Today’s article is written by Anja. Enjoy!

When I was a little girl, I had big, light-blond curls. Very cute, if I say so myself ;-).

In primary school, my hair got darker. Ash blond, as they say. My mother found my curls too ‘wild’, so I always had a short, boyish haircut, which I hated.

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As soon as I was allowed to decide for myself, I let my hair grow, which brought my curls back automatically.

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Ash blond, still, but shortly after that, I started to light up my hair. And never stopped with that.

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At that time I had no clue on how to treat my hair. I combed it daily, as I always had. (Wrong!) And it was cut at one length. (Wrong again!) The weight of my own hair pulled my curls straight.

Thinking that my curls were gone, I figured I needed a perm if I wanted to have curls again.

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That was quite a mistake. The perm curled really, really strong, making me look like a sheep;-).

So that was once and never again.

In the years between my 25th and 45th birthday my hair changed a bit in length here and there.

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blondecurls

Two times I tried going back to my natural color, but each time, I started crying when I saw myself in the mirror afterwards, asking the hairdresser to give me back my blond locks.

When I was around 45 -50 years old, I decided to let it grow. Weird, I know, since it is a common idea that ‘older’ women are not supposed to have long hair.  But I don’t care. I finally know how to treat curly hair, so this time I am able to make it look good.

How to care for curly hair

At least: often, because it sure needs special care and treatment. Let me share my knowledge with you.

One of my biggest struggles with my hair is the fight with frizz, especially in humid climates.

AnjainIndia

So here are my 20 best tips on how to manage curly, frizzy hair

1. Wash your hair only twice a week, not more often.

2. Use special anti-frizz shampoo and specifically nothing with alcohol in it (dehydrates the hair even more).

3. After washing it, rinse it, and then use a special anti-frizz conditioner.

4. While the conditioner is still in your hair, entangle it carefully, using a wide-toothed comb. And I mean really wide-toothed!

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5. rinse and add a deep-conditioning product or a hair mask. Leave-in for at least 5 minutes or for as long as the instructions on the packaging say.

6. rinse carefully without tangling up the hair again.

7. Towel dry very carefully and lightly, or use a special super absorbent microfiber towel or a microfiber hair turban.

8. DO NOT COMB!!! (Only comb your hair twice a week, while conditioning it.)

9. Add products in your wet hair that contain proteins and/or that are specifically meant for curls and frizz.

Which products are best for your hair depends on what type of curls and what sort of frizz you have exactly.

10. determine your type of curls and your sort of frizz via the schedules on website CurlyNikki.

For example I am a type 2B Wavy Curvy, with Top Layer Frizz.

Buy products accordingly and start treating your hair accordingly. I am not saying that you should buy products from that website, but use the instructions and descriptions to figure out what you should be looking for in your products.

11. Do not blow dry or use hot irons, just let your hair air dry.

wetcurls
12. when at the hairdressers make sure they do not slice your hair with a razor or scissors. Our type of hair needs to be cut, not sliced.

13. if you hair is really a disaster you might consider a Brazilian Blowout to make your hair look shiny and healthy.

Be aware of a few things though:

  • It is a very expensive treatment that lasts only for about 12 weeks.
  • Make sure that you go to a skilled professional, because if badly done, it can do  a lot of harm to your hair. Like e.g. a bad perm can be disastrous, a BB can too.
  • A Brazilian Blowout tends to straighten one’s hair. So if you happen to have curls and you love your curls, like I do, verify with the person who is going to give you the BB that she is skilled enough to do it while letting you keep your natural curls. I have read stories from women with curly hair that had this done, and came out with their curls in all their glory, so it IS possible.
  • Personally I do not dare it, since I am scared to have straight hair for 3 months, which I would hate. Also I find it a lot of money (250-450 dollars). I would only consider it if I had a recommendation from someone who has similar hair as me and who knows a capable hairdresser near me who can do it.

14. when you are traveling and you cannot get hold of all sorts of fancy products for frizzy and/or curly hair, there are a few things that you can do:

  • Leave in (half of) your conditioner instead of rinsing it out fully. What I tend to do, is to rinse it carefully -with my hands- of my scalp, but leaving it in my hair. A part of it will have been combed out anyways, so you will not have a head full of conditioner left. Just enough to tame the worst of your frizz.
  • Go to the supermarket and get some simple, natural oils, like olive oil, jojoba oil or coconut oil.  And get some eggs for their yolks. Make a mixture, maybe using warm water, and use them as deep conditioners on your wet hair.

15. If you ARE capable of getting specific products, then here are a few of my favorites:

best products for curly hair
I have not found The Perfect Product that solves all my frizz problems yet. But I found several products that work. Some are meant to be used on dry hair (touch ups in the mornings), others are for wet hair. Some work best on the hair ends, others on the frizzy parts. Some work best when combined with each other.This is a sort of trial and error. You have to experiment on your own hair.

best product to manage frizz
The whole Frizz Ease series from John Frieda is one of my favorites. I  use the shampoos, conditioners, masks, serums, and their Secret Agent.
Products to manage frizzy hair
I also like Andrelon’s Perfect Curl series.
lorealantifrizzAnd I use L’Oreal’s anti-frizz series.hairwonderrepair
This Hair Wonder Hair Repair creme works well too.

The last 5 points will be very helpful in keeping your curls healthy and in controlling your frizz, but I don’t stick to them myself:

16. don’t apply any chemical treatments on your hair, like bleaching.

blondandcurly

Sorry, but I prefer blondes, so I still light up my hair, even though it damages it. No, Pooja, (who is standing next to me), I did not refer to you. Your hair is gorgeous;-).

17. Avoid the sun.

avoidthesun
Nope, not going to avoid the sun, although an up-do may limit the area that is exposed to the sun.

18. Avoid swimming pools (chlorine) and the sea (salt).

19. Go to the hairdresser every month to have half an inch removed, better yet: keep it short.

dancingtango

Noooo, I like it this way.

20. Sleep on a silk pillowcase.

Although high in maintenance as far as conditioning and detangling goes, there are advantages with my sort of hair and hairdo too!

Whenever I have a bad hair day, I just grab my hair and bundle it up somehow. The messier the better. In most cases it will look nice and at least better then a big bush of frizzy long hair flying around;-).

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AnjainBlack

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And those rare days that really nothing helps,  you can always put on a turban to make all your hair troubles disappear instantly.

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Oh, did I mention that you MIGHT look  like a fool, though? LOL

What are your top tips for managing curly or frizzy hair? Do share them here, I would love to know!

This article was written by Anja, aka Curly Traveller or Tangobabe. Be sure to visit her travel blog for lots more interesting stories and experiences!

How to manage curly hair | 40plusstyle.com

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