Curly Low Effort Hair Routine

I posted on Instagram a while back that I was going to try styling my hair curly a little more often. It’s been a challenge for me in the past. To get good results I’ve had to use a number of different products and blow dry with a diffuser. That is a little beyond what I like to do on a regular day. I work from home and take care of a little guy, and nobody else besides Josh sees me. I have enough other things going on that spending a ton of time on my hair isn’t super appealing. At the same time, I want to look nice.

I have simplified my hair process, and am reasonably happy with the results:

• TWO hair products
• ONE hair tool
• ONE emergency (hair emergency anyway) product

I hate having a ton of different products taking up space in the shower, and I don’t like to have to maintain a whole assortment of them in stock at home. I also really enjoy sharing my product shopping habits. So here is what worked for me:

1. Curlsmith Co-Wash

I ALSO can’t stand “conditioning shampoo,” “2 in 1,” or similar. For some reason though, this one does the trick for my hair. Since it is non-foaming, I rub it into my scalp to really clean it. Then I leave it in for 3-4 minutes, and flip my hair upside down and rinse it out.

2. Wet Brush

One reason I needed to switch up my hair routine was because it was starting to look a little flat. Probably due to years of braiding it into submission. Maybe also having a baby. Brushing my hair upside down in the shower, under the water stream helped that a lot. I have tried every brush in the world but this one seems to be the most gentle on my hair. My hair (and lots of curly hair) tangles super easily, so the only time I brush it is under the water in the shower.

3. Curlsmith Styling Soufflé

In the past, I’ve been a little resistant to gel. Maybe due to bad experiences in middle school, trying to gel my ponytail to make my hair straight (didn’t work, scarred for life). It can make your hair crunchy and gross. I’ve tried to go without it but it turns out if you don’t put something gel-like in your curls, they’re actually just frizz. I really like this product because it still feels like hair, and helps keep the larger curl clumps together for really nice shape. The way I use it: I put a small amount in my hands, STILL with my hair upside down in the shower, and press my hands upward into my hair a few times. Then I press the towel up into my hair and clip it into place, and don’t touch it again until I get out of the shower.

4. (Emergency) Moroccanoil

I leave the towel clipped while I get dressed, and then unclip it upside down and shake out the curls. Then I flip it all back upright and don’t touch it again until it air dries. If it looks like it might be flat, I clip it up on top of my head while it starts to dry, but not touching it too much is the important step here. If, when it’s fully dry, it still looks frizzy, I’ll add some Moroccanoil. I put some into my hands and run my flat palms down the sides of my hair (“praying hands” method, upside down again). The trick is that it has to be fully dried before doing this or it will mess up the curls. Technically this product is not Curly Girl compliant due to the silicones, but I have yet to find a completely silicone-free product that does this job. Also, important: It smells very nice.

So that’s it – I’m pretty happy with this lineup. Am I the only one that hates that 9 different product steps plus blow dry is kind of the curly default? Have you snapped at someone for saying “Oh, just wear it curly if it’s easier then,” or bitten off fingers of people who decide to touch it without asking? I’d love to hear what others do to make curly hair styling a somewhat manageable task!