How to have nice curls

[MargotBamborough]

I'm currently on maternity leave and wondering whether now is the time to try and embrace my natural curls.

I did the curly girl method for a few years but it didn't really work for me, because my curls never lasted more than a day and they only really looked good if I let my hair dry completely naturally. It worked OK when I was a student and only had classes in the afternoons, but it doesn't work now I need to be in the office by 9:30 looking well groomed and professional.

At the moment I use a Revlon One Step to style my hair a couple of days a week and I can get almost salon-like results.

But I have just had a daughter who will almost certainly have curly hair (my husband and I both have curly hair) and I'm wondering whether I should try to embrace my natural curl so I can teach her to embrace hers too when the time comes.

Any tips?

Having a hairdresser who understands CG really helps.
I use a spray bottle with conditioner and water on non-wash days which helps.
I use Aldi conditioner to wash
Garner hair food to condition
Boots curl cream
Shockwaves mousse
Gel
Each scrunched into wet hair then wrap in old t shirt
I do let it dry naturally though

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mommesilk-Mulberry-Bonnet-Sleeping-Protection/dp/B07SKGMKDH/ref=sr_1_11?crid=158XNPNT4FB0N&keywords=mommesilk&qid=1681562671&sprefix=mommesilk%2Caps%2C112&sr=8-11&th=1
This is the one I have. The wide band makes it more comfy for me and I use it as an eyemask

You need a curly cut at the hairdressers - a good curly hairdresser won’t blow dry your hair.

I go to Unruly Curls in London and they blow dry my hair upside down with a diffuser. It always looks amazing 😬

@MargotBamborough Trial and error and a good cut by a curly hair specialist I'm afraid! I have to wash and style my hair every day to have nice curls. I use a diffuser instead of letting it air dry to save time.

I have 2C/3A curls and use Boots Pink and various gels (used Twisted Sista for the first time today and really like it) when wet then plop with a microfibre towel for half an hour before diffusing until 80% dry. I then leave the rest to air dry and scrunch the crunch out.

Curly cut helps

I shampoo, condition, detangle with a paddle brush and squish it a bit. Rinse
Rake through a foam, then gel
Don't plop but just give it a few mins then start diffusing
scrunch out the crunch when it's dry

Sleep with a satin/silk pillowcase and my hair in a pineapple. I have very fine hair which drops curls easily and needs lots of protein

Oh and I take my product right to the roots and sometimes use a volume spray or hairspray too
Mine is wavy though, not curly

It's true that there are many many types of curly hair, which respond to different treatments. I think a silk bonnet would help most people keep curls for a few days though.
I have one of these,
https://www.silkelondon.com/collections/shop-all/products/silke-hair-wrap ,
which is slightly elegant and good quality in design and fabric. You could get away with something much cheaper though.
The product I can't get away without is Biosilk serum used as first product on wet hair. I really don't know why nothing else works the same way for me. It seems to help keep curl shape on my thick shortish hair, gives a little shine, and stops it drying out and going frizzy. It's not at all sticky. It is a bit expensive but I buy a bottle for about £25 to use sparingly and it does me for about a year of weekly washes. You can get a small sample bottle on Amazon if you want to try.

Your hair must be as thick as my own if it takes 3 hours to dry. I got a lot of layers cut in to my hair so that the shape works. So if on day 2 some of the curls fall flat, the shape still works.
I showed the hair dresser this photo and she did a great job. I'm white, but she knew I meant to cut my hair so it would sit in this shape.

The "wolf cut" works for thick hair.
I know one of these photos is a mannequin but it is a shape that behaves well for me. Wash and go. The style sits right. I look like I have a hair style of sorts!

I've used a plastic colander on my upside down head! Really makes it so curly. If the curl falls flat the next day a good cut saves me from looking crazy.

I have used a metal sieve before as well - on holiday, no diffuser with the hairdryer. I had come armed with my own <sad as fuck I know>. But I reasoned that my difuser may not fit the cottage hairdryer and couldn't be arsed with packing my own. Metal sieve easier to pack/less bulky (I shoved my silk pillowcase in the sieve "bowl" in the suitcase).