A method to SIMPLY and QUICKLY define curls and reduce frizz

[CurlyCap]

Hi All.

I wanted to share a method I've been using to define my curls for the last few months. I have the type of curly hair that loves to curl, and curls tightly, but not always in a defined and frizz-free manner. I'm hoping that this tutorial will help anyone who deals with similar issues. I previously posted this technique in the Wurly and Curly thread, but I thought a) the instructions needed pictures and 2) I didn't want to hijack that thread.

A few notes:
I apologize in advance for the resolution of the pictures. The only camera I have is my phone camera. However, I did try to take more pictures with flash so you can see the detail of black curls. Please ignore how it makes me look orange. I also decided to post the pictures in a larger format so you can see the details of the curl clumping, hoping that would help make up for the resolution.

I do want to note that stopping to take pictures after every step meant that my hair was drying/setting in between steps. So some steps don't look as definitive and neat as usual. But one must start somewhere.

For reference, here is my hair at the end of a long day, including wearing it in a pineapple to work, gym, and a night out dancing. While some curls survived the day, most are the definition of frizzy and broken.
http://i.imgur.com/ZDx58.jpg?1http://i.imgur.com/sj4lE.jpg?1

Anyway, here we go:

Have you ever twisted your hair/curls/clumps and made a perfect ringlet? This is a common styling trick for those with curly hair in order to achieve increased curl definition. However, individually defining each curl can be time consuming. Instead, you can use a similar method, also based on twisting, to quickly get near perfect clumping and ringlets every time.

Steps:
(I included additional notes/details below the pictures for each step. This is LHC and I know people will be curious. :D )

1. Co-wash and detangle
http://i.imgur.com/JUUI7.jpg?1
[This is my hair right out of the shower, and at the stage where some curlies plop. Plopping is supposed to help preserve this natural curl definition. My curl pattern is very defined, even when my hair is wet. However, the curl is not uniform and the clumps are broken up from fingercombing in the shower. Also, experience has taught me that my hair will NEVER be this neat when it is dried. FYI: co-washed with Tressemme Naturals Moisturizing Conditioner and cold rinsed with an ACV dilution.]

2. Dry gently, mostly by squeezing the towel around the hair. No friction, just sopping up the extra water until the hair is damp but not dripping.
http://i.imgur.com/tBElh.jpg?1http://i.imgur.com/Z7ePo.jpg?1
[Drying was done by gently wrapping a towel around a section and just blotting out the water. As you can see, even the most gentle drying breaks ups clumps that were formed (which were already not uniform) and reveals that not all the hair in each clump is not perfectly aligned.]

3. Spread desired goops through hair, if needed. This usually requires fingercombing, which aligns the hairs but may break up clumps. You can see the thinner clumps in this photo.
http://i.imgur.com/8wRZ1.jpg?1
[My hair actually likes goop and, for me, makes this method work better. FYI: Layered on Tressemme Naturals followed by sweet almond oil.]

4. Divide your hair into 2 sections (my hair is ii/iii, and I still only need two). Twist each section using both hands as if you were making a giant ringlet. In fact, when you let go, you will have a giant ringlet.
http://i.imgur.com/ydnj4.jpg?1 http://i.imgur.com/Lth5J.jpg?1
[The goal of this step is to both enlarge the size of the clumps as well as try to make them more uniform. When you form the ringlets, think about twisting around rather than down or tight. You should be able to look down the twist and feel like your strands of hair are going sideways instead of downward. I find that twisting with two hands helps make this happen. When I just twirl the hair using one hand, I tend to compress and squeeze downwards, rather than twist.]

<<to be continued in next post>>

[CurlyCap]

<<continued from first post>>

5. Gently, holding the top of each giant ringlet, shake the top of each ringlet to release the giant curl. Don't worry about breaking up each giant ringlet completely. The last inch of curls may stick together for a few minutes. Just let them be. You will end up with all of your hair in perfect clumps, with all the hair in each clump aligned (from the fingercombing during product application).
http://i.imgur.com/QNmBD.jpg?1http://i.imgur.com/8C81E.jpg?1
[Don't give in to the temptation to break the giant ringlet up completely! During the course of drying, you will move your head plenty, and that will end up breaking the ringlet for you.]

6. (Styling option). To add height to the front of your hair, take the hair at the top of you hair (above forehead, from temple to temple, and back ~2") and make another mega ringlet, making sure to pull the ringlet over your forehead as you twist. If you gently break this giant ringlet up and toss the hair back to where it usually lies, all the hair at the crown of your head will be volumized (ie, no Flat Crown with Bushy Curls).
http://i.imgur.com/9GBmt.jpg?1http://i.imgur.com/5SzPp.jpg?1
[See the little triangle I'm pointing towards? The curls there sort of grab onto each other and make a pile, and as the hair dries and those curls expand, this will become the volume at the crown of your head and around your face. Sometimes it flips backwards as triangle, sometimes as a half-moon crescent over your forehead. Just go with whatever happens. The same concept applies and it'll work.]

7. Let air dry. No touching!
http://i.imgur.com/UR19K.jpg?1http://i.imgur.com/Tx5se.jpg?1
[Since this method allowed for some drying with a towel before twisting was done, the hair will dry more quickly than with plopping. Unlike a lot of other methods I've tried, curls set this way are incredibly resistant to breakage or frizz. In fact, I always shower at night and my hair usually looks good in the morning. Usually, I let my hair dry ~20 minutes first if I'm going to sleep on my curls. Of course, picture perfect hair requires no smashing and a fresh co-wash in the morning.]

Anyway, this seems to give me more defined results compared to plopping, it's quicker, there's no walking around with a towel thing on my head, and it fixes the crown-of-head volume problem. Also, the curls around the face are uber defined, which really plays up the awesomeness of our hair type.

Of course, as with all things Hair, you may need to change certain steps to suit your particular hair type. But overall the process is easy and easily finished in under 5 minutes.

Hope this helps!

[Charybdis]

I like this! Very interesting idea. My hair's not curly enough to get maximum benefit out of this, but I need to see if I can adapt it a bit for my looser wurls. I too shower at night, and I'd like a method for getting a bit more water out while retaining some clumping.

[melusine963]

This sounds like a great idea. I would like to let my hair go properly curly again one day, but it just seems like so much effort. This is certainly a good short cut to try.

[Alexblue]

Thanks for a great tutorial! I've been experimenting with twisting as opposed to plopping to get greater definition in my 2a hair; though still very much an unrefined process. It was interesting to hear how you do not break up the ringlets completely and how you did the front hairline.

Your hair looks fab!

[KittyBird]

Great tutorial, thank you so much! I'll have to experiment with this and see if it can make my waves more defined and pretty :D

[joflakes]

This is interesting! I had noticed that when my hair dries in big clumps it is more defined. Thank you!

[goldloli]

HAHA brilliant slide show! yes i do this most days, detangle>apply goops> 4 twists>take out when dry and viola controlled curls. It's soo quick and virtually never messes up.

also you can twist the twists into lose buns and spin pin up for sleeping.

the end result looks so nice on you btw

[Iolanthe13]

Wow, this is actually really similar to what I do to bring out my spirals. Looks great on you!

[CurlyCurves]

So nice to see pics of your hair, CC!

Like you, I encourage the clump. This is my wet hair;

http://sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/270694_4613964227538_710374735_n.jpg

My method for clumping is scrunch then air dry with no manipulation. But it takes about 2-.2.5 hours to dry. It's my preferred method, though.

I've done finger curls a few times :);

http://sphotos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/484529_4294230114385_1822108852_n.jpg

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/532444_4295149217362_46417300_n.jpg

http://sphotos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/282735_4295191658423_1766805660_n.jpg

[Amygirl8]

So jelly of those curls, they look great!
I think I'll do this but let my hair dry in the twists. My hair doesn't have a uniform wave pattern so the top (near my scalp) has two large waves, then shoulder to waist is pretty straight, then from waist to hip it curls up at the ends.
Not pretty lol.

I'll let you know how it turns out! ;D

[ravenreed]

I used to be able to twist my hair into a sausage curl and then sleep on it, giving me sweet waves at the bottom. Lately though, it hasn't been working for me! Every length adds a new challenge. I am not going to lie, I have serious curl envy!

[chelshireling]

this is great. I tried it with Im trying it right now with the variation of putting the two big spirals around my head then keeping it still with a silk scarf tied around it. We'll see how it works once its dried. :p

[gthlvrmx]

hmmm i dont know if my hair will stay in those tubes for a while. maybe. :P ill have to try this!

[piratejenny]

CurlyCap, just dropping by to tell you your hair is truely amazing !!! ;)

[terylenerose]

Is is okay if I do a regular wash instead of CO? I've never gotten the latter to work well, unfortunately.

[marykatz]

Your hair looks great.
Please excuse my poor reading comprehension but are you letting your hair dry in the twists and then taking them apart once they are dry?

[Mayflower]

CurlyCap, just dropping by to tell you your hair is truely amazing !!! ;)

Indeed, you have the most amazing curly hair on LHC in my opinion!

[PetuniaBlossom]

What a smart idea! I'll try it after I CWC tonight.

[CurlyCap]

Is is okay if I do a regular wash instead of CO? I've never gotten the latter to work well, unfortunately.

I think you should wash/wet your hair the way you do normally. Every head of hair is different!I only mentioned co-washing because that's what I do. For me, it's be the best way to retain moisture and promote definition.


Your hair looks great.
Please excuse my poor reading comprehension but are you letting your hair dry in the twists and then taking them apart once they are dry?

Nope. After I twist, I immediately shake them loose. It's five minutes after I'm out of the shower for me. :happydance: But I do think some of the wavies are right in thinking that letting their hair dry a bit in the tubes would help. Maybe they'll post pics and let us know!

[lapushka]

You've got some amazing curls, CurlyCap. I wonder if it will do anything for 2a hair, but that doesn't really "clump". It's a great method you've discovered. Hope it catches on. :D

[SugarPlumDreams]

CurlyCap, just dropping by to tell you your hair is truely amazing !!! ;)

I cosign this! Major curl envy :)

Can't wait to give it try tomorrow! Thanks for the detailed photo instructions, very helpful.

[manderly]

Nice! I made a tutorial very similar to this several years ago (when I didn't know I was a curly yet!) to get big wavy curls. http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=84

I haven't tried it to define my current curls - I'll give it a shot. Lovely :D

[CurlyCap]

CurlyCap, just dropping by to tell you your hair is truely amazing !!! ;)


Indeed, you have the most amazing curly hair on LHC in my opinion!

Thank you both for such kind compliments! Hopefully, the tutorial will help other curlies learn to work with their hair. Curly hair can be so pretty....once it learns to play nice!

[CurlyCap]

For all the above who mentioned trying similar methods, please post your results!

I think it would lead to the thread being a great resource on the results of twisting on different types of curls. No need for huge documentation (I don't think I'm going to want to see the imgur website for a while, lol). Just what you did and the results. :D

[CurlyCap]

Nice! I made a tutorial very similar to this several years ago (when I didn't know I was a curly yet!) to get big wavy curls. http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=84

I haven't tried it to define my current curls - I'll give it a shot. Lovely :D

Yep! Looks like the same idea. And it was interesting that when you thought you were a wavy, you did let it dry a bit in the tubes.

I'm envious of how you said you could refresh your waves by just retwisting. Sigh. So jealous.....

[longhairedleah]

hmmm interesting.... come to think of it, I think I used to do this in high school! Now I just mostly cannot not touch my hair when it dries....

I will be trying this out, with the variation for the top, for sure! thanks for the tip.

Also, I agree, your curls are envy inducing!!

[shutterpillar]

You have beautiful hair!

I do the very same thing with my hair, except I let it dry most of the way before I shake loose the clumps. Definitely helps bring out my wavies. :)

[Desdesdes]

Amazing tutorial, CurlyCap. Thank you :)

[Kelikea]

Do you twist each side in the same direction or are they opposite? My hair likes to twist one way (towards the right side of my face) which looks a whole lot better on the right side than the left side. I am wondering if twisting the left side towards my face would help, or if that would just mess up the curl pattern and make it straighter. And then would it create a part or space in the back?

Sorry if that didn't make any sense, but I hope it did. Here is a pic to demonstrate:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=8987&pictureid=126274
Can you see how they all naturally twist in the same direction?

[CurlyCap]

Do you twist each side in the same direction or are they opposite? My hair likes to twist one way (towards the right side of my face) which looks a whole lot better on the right side than the left side. I am wondering if twisting the left side towards my face would help, or if that would just mess up the curl pattern and make it straighter. And then would it create a part or space in the back?

Sorry if that didn't make any sense, but I hope it did. Here is a pic to demonstrate:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=8987&pictureid=126274
Can you see how they all naturally twist in the same direction?


Opposite, but for no particular reason. Ie, I either decide to twist both sides toward or away from my face.

My hair has never seemed angry about switchy direction, but twisting away does make it fluffier, so maybe the natural curl patter does vote in its own way.

Hope that helps!

[Ambystoma]

Thanks for this tutorial - I'm trying it right now (since your hair looks so gorge using this method CurlyCap!). As a wavy who has genuine wurls when wet but a rubbish messy braidwave look when dry I figure I'll leave it in the tubes to dry and hopefully that will encourage it to stay in a nice tidy wave/loose wurl pattern with less frizz :D

[SheaLynne]

Gorgeous curl definition! Thanks for putting this tutorial together and for putting it out here. I'm not curly but my dd7 is, so I try to keep my eye out for ideas/methods for her hair, but rarely have time to keep up with the whole curly thread.

I'll give this a try on her and see what happens!

[spirals]

I've tried something like this before and it pulled the curl out. It might not work for 3a. I rinsed upide-down and ended up with sausage curls. It does that on it's own. I don't know if anyone else has that experience.

[Ambystoma]

Here it is 70&#37; dry aka the dreaded "frizz monster" stage - (with a snazzy filter on to make up for the less than glamorous location :laugh: )
http://i.imgur.com/jwIhT.jpg?1

looking pretty good so far although the top parts that didn't make it into the twists are all curl fuzz halo -ish but that's pretty normal until it's properly dry.

Edit: and here is the result dry and combed with a wide tooth comb - yay this works really nicely for me, the only problem was the top parts that didn't get twisted were still a bit fluffy so I'll have to start from the roots next time to get all the naughty hairs in :)

http://i.imgur.com/2Fmom.jpg?2

[RedheadMistress]

- Wow your hair is gorgeous !
Going to try these different methods, mycurls are So damaged, they look wavy and I need to bring the curl back into them . .

[Kelikea]

Opposite, but for no particular reason. Ie, I either decide to twist both sides toward or away from my face.

My hair has never seemed angry about switchy direction, but twisting away does make it fluffier, so maybe the natural curl patter does vote in its own way.

Hope that helps!

Ok, thanks. I'll try it next time I wash:)

[Elithia]

I've tried something like this before and it pulled the curl out. It might not work for 3a. I rinsed upide-down and ended up with sausage curls. It does that on it's own. I don't know if anyone else has that experience.

Yeah, this is true for me too -- rinsing and scrunching upside down are the best curl-enhancing methods for my hair.

[CurlyCap]

I've tried something like this before and it pulled the curl out. It might not work for 3a. I rinsed upide-down and ended up with sausage curls. It does that on it's own. I don't know if anyone else has that experience.

Hunh. Well, your hair knows best! But it could be that the twist is just too much and disrupts your curl pattern. Aren't 3as able to brush their curls out into waves?

And I'm jealous you can do upside down rinses! When I try that I get hair that points toward the moon. Not cute. :D

[SugarPlumDreams]

Gave it a shot today, but my hair has too many short layers, so I couldn't quite replicate your effect.

I'll try again after the New Year.

It was fun just to try something new! I feel like I'm in such a rut, sometimes :p

[terylenerose]

I did a variation on this today, and I think it worked pretty well. I got my curls to show their true colors again. :)

[Strelitzia]

Curly Cap... you're amazing! :D

I tried this last night. I CWC'ed then jojoba-oiled and aloe-vera'ed before twisting my hair into 2 coils. They were okay but a little bit loose and I actually ended up making 8 coils, 4 on each side because my hair just seemed to want to do that :rolleyes:

I left them in overnight, after tightening the twists regularly over about 2 hours so that they were really 'set' in place! Shook them out this morning and BAM! Awesome, consistent and gorgeous curls :happydance: SOoooo happy!

They've frizzed a little and dropped by maybe an inch since but I'm not surprised as I've been out in wind and rain but overall, they're still awesome and the curl is better defined than if I just air-dried. No piccies I'm afraid but I'll see about taking some next time :)

Thanks again!!

[longhairedleah]

Hunh. Well, your hair knows best! But it could be that the twist is just too much and disrupts your curl pattern. Aren't 3as able to brush their curls out into waves?


I can't brush my hair out into waves, but if i play with it a lot while it's drying it becomes wavy... maybe it's different for different curl-types within 3a?? or maybe I'm not a 3a?? I've never been officially hairtyped, mostly because I find it impossible to not touch my hair while it's drying, and I am too lazy to put pictures up, but I really don't see myself as more, I think that's just being realistc

Alls I know is I love this method!! I've been meaning to tell you for so long, but haven't been on LHC. It is removing some of the mystery of what my hair will look like when it dries, although I really need to control my hands still! Only done it twice so far, but so far so good!!

You also mentioned direction not mattering for you? I'm fairly certain it does for me (I think generally my hair likes to twist to the right?), but that's based on my high school experience. I shall pay attention now :)

Thanks again curlycap!

[Alexblue]

Great results Ambystoma.

[CurlyCap]

Curly Cap... you're amazing! :D

I tried this last night. I CWC'ed then jojoba-oiled and aloe-vera'ed before twisting my hair into 2 coils. They were okay but a little bit loose and I actually ended up making 8 coils, 4 on each side because my hair just seemed to want to do that :rolleyes:

I left them in overnight, after tightening the twists regularly over about 2 hours so that they were really 'set' in place! Shook them out this morning and BAM! Awesome, consistent and gorgeous curls :happydance: SOoooo happy!

They've frizzed a little and dropped by maybe an inch since but I'm not surprised as I've been out in wind and rain but overall, they're still awesome and the curl is better defined than if I just air-dried. No piccies I'm afraid but I'll see about taking some next time :)

Thanks again!!

This is wonderful news! Isn't it great when curls hold their definition even when life is being What Can I Do To Destroy Your Curls. :D

"I actually ended up making 8 coils, 4 on each side because my hair just seemed to want to do that"

How did your hair tell you this (wow, weird sentence, I know)? Does it fall into these sections naturally? Was it based on clumping? Lots of people are telling me that they do well with X number of twists, and I'm super curious to try and figure out how a person can determine how much twisting they need to do!

[CurlyCap]

I can't brush my hair out into waves, but if i play with it a lot while it's drying it becomes wavy... maybe it's different for different curl-types within 3a?? or maybe I'm not a 3a?? I've never been officially hairtyped, mostly because I find it impossible to not touch my hair while it's drying, and I am too lazy to put pictures up, but I really don't see myself as more, I think that's just being realistc

Alls I know is I love this method!! I've been meaning to tell you for so long, but haven't been on LHC. It is removing some of the mystery of what my hair will look like when it dries, although I really need to control my hands still! Only done it twice so far, but so far so good!!

You also mentioned direction not mattering for you? I'm fairly certain it does for me (I think generally my hair likes to twist to the right?), but that's based on my high school experience. I shall pay attention now :)

Thanks again curlycap!

So happy to hear this is working for you! Comments like this make me want to forgive imgur for all the chaos it caused. :D

Isn't it wonderful knowing more about how your hair will dry? :cheese:

I have no idea if there is a breakdown passed 3a/b/c. Thing is, I just know that every head of hair is different, so even 3as will have different experiences. I say, "Whatever works for you!"

As for not touching your hair....sigh. I'm like that too. Constantly playing with my hair and breaking up my curls as a result. Oh well. I like my hair and if I can't touch it it makes me crazy, so I'll deal with the broken curls. HOWEVER, I've noticed this odd thing where if I break the curls a little, it looks awful...but if I break the curls a lot (this is usually what has happened by 11pm-midnight), it looks AWESOME. Like a compromise between the boom of brushing and spirals. Some nights, I'm sort of sad to co-wash, but I know the awesomesauce would never last until morning so I get over it. :)

[CurlyCap]

I did a variation on this today, and I think it worked pretty well. I got my curls to show their true colors again. :)

Yay!

Would you mind sharing how you had to alter the method for your hairtype. I'm curious!

[lacefrost]

CurlyCap! Your hair is getting long! And it's so so lovely. When I started going natural, I hoped for hair like yours.

[Ambystoma]

Great results Ambystoma.
Thank you! I really love this method - if my hair ever takes on a strange shape from braids or buns then I just spray it with water, twist and get a nice texture back once it dries :D

Here's a pic of one of my twists almost dry, it looks so cute!

http://i.imgur.com/6E1Z7.jpg

edit: it seems to like to make 3 - 4 clumps naturally when wet, but I have good results from doing one over each shoulder.

[CurlyCap]

CurlyCap! Your hair is getting long! And it's so so lovely. When I started going natural, I hoped for hair like yours.


Awwww. Thank you!

And you should know: Even though I don't know a thing about you in real life, whenever I see a Type 4, my brain compares their hair to your awesome siggy pic. Your hair is gorgeous and so I'm happy you didn't get hair like mine...cause now I get to look at yours!

[hufflepug]

I'm trying this now! It seems like if I shake it loose right away there's no definition at all, it just falls apart, so I'm letting it dry part of the way while it's in the twists. I used to have good results with a similar method, where I'd do three big twists on each side of my head. My hair is far less curly though. (this picture is from 4 years ago)
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8462/8055722561_0eeefd2f68_o.png

[HintOfMint]

CurlyCap, you have some of the most perfect curls I have ever seen, they look like something off of a Victorian doll. Very beautiful.

I might try something like this, even though my hair is more wavy than curly. Once a hairdresser did my hair in twists and then diffused it and it turned into really sproingy and smooth curls, but I've never tried it by myself.

[Vrindi]

Your hair is gorgeous.

[biogirl87]

This may be something I could experiment with once I figure out why my hair likes to frizz (it is because of the nature of my hair or just because it was dry due to me not really using conditioner after shampooing until six weeks ago). If my hair is frizzy by nature, I'll thrilled if this method works to tame the frizzies.

[MyKing'sQueen]

I'm only a wavy but I tried this method and loved it! All I did was wash as usual, apply leave-in and twist. My waves came out much more even and defined than usual. Thank you so much CurlyCap for sharing! Here's the picture of my final result
http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i436/AlesyaFairchild/fastfrizzfreecurls.jpg

[desisparkles]

off to try this now.....

[Luna Starsetta]

Well dang I may have to try this out! Next wash day 3 mega ringlets and slowly part them... I like it I may not even plop anymore if this works well. Well see Saturday wash day! I'm excited