Most curly hair tips are centered on women and how to care for their curls, leaving the men confused about how best to care for theirs and what it entails. Aside from the lack of know-how, men sometimes shy away from caring for their curls because they do not want to appear feminine.
If you are a male and wondering how best to care for your curls, this right here is for you!
Firstly, caring for your hair is as important as taking care of your skin, and having healthy curls depends on your routine and using the right product for your hair type, texture, and porosity.
How to Take Care of Men’s Curly Hair: Creating a Routine
Curly hair is naturally prone to dryness due to the oval-shaped hair follicle, the sebum, and moisture, which makes traveling down the hair shaft a complex process.
To prevent dryness, we need to infuse the hair with lots of moisture, and the best way to do that is by having a consistent hair care routine. The steps to creating that routine are outlined below.
1. Clarify Hair
Chances are you’ve been using hair products containing chemicals like sulfates, parabens, and silicones that damage your curls and could cause them to weigh down. Using a clarifying shampoo or other home remedies, reset your curls back to their natural state. It is synonymous with hitting a reset button.
Using a clarifying shampoo follows the same process as you would an ordinary shampoo; you could also opt out for an acid vinegar rinse, add a baking soda into your ordinary shampoo, lemon juice, and so on. To find out more on how to clarify hair, click here.
If you are in a hard water environment, a chelating shampoo is what you need to clarify your hair as it removes minerals, dirt, oils, and product buildup.
2. Switch up your Shampoo!
If you use a sulfate-containing shampoo, you might have to switch it up with a moisturizing shampoo or a co-wash– a cleansing conditioner. This moisturizing shampoo is sulfate-free, which helps your hair stay hydrated. The reason is sulfate as a cleaning agent strips the hair of sebum and moisture during the cleansing process resulting in dryness, something you don’t want for your curls.
You could also choose a co-wash, a cleansing conditioner; it can cleanse and condition your hair simultaneously! Your sulfate-containing shampoos can be used to clarify hair monthly if you can’t afford a clarifying shampoo.
To wash your curls, pour a small amount of shampoo into your palms, rub them together and massage the shampoo into your scalp using your fingertips. After that, give your hair a rinse. You might need a second wash to get your hair rid of that dirt and oils properly.
To apply the co-wash, take a considerable amount and massage it into the scalp; use a scalp brush to scrub the scalp properly to get rid of that dirt, oils, and buildup, after which you give a thorough rinse.
3. A Conditioner is a must-have!
Keeping curls hydrated transcribes beautiful and healthy curls, so never skip this process! A conditioner infuses moisture into the hair strands keeping them hydrated, which reduces split ends, and frizz and repairs damage.
Even after using a co-wash, you shouldn’t skip this process because the co-wash is for cleansing and would be washed out.
To properly get your hair coated with a conditioner, divide it into four quadrants and apply loads of conditioner to each section; focusing on the hair strands, don’t condition the root as it doesn’t lack moisture.
4. Detangling Process
With your still conditioned hair, detangle with your fingers or a wide tooth comb; this manipulation would allow the product to be evenly distributed.
You could also squish to condition in this process; you do this by scooping water into your hair, and with the condition in place, you squish or squeeze, producing a squelching sound; if it doesn’t, you might need to add in more conditioner. The primary purpose of this procedure is to get water into the curls because the curls love hydration.
After you’ve thoroughly detangled, rinse off the conditioner from your hair.
5. Using a Microfiber Towel
Now that your hair is freshly washed and soaking wet, do not pick up your terry towel; get a microfiber towel or use an old light t-shirt.
Microfiber towels can soak up a ton of water, speeding up the drying process while minimizing frizz due to the reduced friction, and it’s lint-free! Using softer clothing, like a t-shirt, offers similar benefits as a microfiber towel because of the lessened tension to the hair strands; there is minimal frizz.
6. Follow the LCO or LOC Method
Next would be to follow up with the LOC or LCO method, which signifies liquid, oils, and cream or liquid, cream, and oils. Both processes are the order of applying the styling products and sealing in moisture.
The liquid, in this case, is the leave-in conditioner; this hydrates your hair all day long and doesn’t require a rinse. Then go in with oil or cream, depending on the method you choose to follow. Oils and creams contain emollients and humectants that work to seal in moisture.
The oil you use should depend on your hair texture and porosity, lightweight oils such as jojoba oil, almond oil, and safflower oil for denser hair types.
Applying the gel or cream directly to the hair strands could form a crunch – a good gel cast, after which you scrunch the crunch out. You do this by cupping the curls and mildly squeezing forward to the hair scalp.
7. Air Dry or Diffuse
After applying the product, you can decide to air dry or diffuse, and here’s how to do so;
To air dry, clip your hair at the root for more volume, arrange any part you want, and let your hair be as it dries! A diffuser attached to a blow dryer is a great way to dry curls and get a big volume while still keeping curls intact.
Before diffusing or using any heat usage, add a heat protectant to protect curls. To diffuse; Hover the diffuser 15 cm away from your hair in a circulatory manner, flip your hair side by side, and for more volume, cup curls into the diffuser attachment and place it on the scalp, let it dry for seconds, and repeat for the process for the rest sections
8. Incorporate a Deep Conditioner Treatment
If you are wondering what difference a deep conditioner makes, it makes a lot of difference! A deep conditioner is an enhanced version of an ordinary conditioner; In contrast, an ordinary conditioner can penetrate the outer layer – the cuticle and the deep conditioner can penetrate the hair’s inner layer – the cortex.
The application method is the same as an ordinary conditioner, except you put hair up in a bun and a shower cap on it and let it sit for a couple of minutes according to the product usage.
9. Use a Hair Protective Wrap
Your hair must also be protected during nighttime, and wrapping your curls in a silk scarf or satin bonnet is one sure way to do that. Silk and satin protect hair by ensuring it retains moisture, and this is made possible due to its smooth surface, which enables curls to glide through.