Professional Tips: Embrace natural curls and waves

The curly hair revolution is here! Bubbling and boiling over the last few years, it’s finally erupted and everybody is ready to put their straighteners down and let their hair do its thing! We’re ready to ride the wave with you all and help you along your curly, wavy journey with professional tips, tricks, and advice.

If you’re ready to embrace your natural curls or waves, this is for you!

The Basics

Don’t try to force your hair to do something doesn’t want to do. If you want natural, you have to work with what you already have.

You won’t get perfct curls and styles the first time you try (unless you’ver VERY lucky). It takes time to build your natural curls and waves when youv’e been fighting against them for so long.

How to tell if you have curly or wavy hair 

It’s obvious if you have curly or wavy hair isnt it? Not always. But thanks to the internet plenty of people are discovering they have beautiful undiscovered texture. To find out if you may have curls or waves, click here.

Do NOT wash your hair every day

We should all know by now that washing daily is bad for our hair and scalp. If there is one hair type that needs to take this advice VERY seriously, it’s the curly crew. Overwashing strips hair of natural oils, causing curls to dry out very quickly.

Ideally, hair should be washed once or twice a week, with refreshes inbetween.

Let’s talk brushing

Using a brush on dry hair leads to separated and frizzy curls, think Monica from friends in ‘that’ episode. Brush your hair in the shower, whilst wet and filled with conditioner.

Find the perfect products

Eliminate the sulphates and drying alcohols, these will lead to dryness and frizz. Choose moistursing products that are as natural as possible.

Chances are you hair is on the dry side, you should incorporate a pre shampoo treatment, or a pre-poo as it’s been named.

For all textures, particularly type 4,  use INSIGHT ELASTI-CURL Bouncy Curls Hair Oil

elasti-curl BOUNCY CURLS HAIR OIL

Apply and massage on the lengths for a few minutes.

A natural, moisturising mask can also be used as a pre-poo treatment. See below for recommendations.

insight dry hair mask
Dry hair Mask

insight anti frizz mask
Anti-Frizz Mask

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When choosing a shampoo, always ensure there are no silicones. Silicones seal hair strands, stopping air and moisture being able to penetrate deep to nourish hair. Read about silicones in hair care here.

elastic-curl range

Our Pure Mild Shampoo has been scientifically formulated for over a year to ensure a formula to delight curls. With a waxy, buttery consistency, it was designed as a sort of co-wash, but with a superior washing power: thanks to delicate surfactants and Coconut, Chia, and Sacha Inchi Phyto-oils it nourishes and moisturises the hair during washing, leaving it clean, soft, and healthy. It’s formula and ingredient mix is like no other.

When talking hold, you need to figure out which product works for you and your curls, it may be a curling cream,  gel,  mousse, or a mix! Type 3/4 curls often need a gel for extra hold.

CURLS DEFINING HAIR CREAM
CURLS DEFINING HAIR CREAM

insight styling gel cement
Styling gel cement

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dry your curls the right way

Your finished curls depend on how you dry them. You’ll need to experiment and find out which drying technique works best for you. Air drying may work for some and not others, whilst many will need to diffuse.

Air drying tips:

Lay a microfiber towel or T-shirt down on a flat surface, lean over (flipping your hair upside down) and place the ends of your hair in the center of the towel. Lower your hair to allow your curls to scrunch towards your scalp, then wrap the towel/t-shirt. This is called plopping and can be seen below.

Eat right 

Hair health starts from within! We can our hair the most nutritious products possible but we also need to be filling our bodies with nutrition too. Your curls will thrive with your diet is rich in vitamins, protein and healthy fats. Don’t forget about hydration, water, water, water.