Learning how to hydrate your hair is key to maintaining healthy curls. Hydration, also known as drawing in water or moisture, is essential for naturally curly hair to look and feel healthy. If your hair looks dull, lacks shine, feels brittle, and is frizzy then your hair needs to be hydrated and conditioned. Those with low-porosity hair are also likely to experience dryness because the cuticle layer is struggling to absorb water or products. Lack of hydration can lead to hair damage from poor elasticity which can cause breakage and split ends. In this post, you will learn how to increase hair hydration and properly condition the hair, so it retains moisture with the help of Curlsmith products.
How to Hydrate Hair, Step-by-Step
Follow these 10 steps to hydrate curly hair:
How to Hydrate Hair in Between Wash Days
What to Avoid When Hydrating Hair
Maintain Hydrated Curls with Curlsmith
How to Hydrate Hair, Step-by-Step
There are some tweaks you can make to your typical curly hair routine to effectively hydrate dry curly hair. This involves using specific hydrating hair products that can help promote moisture retention, in addition to techniques that will ensure your products penetrate properly.
Follow these 10 steps to hydrate curly hair:
1. Detangle
If your hair is very damaged or fragile, start with a pre-wash detangler such as the Super Slip Primer. This will help detangle, and protect the hair by moisturizing during the shampoo process.
2. Clarify
Clarify with the Wash & Scrub Detox Shampoo. This will help remove any buildup from the hair that could be blocking moisture from absorbing into the hair and provide a clean slate. It’s gentle so it won’t further dry out your hair or scalp. After shampooing, rinse thoroughly.
3. Deep Condition
Apply a deep conditioner of your choice, such as the Hydro Creme Soothing Mask, Multi-tasking Conditioner, or Double Cream Deep Quencher. The Hydro Creme Soothing Mask is especially great for hydrating your hair because It’s lightweight, so it won’t weigh down fine or low-porosity hair types. Comb it through to ensure every strand is evenly coated.
For hair that struggles to absorb products, you can increase the penetration of your deep conditioner by applying gentle heat. Secure your hair inside a plastic hair cap, then put on a heated hair cap, warm towel, or you can hover your diffuser around your head at a distance. Let the deep conditioner sit for 15-30 minutes before rinsing to allow it to really hydrate your hair.
4. Apply leave-in
Mist hair with water using a Continuous Spray Bottle to ensure it’s evenly wet. Avoid applying styling products to hair that is starting to dry because it will look frizzy and stringy, and your hydrating products won’t properly absorb.
Apply a leave-in conditioner to hydrate the hair. This will moisturize and soften it, and provide manageability.
- For fine hair, the Moisture Memory Reactivator or Weightless Air Dry Cream are great options because they are very lightweight.
- For medium hair opt for the Shine Cream or Multi-Tasking Conditioner.
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For coarse hair use the Curl Conditioning Oil-in-Cream.
5. Apply Styling Cream
Apply a styling cream to further moisturize and condition the hair if needed. Styling creams hydrate and help style the curls, increasing definition and bounce.
- The Feather-Light Protein Cream is a good option for all hair types that lack hydration because it contains proteins.The Hold Me Softly Style Balm is a very moisturizing option that is protein-free.
6. Apply Gel
For hold and longevity, apply a curly hair gel such as the Hydro Style Flexi Jelly. This is a medium-hold styler that will tame frizz while also hydrating the hair.
- Other moisturizing gels include the Shape Up Aqua Gel which is beneficial for damaged hair.
- Our Curl Defining Styling Soufflé offers a stronger hold, and is especially hydrating
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If you live somewhere very humid, you may want to consider a gel such as the Shine Gel or In-Shower Style Fixer
Insert Fixer & shine gel -
Apply a heat protectant such as the Miracle Shield. Diffuse your curly hair using the Curlsmith Defrizzion Dryer & XXL Diffuser, which is specifically designed for curls because it does not overheat and dehydrate them. It has cold, warm, or hot air settings and a large diffuser attachment to dry your curls quicker with less direct heat.
Insert miracle shield & Dryer - Once your hair is completely dry, apply an oil such as the Shine Oil which is very lightweight, or the Bonding Oil for a lightweight option with strengthening power. Another option is the Frizz Rescue Finishing Serum which is thicker in consistency and rich in oils and high-moisturizing squalane.
Before/After
How to Hydrate Hair in Between Wash Days
In general, you want to avoid refreshing your hair every day by soaking it with water and layering on more products. However, if your hair was not properly hydrated on wash day or if it didn’t retain moisture well, you can rehydrate your hair when refreshing between washes.
- Mist hair lightly with a Continuous Spray Bottle but avoid saturating it completely. It can be damp but should not be dripping. The styling products in your hair may reactivate with just water and you won’t need to add more products. In this case, skip to drying your hair.
- If your hair is feeling very dehydrated, mix a bit of leave-in conditioner such as the Moisture Memory Reactivator or curl cream in your palms with water and smooth over your hair, focusing on the ends.
- If you have a lot of frizz, apply a bit more gel to add hold.
- Diffuse until dry or air dry.
Another option is to skip wetting your hair entirely and just apply a bit of oil or serum so the hair becomes soft and shiny again.
Ensure you’re properly protecting your curls at night with a vegan silk pillowcase and/or a vegan silk scarf.
What to Avoid When Hydrating Hair
While knowing how to hydrate your hair and condition it are key for maintaining healthy hair, there can be too much of a good thing if you overdo it. We need to maintain a balance in our hair of hydration (conditioning), conditioning, and sealants (oils and butters).
Hygral Fatigue
Hygral fatigue is damage that occurs to the hair from repeated wetting and drying. This can occur when you wash your hair too often such as every day, soak your hair daily when refreshing, or leave your hair wet for long periods. Signs of hygral fatigue include your hair not holding its shape or falling straighter than usual, and lacking its usual bounce. It can also become damaged with breakage and split ends.
To avoid hygral fatigue, use a protective oil or treatment before you shampoo such as the Intense Treatment Serum. Refrain from soaking your hair down when refreshing and lightly mist it with water instead, or do refreshing routines without adding water.
After applying styling products on wash days, use a microfiber towel to absorb excess water and speed up dry time. Diffuse your hair instead of air drying it to prevent your hair from staying wet for long periods. Our hair is in its weakest state when it’s wet, so we want to avoid friction and tension while it’s wet.
Moisture Overload
Moisture overload is when there is a buildup of conditioning products on your hair, weighing it down and causing it to feel mushy and become limp. Our hair needs to maintain healthy elasticity which is its ability to stretch and return to its normal curl pattern, but too much moisture can lead to limp, weak curls that don’t have any bounce-back. If you’re experiencing moisture overload, your hair may feel gummy and even damp when it should be dry.
To avoid moisture overload, ensure you’re clarifying regularly such as once a month to remove product buildup. Ensure your products are not too heavy for your hair. If your hair is fine or low-porosity, avoid using products with rich oils like coconut oil and butters like shea butter at every step in your curly hair routine. Incorporate products with proteins and bond-repairing treatments to help restore normal elasticity.
Avoid sleeping with your hair wet or letting it air dry for long periods. When you apply heavy products rich in moisture to soaking wet hair and don’t squeeze out the excess water and then air dry, you may notice your hair is still wet hours later. Diffusing will prevent this, but if you prefer to air dry, scrunch your hair with a microfiber hair towel after you finish styling to soak up excess water.
Maintain Hydrated Curls with Curlsmith
With these wash day routine steps, techniques for amping up moisture absorption, and hydrating products, your hair will maintain proper hydration. Combining hydration and conditioning will ensure your hair stays balanced and healthy, preventing damage and dryness. Curlsmith’s products are free of silicones and mineral oils which can buildup over time and reduce moisture absorption. Curlsmith’s recipes make it easy to find the moisture level appropriate for your curl type, such as our Scalp Recipes for lightweight, hydrating products and Moisture Recipes for ultra-rich, conditioning products. Take our Curl Quiz to find your perfect match.
