Curly Hair Routine for Beginners: Step-by-Step Guide 🌀

Your curls look great when you leave the bathroom, and an hour later they're a frizzy cloud. Below: a simple wash day routine, plus the daily habits that keep frizz down.

Three cases from the locker room

I'm a night-shift nurse, and our locker room doubles as a curly hair help desk.

Case one: a new grad at the mirror, working a paddle brush through dry curls. The clue was the halo of frizz growing with every stroke.

Case two: a coworker who washed daily because her hair "never felt clean otherwise." Her ends felt like straw.

Case three: a coworker who rubbed her hair hard with a bath towel and slept with it loose. Smooth in front, frizzy in back, right where her head met the pillow.

The pattern: dryness plus friction

Three people, one cause. Curly hair runs dry because scalp oil has a hard time traveling down a coiled strand. Then the brush, the bath towel and the pillow each rough it up a little more. The AAD (American Academy of Dermatology) names the result: frizz and breakage.

Wash day, step by step

1. Wash only when needed. Curls rarely need a daily wash. For thick curly hair, the AAD's guideline is at least every two to three weeks.
2. Shampoo gently. Use a moisturizing shampoo made for curly hair. If you use gels, creams or oils, start with a clarifying shampoo.
3. Condition all of it. A thick conditioner on every strand, not just the ends.
4. Detangle in the shower. With conditioner still in, use your fingers or a wide-tooth comb, one section at a time.
5. Leave-in, then blot. Add a leave-in conditioner or oil. Wrap or press with a microfiber towel or soft cotton T-shirt. No rubbing.
6. Air dry, or low heat. Let it dry on its own when you can. With a dryer, use the lowest setting.

Six steps breaks my four-step rule. Wash day is rare, so it gets a pass.

Daily habits between washes

• Never brush dry curls. To detangle, wet your hair thoroughly, add leave-in, then use fingers or a wide-tooth comb. My spray bottle lives in my work bag.
• Shower cap on non-wash days. Rinse off without soaking your curls.
• Hat in strong sun. Heat and UV rays can dry curls out.
• Smooth pillow. Satin or silk, as a bonnet or pillowcase, may help cut friction.

Hidden tips

• The "pineapple": before bed, pile your curls loosely at the crown in a soft high ponytail, or plait one loose braid. Less pillow friction. Curls keep their shape. My sister Sana calls mine "the fountain."
• Conditioner first: if your hair is very dry or tangles badly, the AAD says you can condition before you shampoo, too.

Save this: curly wash day cheat sheet

So if you ever end up in my locker room, I'll probably ask about your brush and your pillowcase first.