a lot of love and we're totally here for it!

We chatted to Emma, to find out her decision to embrace her curls. "I went through a hair change where I dyed it bright red. I felt it only looked good when it was straight, so I used a hot iron every single day. Just a few months of this resulted in my hair losing its curl and being almost completely straight. It was a ‘you don’t know what you have till it’s gone’ situation. I was so sad so I made the decision to be patient with my hair, dye it back to a natural colour, did a big chop and then started to look after it."

Image: Canva

Hair Wash Routine

If you're looking to revive your hair or simply want to learn what steps you need to take to embrace your curls, listen up! It all starts from your hair wash routine. 

Here is Emma's hair wash routine:

1. Shampoo hair once a week using Ethique Shampoo Bar Mintasy, for Normal to Dry Hair. 
2. Condition it every time I get it wet using Ethique Conditioner Bar The Guardian, for Dry, Damaged and Frizzy Hair.
3. Comb out any knots while the conditioner is in. I use the Bass Brushes Detangler Brush in Teel.
4. At the end, I’ll flip my head upside down, barely rinse any of that conditioner out, and use my fingers to separate the curls and scrunch up back towards my scalp to squeeze excess water out. Tip: Once you start scrunching don’t comb back through, just keep scrunching and squeezing.

How To Enhance The Curl Effect

Now that your hair is washed, you're ready to enhance your curl effect. Steps to take:

1. After showering wrap hair in a Towel, or cotton t shirt to soak up excess water.
2. Get ready as normal. The golden rule here is when you take it out of the towel don’t touch it. Don’t try to part the hair, where it falls is where it will stay, the more you touch it the more prone to frizz it will have.
3. Use a 10c piece amount of Curl Cream, slip head upside down and again scrunch the product into the hair going up towards the scalp. Don’t drag along the hair or use a comb. From here on out it’s scrunching.
4. For 2nd or 3rd day hair, some people can get away with tying their hair up in a ‘pineapple’. Others wrap their hair in a soft scarf or shirt to prevent it from rubbing and causing frizz. Ettitude's Signature Sateen Pillow is also great for reducing friction and frizz while you sleep. 

Do's & Don'ts

• Be careful of mousses or gels. (Makes your hair crunchy). 
• You can air dry it but until the hair is 100% dry resist touching it, as this creates frizz.
• When hair is dry any brushes should not be within reach. Only brush or comb when wet with conditioner.
• Avoid any heavy oils or silicones. Curly hair can really hold on to these and you’ll then need a sulphate to wash it out – sulphates are bad for your hair because it completely strips it so find a sulphate-free shampoo and avoid silicones.
• Do use a diffuser if possible and just cup the hair in the barrel and hold.
• Do wait till hair is completely dry to use finishing Oils, Serums, or Products.
• Microfibre towels are great investments to prevent frizz
• When the hair starts to easily tangle, it's time for a trim.
• When the hair is 100% dry, fluff out roots for volume.