As a baby girl, I had light brown, soft ringlets. This came as quite a surprise to my parents, both of whom have absolutely straight hair. My mother didn’t quite know that managing and caring for curly hair is very different from how one looks after straight hair. She’d comb through my beautifully defined ringlets, which is one thing you shouldn’t do if you want to maintain those curls. Over the years, my natural ringlets we all gone, and my hair became dry, wavy and quite unruly at all times.
When I was 13 years old, I stumbled upon a women’s magazine at home which had an article on how to maintain/ look after curly hair. Tired of my unruly mane, I grabbed that glossy instantly and started reading the article. The entire piece focused on thoroughly conditioning curly hair after each wash, and following the golden rule of never ever combing it. I instantly decided to throw away all my combs and brushes, hoping to restore my gorgeous locks. My mother wasn’t too happy with this new hair care plan of mine, and assured me that I would “regret this decision”. Honestly, my hair didn’t appear too different in the first few days of following the no-combing rule. However, after the first wash, something close to magical happened. Believe it or not, when my hair dried, I had beautifully defined curls! After switching to curly hair-specific shampoos and conditioner, my curly hair looked even better. Now, I have soft, well-formed ringlets that I’m in love with. Oh, how I wish my mom didn’t comb my hair from the very beginning!
Over the years, I have read lots and lots of articles and blogs about curly hair care regimes. Of course, I had stopped combing my hair, and apart from that, I condition the ends after every single wash. Unlike other hair types, curly hair tends to be more dry as the oil from the scalp doesn’t trickle down to the ends. So, for starters, keep away from all heat styling tools. Also, every time after washing your hair make it a point to apply a leave in-conditioner or argan oil onto your hair. A once-a-month deep conditioning therapy also does wonders for curly hair.
Try it, girls. And I hope my break-up with combs and brushes works as wonderfully for you as it did for me.
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