Some people have a gift for styling hair. I am not one of those people. I am also blessed with delicate, curly hair and live in the southern US. This means that straightening my hair in such a humid climate is almost impossible. I recognize the hair of other women who try – straight, but not sleek, maybe with a few kinks in certain places. It doesn’t have to be that hard! I found the easiest way to style my naturally-curly hair and I’m here to tell you how to do it! Please note – I have not tested this method on non-Caucasian hair, so proceed with caution if you fall into that category.
What you’ll need
- wet hair – it can be freshly shampooed and conditioned, but if you don’t want to shampoo, I recommend using leave-in conditioner so that you don’t end up with too many knots
- a soft t-shirt
- a wide-tooth comb
- a product to combat frizz – for probably more than two decades, I’ve used John Freida’s Frizz Ease serum (no, they did NOT pay me to say that)
- plenty of time for your hair to air-dry
- OPTIONAL – gel if you feel you want a bit more definition
How to start
After wetting your hair, whether you did a traditional shampoo and condition or just used leave-in conditioner, wrap your hair in a soft t-shirt. A t-shirt is a better option for us curly-haired ladies because it won’t generate as much frizz as a towel. You don’t have to leave it wrapped up for long – just absorb a bit of the moisture. Unwrap your hair and detangle it with the wide-tooth comb. Apply the anti-frizz serum, or your product of choice to your hair. If you desire, comb it through to get it evenly distributed. If you want a bit more definition to your curls, apply a bit of gel as well – I generally skip this step, as I like my hair to be soft.
Now the magic part
Take your hair in sections and gently twist it, as pictured below.
Don’t over-twist it – that can cause breakage. Once the section is fully twisted, scrunch it to your scalp before letting it go. Don’t comb it out. You can twist all of the hair on your head, but if you’re in a hurry, just do the top layer of your hair and the sections around your face. Let your hair air-dry as long as you can, THEN gently comb out the curls with the same wide-tooth comb from earlier. If you want a bit of staying power, use a light hairspray or texturizer.
Ta-da! Look at those waves! Full disclosure – I haven’t tried this method using any sort of hair dryer to speed up the process, but it might work. If you give it a shot, and have any success, let me know! I’m always looking for easy ways to style my curly hair.
