I was born with a lot of hair. It was pretty straight too and as time went on I noticed I had the slightest wave as well. Fast forward 29 years to the arrival of Hugo, and all of that soon changed. I didn’t quite know it then but apparently an increase in hormones when pregnant can cause all sorts of things to happen to your hair. In fact, according to one of the founders of Royal Locks, “40–50% of women experience major changes in their hair while pregnant or breastfeeding”. And yep, you guessed it, I was one of them.
Over a period of a few months I noticed my hair becoming more and more wavy. When I had some weight taken out of my hair when Hugo was 6 months old, I didn’t quite recognise who was staring back at me in the mirror. Waves everywhere. And since the arrival of Coen in 2021 it is a whole other story. I have curls. Proper curls, from root to tip. I don’t even think I could straighten my hair if I tried.
And what some might think is a blessing in disguise, I have found it quite a jump going from straight to curly hair. After spending hours of my time on research and hundreds of pounds on products, I can quite safely say that 7 years after my first waves started to appear, I am embracing the curl. I am often stopped in the street and asked about what hair products I use, so I thought that now is the time to share my secret. It’s not just about the product, but about The Curly Girl MethodTM. So here goes. My step-by-step guide.
Step #1
Brush your hair
First things first, brush your hair before you jump in the shower. Get those knots out. I love my Tangle Teezer, but it doesn’t matter what you use, as long as you get those knots out and accept that this is the last time you’ll brush your hair until you wash it again.
Step #2
Shampoo
A sulphate-free shampoo is a gentle cleansing shampoo made without sulphates. It cleans hair that has a possible build up of styling products, so it’s great if you follow The Curly Girl Method and have a bit more product in your hair than others. A sulphate-free shampoo retains more moisture than normal shampoo too which really helps with curly hair. Simply wash your hair and rinse.
Step #3
Condition
Once your shampoo has been rinsed, apply a decent amount of sulphate-free hydrating conditioner to your hands. Flipping your head upside down, make sure that the conditioner is distributed through your hair from near the roots to the tips. I use my fingers to detangle the strands of hair, followed by scrunching it all up to ensure that there is a good distribution throughout. Leave the conditioner in for a couple of minutes.
Step #4
The scrunch
Once you’ve rinsed the conditioner out, it’s time to do ‘The Scrunch’. First squeeze as much water out of your hair as possible. Then apply a generous amount of product to your hands, flip your hair over and much like you did with the conditioner, rub the product through your hair, this time from root to tip. Running your fingers through your hair, you will notice that the water still on your hair will be locked in by this product, so it’s great to mix the water and product. Scrunch your hair up to your scalp using your fingers, and create as much of a curl as possible. Leave the product in. No more rinsing required.
Step #5
Microfibre towel
My secret weapon is a microfibre towel. Absorbing just the right amount of water from your hair without creating the frizz that a normal towel does, flip your head upside down one final time and really scrunch those curls. Get as much moisture out as you want. On a lovely sunny day I remove a little water and then let the sun dry the rest!
Step #6
One final style
As soon as you’re out of the shower, just go about your day. Get yourself ready, make yourself a cuppa. Let your hair do its thing. If you need to speed up the process, pop the diffuser on for a few minutes. When your hair is about 50% dry, rub through a good amount of Define and Shine Custard. It’s pretty runny, so just run it through your hair as much as you need, and you’re done.
I know these things are often easier said than done. But trust me, it is worth it. Once you really get into the hang of it, there is no looking back. You’ve really got to find the right product that works for you too. Don’t fall for the great marketing campaigns (sorry Only Curls but your marketing is fab but your products are awful), and just experiment until you are happy. I’m always more than happy to help and advise as I am still learning too. Let’s embrace those curls together.