Easy Curly Hair Wash Routine Tutorial

Tools and materials:

• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Hair treatment or mask
• Cotton t-shirt or microfiber towel
• Brush
• Combing cream
• Curl cream
• Diffuser
• Optional: silk/satin pillowcase, spiral hair tie, dry shampoo, curling iron

How to treat your damaged hair

If your hair is chemically treated, those chemicals have pulled out the proteins in your hair, so focus on using products that restore and repair those proteins.

If your hair is heat-damaged, the heat is pulling moisture out of your hair, so focus on restoring moisture.

1. The first shampoo 

You always want to shampoo your hair twice. The first shampoo rarely lathers; if it does, that means your shampoo is too high in sulfates. 

The first shampoo is there to break up all of the dirt and oil in your hair. Use your fingertips to really clean your scalp. 

Focus only on your scalp. The only cleansing your hair needs is from the residual shampoo when you rinse since most of the dirt and oil is sitting on your scalp. 

2. The second shampoo 

Rinse and move on to the second shampoo. The second shampoo is the one you should lather.

If it’s not lathering, your hair is very dirty and you’ll need a third shampoo.

By focusing on the roots and scalp, and not our hair strands, we’re preventing our cuticle layer—the outer layer of our hair—from shattering open.

When you rough up the cuticle layer, you risk damaging your hair further. 

3. Apply hair treatment

If you plan on doing a hair mask or treatment, do that before conditioning.

This is because the conditioner will close off the hair cuticle, and your hair mask won’t be able to penetrate into your hair.

So, I’m going to do an oil treatment first. 

Before applying the treatment, squeeze as much water out of your hair as possible. Otherwise, you’re just diluting those products.

When applying a treatment, focus on the mids and ends of your hair.

As you apply, apply it downward otherwise you risk roughening up your cuticle.

Leave your mask in for at least 5-10 minutes. Rinse.

4. Apply hair conditioner to your mids and ends

The reason you don’t apply masks and conditioners to your scalp is it can create a lot of build-up, which will give you an itchy scalp. 

By applying your hair conditioner downward, you’re helping close the cuticle layer of your hair which will end in shinier results.

You can also rinse your conditioner immediately. 

5. Dry with cotton or microfibers

Lightly dry your hair with a cotton t-shirt or a microfiber towel.

Get rid of all of the excess water that’s dripping while still maintaining the rest of the water in your hair. 

6. Detangle

To help detangle, use a combing cream. Rub it into your hands and apply it mid to end, rotating it downwards. 

Then, detangle with a brush by starting at the bottom and working your way up until all the tangles are gone.

7. Apply curl cream evenly to your hair

Apply the cream around each hair strand. If the product isn’t on each hair strand, it’s not going to work on each hair strand. 

Scrunch the residual leftovers from one hand to the bottom of your hair. 

Rub whatever’s left on the other hand into both hands and apply it to your roots.

You should hear a squishy sound indicating you have enough water and product in your hair. 

8. Scrunch upside down

Once it’s applied evenly on both sides, flip your hair upside down and scrunch more product into your hair. 

9. Diffuse

Start at the bottom of the ends, and wiggle your diffuser all the way up towards your roots.

Once it’s 50% dry, let the rest dry naturally.

10. Tips for maintaining your hair

To maintain your styled hair, sleep on a silk or satin pillowcase so there’s no friction. Use a springy hair tie.

For day 2-3 hair, I usually go in with a bit of dry shampoo at my roots.

For days 3-4, I’ll use a curling wand or flat iron to do a few touch-ups on areas that have fallen flat.

Curly hair wash routine

That’s it for this curly hair wash routine! Following this routine will leave you with less frizzy and fluffier hair.

Let me know which steps you’re adopting into your own routine below!

Next, learn How to Do a Sexy 70's Blowout At Home.