If you’ve been transitioning to the curly hair life or are even a curly hair veteran, you know how hard it is to make your hair cooperate. Some days your hair is a frizzy ball, other days your curls are limp and skinny, and then we have those rare days when they just look great. If you’ve been trying to figure out how to train your hair for the curls of your dreams- we got you!
What is clumping?
Clumping is when curls bind together. When you clump hair it allows the hair to be stronger and helps to reduce the frizz. It helps to make your curls more defined and tightens the curl. This is desirable for many curly girls because it makes styling the hair easier and reduces the styling time.
Cut off dead hair and avoid further damage
Your haircut does matter when we are talking about clumping. If you have a lot of short layers in your hair it can be hard for your hair to come together. If you have a lot of dead ends, make sure to get your haircut to avoid having straight ends. When taking care of curly hair it is important that you get your hair trimmed regularly to cut down on damaged hair that can leave curls misshapen. If your hair is very damaged you may have to get an actual ahi9r cut to remove a good chunk of the damage. Healthy hair is more important than length.
Use Wet Hair
You should comb your hair in the shower while you wash and condition your hair. When you leave the shower do not brush or comb your hair because it will lose your natural curl pattern. Use a T-shirt or a microfiber towel to get the excess moisture out of your hair. When you dry your hair dab and do not nor rub it because it will cause friction. Your hair should be very wet but not dripping.
Make sure your hair is hydrated
Use your product with wet hair. That means everything from leave into conditioner to gel or mouse. If your hair begins to dry out in the process make sure to wet your hair again. The key to styling your hair is making sure your hair is saturated with water. You should use a lot of product especially at the ends of your hair. Avoid using too many products at your roots because it will weight down your hair.
Methods to form the curls
There are a variety of methods you can use for your curls and the method depends on your hair. Now that you have the product in your hair, you should act quickly to preserve the curls. You should finger curl your curls so that you have large curls after twirling them. You simply twist the hair while gently pulling on it, then allow the coil to wrap on itself.
If you do not like finger curling you can use a Denman brush also scrunch your hair to help form the curl pattern. You brush your hair up and out. Then when you are done you squish your hair by scrunching it up and towards your scalp.
Drying and setting your hair
Some people like to diffuse their hair with a hairdryer. I am not one of those people, I find that generally speaking that you tend to lose definition despite getting a lot of volume. You can diffuse your hair if you need your hair dry to go out by drying small sections with low heat. But if you don’t have an issue with air-drying your hair you should plop your hair.
I know many people use cotton t-shirts but I have also had a lot of success with plopping my hair overnight while I sleep, in a satin or silk scarf. Allow your curl to hang down from your head and cover it with the fabric loosely and allow it to sit for at least 30 minutes before you diffuse or let it out If it is night time I tend to keep it plopped all night to wake up with defined curls.