(Hair)
Your Fall Curly Hair Routine Should Be Extra Hydrating
Curl experts share all of their advice.
If you’re a natural hair girlie, you know how important it is to have a set maintenance routine. Because wash days and styling can take up a lot of time, this creates effortlessness in your weekly schedule so that you can easily style your strands day to day. Additionally, establishing a regular regimen makes you more likely to see real results as you consistently use products that mesh together for the most ideal outcome. While this is a necessary part in maintaining strong, healthy hair, it’s not an easy feat. This is especially true when you realize that you should be swapping steps in and out based on the weather. Different temperatures prompt your mane to react in various ways, and for the fall/winter months, that means even dryer texture. Curls are already naturally parched, so how do you adjust your routine?
For anyone, this will be a process of trial and error as you explore your options, but experts can offer advice to help you get started on nailing down your regimen. TZR Tapped Celebrity Curl Specialist and Olaplex Global Ambassador Christin Brown and Owner of Tiffani and Company in Sola Salons, Tiffani Beste to help you give the breakdown. Here you’ll find all the tips, tricks, steps, and product recommendations for developing your own personalized fall curly girl method. Keep reading to discover your seasonal regimen.
What Should Curly Girls Consider When Establishing A Hair Routine?
Deciding what products and styling methods work for you is arguably the hardest part of developing a routine. However, according to Beste, you should begin with establishing the specific needs of your hair and what concerns you want to address. We all have a go-to look we’re trying to achieve or a problem area we want to work on, so you have to be intentional with the products you choose to see real results.
“If your goal is volume, you should choose lighter products that provide light hold so that your curls will not be weighed down and can live in their natural environment,” says Beste. “If your priority is definition and elongation, you should choose styling products that have a little more weight and hold to them. A heavier, more hydrating cream will help to elongate the curl and a higher hold gel will aid in holding the curl in place with more definition.”
To further help product selection, Brown recommends that you commit to a single collection of products as a “system.”
“This is so huge,” says Brown. “I've found that most folks struggle with products not working out in their favor because they're selecting multiple ones across many different lines without the commitment to one line to start. So, for starters, commit to a product line, use it in uniformity and then make your decisions based around that.”
What Products Should You Consider Swapping Once The Weather Gets Cooler & Dryer?
Now that you’ve established your basic routine, you’ve hopefully hit all the major marks, but that doesn’t mean the work is over. Now it’s time to tailor your lineup to the season. During the summertime, your hair might feel greasy from sweat or dehydrated from spending a lot of time in salt water or chlorine. This means you want a shampoo that will be extra clarifying and you may skip over using oils or thick creams. But since fall/winter is dry, and curly hair is already thirsty for moisture, the cold weather is all about upping the hydration factor.
Because of this, Beste says that after using a clarifying treatment, you should swap your lighter warm-weather shampoo for one that specifically targets hydration. “This double cleanse will allow for hydrating ingredients to replace any natural oils that may have been cleansed away during the clarifying process and help avoid drying out your curls,” says Beste. Infused with fortifying ingredients, the Cécred Hydrating Shampoo is a great option for restoring this moisture balance.
Brown also notes that the change in season doesn’t mean you have to throw out your whole routine. It’s all about switching, adding, and taking away one or more products. For example, she says that making sure you’re using a leave-in conditioner might be enough added moisture, so that you’re not trading formulas around at all. However, something she swaps in her personal care routine is her choice of styler.
“If you're a gel styler person like me, you may also want to incorporate a cream for more hydration as well,” says Brown. “Also, be sure to not walk out of the house with wet hair during these months and get into diffusing your curls. Game changer for volume too!”
What Should Your Full Hair Routine Look Like?
As for your full regimen this fall, it should be a combination of your established lineup and the necessary product swaps or add-ons. As previously mentioned, Beste recommends to start with a double-cleanse for clean hair and a scrubbed scalp that isn’t going to feel dry or brittle. After you shampoo, Brown says to go-in with a conditioner. She recommends the Olaplex No.5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner, so that you are replenishing the hair with the moisture you might have lost during the cleansing process.
A tip from Beste is to use conditioning masks more often than you would in high temps. This ensures that your hair is being fed extra hydration to combat the dryness from the weather. Brown suggests the Olaplex No.8 Moisture Mask that repairs broken hair bonds while providing a deep condition for shine and smoothness. Post-shower, Brown says to apply a leave-in conditioner like the No.5 Leave In Conditioner for detangling and the No.6 Bond Smoother Creme to scrunch and define. “A pro-tip for my curlies is to apply your styling products while you're still in the shower for a frizz-free finish,” says Brown.
As an extra step, Beste also recommends adding co-washing into your weekly hair steps. Those with natural hair will usually only wash once a week, so co-washing describes adding a wash day, except without shampoo. For many, this means conditioner-only washing or using a specific co-wash product meant to be used on this extra day. “It is beneficial to add a wash day to make sure that your hair is getting the water that it needs,” explains Beste. She says her favorite option is the BALANCE co-wash by SEVEN Haircare.
She also stresses that not skipping wash days is super important to maintaining your hair health. “Hair needs water,” says Beste. “And when there's less humidity in the air your hair is getting less water on a day-to-day basis so wash days are extra important during the fall/winter months.”
Scroll below to shop all the products you should be trying this fall.
