Tackling everyday curly hair dilemmas

Curly hair is beautiful, loved by everyone and envied by those who don't have it. But, only someone who has curly hair can understand how high maintenance and unruly it can be, most times. Curly tresses tend to go through a lot of problems like hair fall, tangled hair, dryness and may lose shine easily if not cared for properly.

Given how delicate curly hair can be its treatment needs to be special too. Agnes Chen, National Technical Head from Streax Professional shares some tips on managing your curls daily and keeping them healthy and shiny forever.

Common curly hair problems:

• Dryness: If you over-wash your curly hair, it loses its natural moisture. Natural oil vanishes from the hair leaving the curls to look dry and frizzy.

• Frizz: Curly hair is way more prone to frizz than other hair textures. It is naturally dry since its spiral shaped DNA structure makes it difficult for the scalp's natural oils to slide down each strand and hydrate its lengths.

• Messy Knots: We have all been there, waking up with a bird's nest of tangles or trying to tug a brush through our hair after showering, curly hair can be a knotty mess.

As curls are unique, you need to treat them exceptionally to maintain their beauty and charm. You might need to work a little extra for curls, but it is all worth it. Here are some guidelines to help you care for your curly locks.

1. Keep it clean and moisturised. Always use a shampoo and conditioner suitable for curly hair. Hair products made for curly hair understand the hair type and have elements to help it retain efficient moisture

2. Use the pads of your fingers to cleanse in a circular motion, it eliminates the frizz by blocking out any humidity or unhealthy moisture in the hair. Do not use your nails nor scrub too hard.

3. Always use leave-in cream if your curly hair gets frizzy and dry. Leave-in cream helps in moisturising, maintaining, and making your curls look graceful. Curly texture hair tends to be dry, dull, and frizzy. Usage of serum prevents the hair from getting frizzy. It also provides moisture so your locks can have bounce and sheen.

4. The right way to dry curly hair. Most people dry their hair wrongly, causing dullness, frizzy, and tangled hair. Never dry your hair bending backwards. Always try to flip your head upside down and with the help of towel scrunch it so that the towel absorbs the water. While you scrunch your hair, it will take shape and help in form curls.

5. The thumb rule is to avoid brushing your hair when it is dry. Always use a wide-tooth comb and avoid using a fine-tooth comb and brushes as they open your curls.