We all know that we are blessed with a unique and glorious crown of curls.

Although some patterns might look similar our hair has its own traits that we need to be aware of when maintaining our gorgeous mane.

With maintenance comes lots and lots of products, and with products comes application.

Which brings us to this question…. how do you apply product to your hair?

We cannot stress this enough, if you are walking out the door without moisture popping curls, you basically walking out naked.

Exposed to the elements, your dry hair will be going through the most,
leaving it dry and brittle.

This would eventually lead to hair breakage, which is just realities way of
saying: baby your hair goal is going up in flames.

It’s something we all need to get into the habit of doing, so listen up and soak up the knowledge mama as the My Natural Hair family shares various ways of applying product to your hair.

Let’s get into it, our hair is basically the same, after all we all part of the same family Curl fam,

The difference comes in with 4 aspects: Hair Type (2,3 or 4), porosity (how well your hair retains moisture being either low, medium or high), density (the thickness of your strand. 

This will affect how much moisture your hair is able to hold), and lastly scalp moisture (the level of oils that your own body produces).

For this topic, we will be focused on your hair type.

Type 2: Wave to Curl / Loose Curls
The Upside down styling routine

Suggested products: Leave-in conditioners, volumizing mousse, curling creams, curling gel or strengthening oil.

Pronged to: Lose volume through-out the day

Method

• Starting with freshly washed hair
• Slant your head down, move all your hair in front of your face
• Apply leave-in/creams to hair starting at the ends and moving up
• Comb or finger comb creams through hair lessening knots
• Apply curl gel by scrunching hair for improved curl formation and hold
• Remove excess water using a t-shirt or microfiber towel, by dabbing the excess moisture from you hair
• Diffuse your hair, scrunching it intermittently to improve curl formation, and for even volume
• For more volume add some volumizing mousse by scrunching in the foam moving from the ends upward

Optional: In seasonal changes, when the weather is dry or humid sometime sealing in moisture with oils would be helpful to improve moisture  retention

Type 3: Curl to Coil
Shingling and Scrunching Method

Suggested products: Leave-in conditioners, volumizing mousse, curling creams, strengthening oil and curling gel

Pronged to: Lose volume through-out the day

Method

• Starting with freshly washed hair
• Shingling is quite similar to finger combing, but with this method you elongate and smooth the curl
• Section your hair off using a hair clip, and taking a handful piece by piece
• Closing your fist with a generous amount of leave-in conditioner or curling cream and letting your hair glide down in between your fingers.
• Evenly distributed product through your hair work through section by section, using this method
• With your product evenly applied to your hair, scrunch your curls in with curling gel to get more definition
• Remove excess water using a t-shirt or microfiber towel, by dabbing the excess moisture from you hair
• Diffuse your hair, scrunching it intermittently to improve curl formation, and for even volume
• For more volume add some volumizing mousse by scrunching in the foam moving from the ends upward

Optional: In seasonal changes, when the weather is dry or humid sometime sealing in moisture with oils would be helpful to improve moisture  retention

Type 4: Coil to Kink (Tight Curls)
Praying hands method

Suggested products: Leave-in conditioners, volumizing mousse, curling creams, curling butter, strengthening oil and curling gel

Pronged to: Shrinkage

Method

• Starting with freshly washed hair
• Use the praying hand method to evenly distribute product through your hair.
• The method elongates the hair to improve the curl formation and giving it more length
• Sectioning your hair using a hair clip, apply product part by part
• Rub leave-in conditioner/curling cream/moisturizing butter between your hands for even distribution.
• Taking a small section of your hair form praying hands, with the product in between, on the inner and outer parts of the sectioned hair.
• Moving from the top to the ends of your hair, continue with each sectioned parts of your hair ensuring coverage from root to tip
• Diffuse your hair, scrunching it intermittently to improve curl formation, and for even volume
• For more volume add some volumizing mousse by scrunching in the foam moving from the ends upward
• Once your hair has dried, fluff up your curls using an afro pick, starting at the roots for more definition.

Optional: In seasonal changes, when the weather is dry or humid sometime sealing in moisture with oils would be helpful to improve moisture  retention

Type 4: Coil to Kink (Tight Curls)
Rake and Smooth Method

Suggested products: Leave-in conditioners, volumizing mousse, curling creams, curling butter, strengthening oil and curling gel

Pronged to: Shrinkage, might find difficulty defining curls (not impossible)

Method

• Starting with freshly washed and thoroughly detangled hair
• The raking and smooth method is similarly to the finger combing method, but starts at the ends moving up instead
• Sectioning your hair using a hair clip, apply product part by part
• Rub leave-in conditioner/curling cream/moisturizing butter between the palms of your hands and fingers.
• Starting from the ends, rake in the product, section by section and move in an upward motion
• Smooth your hands over the section to all the products to evenly distribute using the palm of your hands
• Apply curling gel to hold the newly formed curls in the same method.
• Diffuse your hair or air dry hair till dry
• Once your hair is has dried, fluff up your curls using an afro pick, starting at the roots for more definition.

Optional: In seasonal changes, when the weather is dry or humid sometime sealing in moisture with oils would be helpful to improve moisture retention

These methods have been tried and tested by curlies for years, but as mentioned earlier, our unique hair has unique needs and some methods and product choices might work better than others.

So use your discretion and have fun, afterall we call this the natural hair
journey for a reason.