curls - must they always be crunchy so as not to be frizzy?

[Anonymous]

DD has curly hair and I’m at a loss how to help her style it. I’ve watched many reels on how to style curls, and took her to Fiddleheads for a good cut and tutorial.

It seems the only way to tame curls without frizz is by using tons of product and scrunching. The Fiddleheads stylist sat her under a diffuser for like 15 minutes, too - not practical. The end result always looks so overly “styled” and crunchy to me.

Is there no way to produce softer and more natural looking curls, instead of ones full of product?

Thanks for any help.

[Anonymous]

try dozens, hundreds?, of products and product combos and you will find one that does this

[Anonymous]

There are way too many products out there and the vast majority are crap. I am able to have minimal crunch when I use Moroccan oil and comb it in with wet hair, and then some mousse to hold.

[Anonymous]

Coconut oil might work. Just use only a little.

I also like Jessie’s pillow soft curl gel, and aveda has a nice one with a cherry scent in a pink tube. Both produce soft curls. I only use a little. Don’t bother too much about the frizz. Learn to embrace it.

[Anonymous]

Honestly I’ve found washing with a regular shampoo, using a well moisturizing conditioner, and air drying to be good enough.

[Anonymous]

A few things:

1) Crunchy products will de-crunch if you just squeeze them once they've set. Google "scrunch the crunch" or "curl cast" for a tutorial on this. Once hair is totally dry you just scrunch it until the crunch is gone.

2) But you don't have to use crunchy products! I don't on my DD because I think it's too fussy for kids. I just do a leave in and then scrunch in a dollop of curling mousse (not gel which is much crunchier) and let it air dry. It's not perfect looking but she's 7 -- it doesn't need to be.

3) In the summer we do a lot of braids. Just make sure to do a leave in first. This allows her to go to bed with still damp hair and to go swimming regularly without having to set her hair all the time.

4) For days when you want her hair to look nice but don't have tons of time a diffuser on a hair dryer can speed it along a bit. Don't try to dry it from sopping wet -- let it air dry as long as you can and then just use the diffuser to finish it. The diffuser will also remove a curl cast from any crunch products especially if you scrunch as you diffuse.

[Anonymous]

Brush rarely and only use a round brush never a flat brush.

[Anonymous]

Crunchy wet-looking hair is a trend right now for teens with wavy hair

[Anonymous]

This is the curse of curly hair tbh. It needs a lot of fussiness and maintenance to not poof up and look bad. The washing, styling, drying process is horrendous , which is why many of us simply straighten it or blow it out. It’s much easier to deal with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Brush rarely and only use a round brush never a flat brush.

Ack! I haven’t brushed my curly hair in years and a round brush is a recipe for disaster!

The sweet spot for me is a curl cream - not mousse, gel, or Moroccan oil. I use Not Your Mothers brand, which I get at Target. After I shower I squeeze excess water out of my hair and then put a pretty generous about of the cream in my hair. Then I wrap it with a microfiber head wrap. This is before I get out of the shower and dry off - I don’t use a towel on my hair at all.

My hair is still pretty wet when I take the wrap off and then I shape it with my fingers as needed - like fixing the part or whatever - and let it air dry. It can take a while so I usually shower at night.

In the mornings I usually use a spray bottle of water to get my hair fairly wet and reapply product to tame it. If it’s totally wild (like if I toss and turn a lot at night) I’ll stick it under the faucet in the tub and get it totally wet, apply product, and do the wrap again. That means I’ll get to work with slightly wet hair, which isn’t terrible at my job but isn’t ideal.

A satin pillow case helps at night so it doesn’t get as frizzy. When my hair is long enough, I also braid it at night so it is less likely to tangle or frizz. I use a scrungee or a soft headband to hold the braid, not an elastic ponytail holder.

I only use a diffuser if I have to go outside when it’s freezing. It makes my hair a frizzy mess and the heat is not good for curls.

[Anonymous]

Finish styling with Paul Mitchel Freeze and Shine hairspray. Just spray over top layer. It locks in the style and the hair will not frizz no matter how humid it gets. It was my survival tool during our vacation to Tokyo last year during rainy season.

[Anonymous]

I use Aveda Be Curly cream to style my hair or Bumble & Bumble Curl Styling Cream. The B&B is heavier/thicker, but neither produces the crunch effect. I go back and forth on which one I like better. I'm constantly buying different products that I see recommended for curly hair - most of the others result in crunchy hair, which I hate. Frizz Ease curl cream isn't bad either and it's easier to find at the grocery store etc.

[Anonymous]

My son uses Liquid Rollers by Evo. No crunch. And a little goes a long way. It doesn’t provide as much hold / definition as my hair requires (I need a gel cast, then scrunch), but it works really well on his long-ish curls. Just wash, condition, apply this, and go.

https://www.evohair.com/us/hair-care/styling/curling/evo-liquid-rollers-curl-balm-200ml-39261a/

[Anonymous]

Just wash, condition, work a little bit of extra conditioner into the ends with fingers- and let dry. Do not comb or brush curly hair. Twist it into a bun or French twist or braid to relax curls on humid days.

[Anonymous]

It’s only crunchy until it dries, and then you just scrunch it again until it’s soft.

That said, you can use less product and the key to that for me is that the hair needs to be sopping wet when you apply it.

I actually started putting blow dry styler in my hair sopping wet instead of towel dried too, and it works better! The water is helping distribute the product in a thinner, more even layer. And for curly, it also helps you get bigger (less frizzy) curl clumps.