People with curly hair often struggle to embrace their curls because of how beauty standards often favor people with straight hair. However, wearing your natural hair has so many benefits. There are several different kinds of curly hair, ranging from loose waves to extremely coily curls. You can find your specific hair type by looking at a chart of curly hair types, which ranges from 1A hair (loose waves) to 4C hair (tight ringlets). Once you’ve determined your hair type, you can find products and routines that are specific to your hair’s needs.

Personally, as someone with 2B/2C hair, there are a few steps that I make sure to follow. First, I like to make sure that I don’t wash my hair too often as that can cause breakage and damage my hair more than necessary. For most people, washing your hair once every few days is ideal, and you should always follow up with a good conditioner to keep your hair hydrated.

As for styling, you want to use products that match your hair type. For my 2C/2C hair, I make sure to always put leave in conditioner to lock in the moisture. This really makes my curls soft and less frizzy. I don’t use too many staying products to avoid them weighing down my hair. Because of this, I usually end my routine with a little bit of curl cream or mousse. However, if you have more defined curls, you may wish to use a gel to help hold their shape.
Wearing your naturally curly or wavy hair can help tremendously with self-acceptance. Straightening or blow drying your hair can really destroy your self confidence and make you want to change your appearance. Additionally when you use heat to style your hair it can ruin your natural texture and just make you want to wear it curled less.
Depending on your curl pattern and hair texture, there are many ways you can keep your curls healthy and looking their best. Keep reading to see what some members of the Searchlight staff do to take care of their curls!

The Searchlight Staff’s Curly Hair Routine

• Joico Color Balance Purple Shampoo
• Luseta Keratin Conditioner
• Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Cream
• Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Mousse
• Bellisso Biotin Hair Repair Serum

• Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Shampoo
• Camille Rose Algae Renew Deep Conditioner
• Curlsmith Weightless Air Dry Cream
• Redken All Soft Mega Curls
• Kinky Curly Curling Custard
• Ouidad VitaCurl Mousse

• Amika Mirrorball Shampoo & Conditioner
• Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Mousse
• Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Gel
• Ouidad Moisture Lock Leave-In

• Mielle Leave-In Conditioner
• Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Cream
• Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Mousse