Curly Hair for Beginners : 15 Things to Know

Hi everyone, welcome back and thank you for clicking on my post where I share some great tips that could be a help those with curly hair.

Life is too short to have boring hair

Today we are talking about “how to start your curly hair journey”. I am proud to say that I am in the final stages of fully transitioning my hair to being naturally curly and I could not be happier to share my journey with you all. Let’s get started…

Background on my hair

Everyone that have crossed path with me would not believe me if I told them “I have naturally curly hair”. Well, even I would not have believed myself that I could have such beautiful curl ringlets. To be honest, I have been doing keratin treatment, re-bonding or relaxing since the age of 10. Why you ask me? Probably, because having curly frizzy hair in the 2000’s was not really a thing or that’s what most of the saloon stylist made us believe back then. That’s how I fell in the loop of continuously making sure my hair was always straight which means root touch up every 6 months and ironing my hair every other day if not every day.

I know what you are thinking “that it’s not healthy” or “that is so damaging”, well it was. To add on, I did try digital perm and cold perm to take the easy way to transition to my curly hair. Well, I can say that’s a recipe for disaster and believe me because I have tried that recipe twice. I finally gave up and sticked to my straight hair, until … the pandemic happened.

How I started my curly hair journey?

I started my curly hair journey in August 2020, that’s only because I couldn’t do keratin treatment, re-bonding or relaxing during the lockdown in 2020. My last relaxing treatment was in February 2020 and by July 2020 (6 months later) my hair grew few inches from the roots and I started seeing my wavy hair (at least I thought it was wavy, now it’s curl ringlets). Yet that didn’t stop me from forcing it to be straight by combing it straight and applying all sorts of oils and serum to make sure it stays straight. I was still in denial.

Fast forward I started researching about curly, wavy and frizzy hair and that is how my life changed. I discovered a YouTube video on Curly Girl Method and I was stooked to see people with relatively straight hair could get their hair to be wavy and curly. The curls were amazing and I instantly fell in love with it. I started researching more on curly hair until one day I tried the basic CGM technique in my shower: shampoo, conditioner, mask, scrunch, leave in conditioner, gel, scrunch and plop!

The first 10 washes were miserable. The curls were only forming at the root of my hair, well obviously because those were the non-chemically treated hair. The remaining length of my hair refused to cooperate. But I did not give up! I was just starting my curly hair journey; it was too early to give up. I kept on going for 1 year and 5 months and now my curls are thriving! And that is why I am here to share some of the tips I may have gathered along the way that could possibly make your curly or natural hair journey easier;

My Curly Hair Transition Journey

Starting your curly hair journey!

1. Do some research before starting your curly hair journey

Well, if you are reading my blog post, then I am pleased to know that you are already on your STEP 1 to starting your curly hair journey. Yay! However, the reason I have put research as Step 1 is because you need to be sure that this journey is for you and your hair is indeed originally curly or wavy to begin with, otherwise you will end up damaging your hair even more. Remember, don’t force your hair to be what it’s not.

2. Refrain yourself from using heat styling product

You see what I did there, I am not telling you to completely stop using heat products, well it would be great if you could do that but who are we kidding. You could completely scrap off curler and straightener from your list and only use hair dryer / diffuser when necessary. Plan your hair washday and make sure you are washing your hair on days it could air dry quickly (check the weather forecast haha) so you would not have to depend on your heat tools. If really required focus the hair dryer / diffuser on the roots and lightly run it through on the rest of your hair so it is 60% dry and then let dry naturally. Minimize the use of heat.

3. Use a Heat Protectant

In reference to the point above, please… please… pleaseeee use heat protectant product on your hair. It would be great if you could use heat protectant before going out in the sun and when using any heat products on hair. As for me, I use heat protectant spray every single day, think of it like sun-screen for your hair.

4. Gradual Hair Cuts vs Big Chop

It’s not one size fits all when it comes to cutting your hair gradually or going for one big chop. Big chop can happen anytime. I have known people who went completely bald and started a fresh journey with their hair. I have also known people who waited their curly hair to grow few inches before chopping off the straight length of their hair. As for me, I went with the gradual haircuts. I have probably have had 5 haircuts in the past 1.5 years.

5. Using the right products

Every video we watch is reminding us to use products which is made specifically for curly or textured hair. The next question is “how do I know if a product is curly girl approved?”, its easy refer to the website below;

Check if your products are curly girl approved: https://curlscan.com/approved

The benefits of using curly girl approved products is that you know for sure you will be using products without any harsh ingredients.

6. Do not be afraid to use sulphates

YES! Not every hair type can afford to avoid sulphates entirely. Some hair types would certainly need sulphates to bring it back to life. Why? Think of sulphates as mild detergent that would help to remove all the buildup and gunk out of your hair. Basically, it helps to clarify your hair and scalp. Be sure to use it cautiously, preferably on bi-weekly basis. Similarly, check out the Curlscan website to ensure the sulphates products are curly girl approved to avoid hard ingredients.

7. Do not be afraid to use silicones

Trust me, its safe to use silicone-based products as long as it is not weighing down your hair and disrupting your curl formation. For those with extremely dry brittle hair, you may rely on silicone-based products to protect your hair and avoid further damage. The right silicone-based product will help to form a protective layer on your hair shaft that could actually protect your hair as opposed to ruining it.

8. Document your products and key techniques on washdays

This is an ongoing process. Remember not every washday will give you the same results! Nevertheless, stick to the same technique which you know it’s the best for your hair and have given you most of the best washes in the past. For beginners, write down the products and the techniques you used on each wash day and take a picture. It will come in handy when you receive compliments. It is more frustrating to look at a picture of your perfect curls and not remember what products or techniques you used.

9. Washday Agenda

You curl queens know what I am talking about. For beginners, this may be quite overwhelming but you may follow the steps below or pick some of the steps that best suit your hair. Remember it’s not necessary to follow all the exact steps listed below. I started off by following most of the steps below and now I probably only follow four of the steps. Well, here it goes;

• Pre-Poo – applying oil for an hour (or couple of hours) before your wash routine
• Shampoo – either clarifying or normal shampoo
• Conditioner or Hair Mask – apply the product and leave it on as per the recommended time. Before rinsing the product out, add some water to the hair and do “squish to condish”. This will really help your hair to remember it’s curl form. You may check out videos on YouTube to learn more about squish to condish concept. 
• Leave in conditioner – spray or cream for extra moisture and slip
• Heat Protectant – spray the heat protectant evenly on your hair
• Curl Cream – for extra shine and hold apply curl cream and continue to “squish to condish”. It would be better to work on damped hair
• Curl Gel / Mousse – for extra hold you may squish in curl gel or mousse to give the hold to your curls
• Plop – wrap your hair in a cotton t-shirt and put it in a hair bun and let it sit for 15mins. You may check out videos on YouTube to learn more about plopping techniques. 
• Diffuser – let your hair down from the plop and use diffuser if needed.  Use the hovering method to avoid frizz in your hair.
• Break the cast – all those curl cream, gel or mousse may have left your hair feeling crunchy, its okay. Just take tiny bit of hair oil and massage it on your palm and gently apply on hair using praying hand method and then mildly squish to break the crunch.
• And you’re done! Remember you can’t be combing your hair afterwards.

10. Do not detangle your hair when dry

Do not at any point run that comb or wide tooth comb on your dry hair. Just don’t. Get in the shower, wet your hair, apply some conditioner at the lengths of your hair avoiding scalp, and ensure its evenly distributed and only then use your fingers to detangle your hair. After finger detangling your hair, you may use the wide tooth comb to further detangle your hair if you wish.

11. Hair-fall when transitioning to curly hair

Remember, its normal to lose 70-100 strands of hair on daily basis. However, for curly girls, you do note you are not detangling or combing your hair on daily basis so you might notice that the amount of hair fall has increased when its just the hair fall from all the non-washdays making its way out of your mane. However, if the hair fall worsen, please seek for medical advice and try switching up your products.

12. Do not buy full size products

It can be overwhelming to pick a brand when starting your curly journey. Many of us will start off with Shea Moisture, Not Your Mothers Curl Talk, Briogeo or Aussie Miracle Curls and discover more better options as we go on. So, remember, just get smaller size products to try if it really suits your hair. These products can be expensive (especially in Malaysia) so go slow and be kind to your wallet.

Coming soon: Blog post on where to get Curly Girl Hair Products in Malaysia !

13. Curly Hair Treatment Products

Well, its great if you could venture into curly hair treatment products like; Black Jamaican Castor Oil, Castor Oil, Saw Palmetto Oil, and even Flaxseed Gel. These could potentially help you to speed up the hair growth process and further strengthen your hair.

14. Wear protective hair styles

Yes, protect your curls. Sleep in a silk protecting cap or silk bonnet. If that seems uncomfortable, lightly tie your hair in pineapple bun using a silk scrunchie and use a silk-based pillow cover. This would avoid your hair from breaking and frizzing up during the night.

15. Do not give up

Trust in the process and keep going…don’t stop. Wear your Curl Crown proudly! You will love it.

Final thoughts

I agree this is not an easy journey to embark on, it can be time, money and energy consuming but it is definitely worth it. If you were to ask me “how long does curly hair journey take?”, the answer is; to fully transition it may take at least 2 years if you are starting off after chemically treating your hair for years. For those who have never chemically treated their hair, the journey would be much smoother and shorter. Trust in the process and I really hope this post have helped you in many ways.

Please comments to share your thoughts .. and if you found it helpful share it across with your fellow curly hair humans. Thank you !