Using hair products isn’t always intuitive. The stakes are high when trying a new product with curly hair because you could end up with sticky, crunchy ends that are impossible to brush out. Knowing some tips for how to use curl cream can help! If you’ve never used curl cream before, you’re about to discover how this product can open doors to the full, bouncy curls you’ve always wanted. Here’s a quick lesson on how to apply curl cream for great results!
What Is Curl Cream?
Curl cream is a styling gel that can take your curls to the next level. What does curl cream do? Curl cream makes curls easier to work with. In addition to providing definition for each curl, curl cream also penetrates your hair with deep moisture to finally get rid of frizz! You might be wondering if you need to use curl cream if you’re already using a leave-in conditioner. Curl creams are not the same as conditioning products. The two types of products do very different things. While leave-in conditioning products provide moisture for the hair, they don’t actually provide much support for style. By contrast, curl cream actually helps to sculpt your hair. Curling cream also has holding power that conditioning products don’t. Yes, that means that curl cream can potentially replace both your leave-in conditioner and holding spray. That’s great news if you’d like to be able to style your hair using fewer products.
Start With Wet Hair
Applying curl cream to wet hair is the best way to get all of its benefits! It should be noted that curl cream doesn’t do its best work on damp hair. The goal is to apply curl cream when your hair is very wet immediately after a wash. The reason why you want to apply it while your hair is wet instead of waiting until after you’ve used a towel on your hair is to get the smoothest outcome possible. Your true curl pattern will be preserved when you apply the cream to hair in its natural, untouched state.
When applying curl cream, be sure to rake the product through every strand of hair using a wide-tooth comb. Don’t be afraid to get in there with your fingers to smooth things out. You want every piece of hair to be evenly coated. When you’re done applying curl cream, you’ll see that your curls are clumped together with your natural curl pattern showing through. If you’re noticing that your strands look separated, consider wetting your hair with some more water before applying more cream.
Avoid the Urge to Just “Scrunch” It
Many people with curly hair are in the habit of “scrunching” hair when applying products. However, this method is actually disruptive to your natural curl pattern. Scrunching does have its place when applying curl cream. You have to start by combing the curl cream through your hair to create a smooth foundation before you can use scrunching to move your curls into place.
Try the Praying Method
Once you’ve finished with combing and scrunching, there’s actually a third option for getting the most out of curl cream. It’s called “the praying method” of how to apply curl cream. Start by applying the curl cream to your hands. Next, rub your hands together to warm up the product. You’ll then split your hair into four quadrants. Place each quadrant of hair between your two hands with your hands in a “praying” position. Move your way down the hair starting from the root with your hands in this position. Be sure to stop to reapply curl cream if you feel your hands getting dry. The goal here is to saturate your stands. You’ll want to repeat this process two to three times on each quadrant of hair.
What is the point of the praying method? While combing and scrunching are great for getting product in your hair, they fall short in one tiny area. They don’t actually help to stretch your curls. If your goal is a long, bouncy look, nothing tops the praying method. The praying method stretches your curls to fight back against the common problem of “shrinkage” that happens when curls dry. As you may already know, curls tend to dry much “shorter” compared to how they look while you’re styling them. The praying method helps to preserve the length you’ve achieved through washing and styling. You’ll also find that doing the praying method actually makes hair more flexible compared to hair that is simply styled with combing and scrunching.
What Do You Do After Applying Curl Cream?
The beauty of curl cream is that it doesn’t interfere with the rest of your styling protocol. You’re free to dry your hair any way you prefer once you’ve applied your curl cream product. Many people find that leaving their hair to dry naturally produces the best results because it allows curls to take their natural shape without any frizz. In fact, the sculpting power of the curl cream often creates the volume and bounce that people used to get through heat treatments. Of course, it’s perfectly fine to diffuse your hair if you’d like to avoid leaving the house with wet hair. Curl cream provides beautiful insulation against heat-related frizz.
Keep Your Hands Away From Your Curls While They Dry
There is one important rule for how to use curl cream with success. Avoid touching your curls while they are drying. Hair is very delicate while it’s drying. You need to give the curl cream time to set as your hair dries. If you’re allowing your hair to dry naturally, simply keep your hands away from it. If you choose to use heat to dry your hair, handle your hair very gently during the process. Avoid shaking your hair around while you’re drying it. Once your hair is dry, it’s time to finally fluff, shake, and toss your hair to create the perfect final look. You can also do your final styling touches for putting your hair up, pinning your hair back, or adjusting layers and bangs to fall just where you want them to.
How to Pick a Good Curl Cream
Many of the principles for picking any type of product for curly hair apply when shopping for curl cream. Nourishing, hydrating ingredients are also good because they help to seal in moisture that is so easily lost when you have curly hair. Some winners are shea butter, soybean oil, argan oil, olive oil, coconut oil, sea buckthorn oil, and jojoba oil. However, what makes curl creams different from hair oils is that they don’t just leave your hair slick. These creams balance nourishment with the ability to hold your hair. Using “just oils” can leave curls slippery and loose. Curl creams often use tapioca starch, oat peptide, and other rich ingredients to balance out natural oils. In addition to looking for quality ingredients, it’s also important to select curl creams that are free of parabens, phthalates, and other fillers that are known to be harmful to hair.
Yes, It’s Time to Start Using Curl Cream
Curl cream is essential for anyone who is struggling to create bouncy, frizz-free curls. There’s no need to save curl cream for special occasions. A quality curl cream product should be nourishing and gentle enough to use when styling your hair on a daily basis. The biggest benefit of curl cream isn’t that it makes your curls look thick, defined, and beautiful. The biggest benefit is that you can finally get the defined curls you want without relying on heat during styling. This can help to repair your hair to ensure that it never looks frizzy and frazzled. You might even find that you can go longer between haircuts when you’re not subjecting your curls to heat damage!