I am a queen crowned in my curls.

Welcome to my blog! In today's post, I am sharing the most basic and important knowledge you should have for going curly. If you are a curlyhead, you know it's not just 'bout simply shampooing and conditioning. I have spent two years figuring out how exactly shall we take care of our hair. For the whole life before that, I was a walking poofy cloud. But, that time's gone. Now I know what is good for my hair, and what ain't. Honestly, I am still learning. I love to know about new methods and new tools and trying out new brand products. I am still curious to know more and learn about new things out there in this curly wurly world.
WARNING: SUPER LONG POST. BUT WORTH A READ, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE A NEWBIE TO THE CURLY WORLD.

So w/o further, let's unleash our curls!

 #1 Detangle 

The first important thing in going curly is to let your curls stay. sounds crazy, doesn't it?

And the most important step in letting your curls stay is to NOT comb your hair DRY.

sounds crazier, right?

If you have no clue about curly girl method, this might be so weird to you at first but believe me, it's worth a try.  When you comb your hair dry, the natural shape of your curl is disturbed and you are left w something like this:

                                      
                

 #2 Cleaning 

Cleaning your hair is very important. But this doesn't mean that you should grab just any shampoo w/o glancing at the ingredients just because it says 'shampoo'. 

Here's another thing you should know: not all shampoos that say "for all hair type" are for all hair types. 

Curly hair is sensitive. They are like little newborn babies. They need extra care to shine. You should not use shampoos with sulfates in them. The sulfates will drag moisture from your hair- something your hair need. And the worst part: most of the shampoos in the market contains sulfates.

Now you may ask if sulfates are bad for hair, why they put them in the shampoos? 

That's because they are good cleaning agents. They are found in detergents and dish washing soaps for cleaning dirt and oil out of the clothes and dishes. But as I said, curly hair is sensitive. They need moisture. So, you need to cut sulfates out of your hair wash products.
The non-sulfate shampoos contain mild cleansing agents, but trust me, they clean well. You always have options for deep cleaning if your hair feels too dirty. 

How to know if my shampoo has sulfates in it?

- Look at the ingredient lists at the backside of the shampoo bottle. 

- The sulfates usually have big names but the last name is always 'sulfate'. 

- If you see it in the ingredient list of your any hair product, and you are curly,

  THROW IT AWAY. NOW! 

Where can I find sulfate-free shampoo?

If they aren't available in the stores, you can always look for them online. The one that I am using and my current fav is by  Shea Moisture. I have also used one by Iha but it gave me a lot of acne somehow, so I don't use it. You can definitely try new products if you wish to.


PROTIP: If you can't find sulfate free shampoo at the moment or you don't wanna buy one, you can always opt for the clarifying rinse. All you need to do is add a tableful spoon of baking soda in a bottle of water and rinse your hair w this. Massage your scalp well to break build up. Then rinse w clear water.

#3Conditioning 
Another important step. If you shampoo your hair and you skip conditioner, you are doing it wrong babe. But if you are using just any conditioner, you are still doing it wrong. Most of the conditioners out in the market contains silicones which are, again, not good for your hair.

How to know if my conditioner has silicones?
- Look for the ingredients at the back side of the bottle.
- Search for the products w suffix -cone, -cane, -col, -conol, -xane. These are the compounds w silicone in them.
- If you find such an ingredient in the list, THROW THE PRODUCT AWAY!

Silicone will dry your hair and this will ultimately strip moisture out, which you don't wanna see happening. You can always search for silicone free conditioners online if you aren't able to find them in the local stores.

PROTIP: If you find a product online but the selling site hasn't provided the ingredient list, search for its review on the internet. All the reviewers provide full ingredient list on their websites.

You should always condition your hair and never your roots. This will prevent the volume loss, and also this won't weaken your hair roots.
- Turn your head upside down and take two pumps of conditioner on your hand.
- Spread the product on your palm and smooth it down your hair.
- Gently scrunch your hair.
If you want, you can wash it after 4-5minutes (or more). If no, then you can leave it as such. It will act as a leave in.

 #4 Moisturize 
Well, conditioner is to moisturize your hair. But if you are a curlyhead, and you have dry hair, you need to use extra product to have beautiful bouncy lively curls! Leave in conditioner can play a big role in this task. It is basically a conditioner, which you can put on your hair after wash and it will provide extra nourishment and hold to your hair, leaving your hair pretty and fresh!
- Take a good amount of leave in on your hand.
- Spread it on your palms.
- Bring your head upside down.
- Glide the leave in down your hair.
- Then scrunch!
It is better for your hair to put oil/serum after leave in. It will create a 'shield' and will lock the moisture in your hair.  Also, the oil's gonna reflect light and make your hair shine like a star!!
You can also section your hair and work w them. But don't forget to scrunch them!


 #5 Styling 
An important part of going curly is helping your hair stay curly; probably the most important. Hair gels and mousses will be your best friends for this. But you need to watch out babe, there's a lot of evil in this world. Before buying any product, go through the ingredient list at least twice. You don't wanna buy a product w silicone in your natural hair journey. do you?
You can also DIY your own gels. Aloe & flaxseed have been my fav for this task. though i have never made flaxseed gel.

There are different methods of styling curls. You can simply scrunch, finger coil, twist out, or you can just "rake and shake". Let me know if you guys want me to do a whole post 'bout styling curls. I'd love to do it!♥