The Low Maintenance Way I Style My 3A/3B Curls
If you have curly hair, I don’t have to explain how complicated it can be. It’s a rollercoaster ride of trial and tribulation from the day your natural curls come to play. I had curls as a baby that awkwardly transformed into waves that I had my mom comb and gel down into a ponytail every single day until I was 9 when I decided (me. I decided. Not my mom) to cut all my hair off into a pixie cut. It was a horrible decision (as I imagine most decisions made by 9-year-olds are) that took me years of awkward lengths and hairstyles to grow out, but around the age of 12, my natural curls were there to play. From 12-14, I straightened them every. single. day with one of those thick ass, super LOUD straighteners. I didn’t know how to deal with my curls and it was 2000 so there was no other hairstyle besides STRAIGHT.
FINALLY, by age 14/15, I gave into my curls. This is when my journey to find the perfect method and product combination for my hair began. I couldn’t list all the products I’ve been through throughout the last 18 years if I tried, and I don’t want to because they’re in the past and we are present and future-focused. All you need to know up until this point is that I went through a phase of curling my curls with a curling wand from about 2015-2018, chopped my hair off (yet again) to start fresh because I had burned the crap out of it, and finally am where I’ve always wanted to be today in terms of my curls.
2015-2017
2018
TODAY
It’s been a long, literally winding (curls. Get it?), and frustrating road, but if 2020 has brought me anything, it was the time and patience to stay home and figure out my 3A/3B curls once and for all!
I’m going to take you through my process step-by-step from how often I wash it to exactly what I do when I wash it, how I dry it, what products I use, etc. But first, if you don’t know your curl type already, please take a second to take this incredibly helpful quiz. Understanding what kind of curls I have helped me do the research and discover what sort of products and methods would work best on my hair.
In these 5 steps, I will leave no curl uncurled and be as descriptive as possible because I know that, when it comes to curls, the more detail the better. And, when it comes to dealing with my curly hair, the less maintenance the better, so here is the low maintenance way I style my curls!
Step 1: Wash
I wash my hair with shampoo at least once a week, if not twice. For a full wash, I use Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle shampoo and get it super sudsy. I then follow it up with Maui Moisture Curl Quench + Coconut Oil Curl-Defining Conditioner. I work it into my hair and leave it in while I wash my body, shave my legs, contemplate life, etc. I then rinse it all out!
SIDE NOTE: Very recently (like as in two weeks ago), I introduced Ouidad’s Curl Immersion Coconut Cleansing Conditioner-Low Lather to my shower. So far, I have used it once IN PLACE OF the Trader Joe’s shampoo for a mid-week wash. I liked the results, so I think I’ll do one big wash a week exactly as written above, and use this stuff for a mid-week wash. When I used this Ouidad Co-Wash, I followed directions on the bottle, separating my hair into 4 sections then saturated each with a few pumps of the product. I left it sit for a bit then washed it out.
STEP 2: DRY
I no longer plop. I no longer wrap my hair up in anything. Once I’ve rinsed out the last of my conditioner and turn the shower off, I simply flip my head over and give it a little shake to separate the curls. I then grab my special microfiber towel off its hook, and with my hair still flipped upside down, I very lightly do a scrunching motion to barely dry my curls. I do this all over my head, so it’s about 5 scrunches or so. This takes away the sopping wet factor but keeps your hair still very wet. I then flip my hair upright and dry my body off!
STEP 3: LEAVE-IN CONDITIONER
Because most curly hair is naturally dry (especially 3A/3B curls), leave-in is an imperative step you cannot skip. As soon as I wrap my body up in a towel, I take Ouidad’s Moisture Lock Leave-In Conditioner and use what I need to work it into my hair. I don’t rake my curls on this step; I simply smooth it over and sometimes do the praying hands. I’m sure to take just a bit more product and apply it to the back of my hair, because it so often gets missed. Once I feel good about the amount of leave-in I’ve applied, I let my hair sit with it for 10 minutes while I do body lotion, deodorant, etc.
STEP 4: STYLING GEL-CREAM
Once my curls have had their 10 minutes to make nice with the leave-in conditioner, I grab Ouidad’s VitalCurl+ Define & Shine Gel-Cream. This product is a holy grail product. Curly girls often struggle with whether they should be using a gel or a cream, and THIS DOES BOTH. It’s the perfect product combo for my hair; my curls eat it up. Just like with the leave-in conditioner, I use what I need to cover my curls. I work it in the exact same way, too. Once I have the Gel-Cream in, I THEN scrunch my curls up for definition (a good test as to whether or not your hair is wet enough and you’ve used enough product is you should hear the *squish squish* sound when you scrunch your curls up to your roots).
STEP 5: DRY TIME AND SCRUNCHING OUT THE CRUNCH
I do not diffuse. Ever. I don’t like it and I think it makes my hair insanely frizzy, no matter the diffusing method. I have always been an air dryer, so it’s time to practice patience. Your hair is basically completely wet and full of product, but resist the urge to touch it at all. Go about your day, letting it air dry naturally. Once your hair is 90% dry (basically only the back of your hair and underneath are still semi damp), it’s time to SCRUNCH OUT THE CRUNCH. This is literally the most important technique curly girls have. When you put product in your hair like gel or cream, it forms a cast over your curls that make them stiff and, well, crunchy! When your hair is almost dry, scrunching out the crunch magically banishes the cast and leaves you with soft, bouncy, beautiful curls. You can scrunch with just your hands or use a t-shirt or even piece of silk if you have some laying around (I just use my hands), and the most important movement here is THE CLAP. Scrunch as much as you can, then literally clap your hands over your curls. That will get out the last of the cast—it’s a move I was taught years ago and swear by.
That’s it, guys. That is my super low maintenance, 5-step method for getting perfect 3A/3B curls. But wait—I have more tips!
EXTRA CURL TIPS
I wanted to believe sleeping on silk or satin was a wive’s tale, but it turns out it’s very true. I started doing so a few months ago, and my curls (as you can see) look substantially better and healthier. You can get a 2-pack of satin pillow cases off Amazon for just $10!
I also have religiously worn my hair in a high ass ponytail (otherwise know as a “pineapple”) to bed every night for months. Doing this helps your curls from getting crushed while you sleep and thrash around in your sheets like a crazy person. You just need a super thick ponytail holder you only need to wrap around your hair once. I use the ones I just linked and love them.
Once a week, I treat my hair with Olaplex No. 3. This is because I got color in my hair this summer. If you don’t have color in your hair, you may not need to do this but I also think using a strengthening agent is only helpful for all types of hair. To use Olaplex No. 3, I bend over the tub and get my curls soaking wet, then work the product through. I tie it in a bun and let it sit in my hair for 30 minutes before I get in the shower and proceed with my wash day routine!
Okay, NOW that’s it. I have yet to perfect the 2-day, 3-day refresh, but I’m working on it and will share when I have a method I swear by as much as this one. Good luck on your curly adventures. I hope these five steps work for you but, if they don’t, it could mean we have different curl types and it’s going to take some trial and error to find your perfect combo.
xox,
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