My Curly Hair Routine: How I Wash, Style and Dry My Curls Without Frizz

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Curly hair can be absolutely beautiful, but anyone with naturally curly or wavy hair knows that there is a very fine line between defined curls and a giant cloud of frizz.

I have learned that getting good curls is not necessarily about having a bathroom full of products. The biggest difference for me has been figuring out how to handle my hair while it is wet, how to apply my products, how to dry my curls, and—maybe most importantly—when to stop touching them.

Curly hair really does have a mind of its own. Sometimes I can follow the exact same routine two days in a row and somehow end up with completely different hair. But there are a few things that consistently give me better curls, less frizz and more definition.

These are the curly hair tips and products that work best for me.

My Favorite Curly Hair Products

My favorite hair-care brand right now is Innersense.

I especially like the products from their Pure collection. These are the Innersense products I reach for most often:

Pure Harmony Hairbath
Pure Inspiration Daily Conditioner
Sweet Spirit Leave In Conditioner
I Create Hold
Quiet Calm Curl Control
I Create Curl Memory

The Pure Harmony Hairbath is what I use as my shampoo, and I follow it with the Pure Inspiration Daily Conditioner.

But while I like the shampoo and conditioner, the styling products are really my favorites.

For curly hair, styling products make such a difference because you aren’t simply trying to make your hair feel soft. You are trying to encourage the curl pattern to form and then help those curls stay together while your hair dries.

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Start With Really Wet Hair

One of the biggest things I have learned about styling curly hair is that I get much better results when I apply my products while my hair is still very wet.

Not slightly damp.

Not after wrapping it in a towel for 20 minutes.

Wet.

Water is actually part of the styling process with curly hair.

When my curls have enough water in them, the individual strands are much more likely to group together into larger curls instead of separating into hundreds of tiny frizzy pieces.

If my hair starts getting too dry while I am styling it, I will simply add more water.

You can keep a spray bottle nearby if that makes this easier.

Don’t Rough-Dry Curly Hair With a Regular Towel

This is another huge one.

I try not to get out of the shower and immediately start rubbing my hair with a bath towel.

That rough back-and-forth motion can break apart the curl clumps you are trying to create. It can also make the outside of the hair look much frizzier.

Instead, I gently squeeze excess water from my hair.

If I need to remove more water, I use something soft and try to scrunch instead of rub.

A microfiber hair towel works well, but honestly an old soft cotton T-shirt can work beautifully too.

The goal is simply to remove excess water without roughing everything up.

Use Leave-In Conditioner Before Styling

After washing and conditioning, I like using a leave-in conditioner before moving on to my styling products.

One of my favorites is the Innersense Sweet Spirit Leave In Conditioner.

For curly hair, a good leave-in can help the hair stay soft and manageable without having to constantly touch or brush it once it begins drying.

I concentrate most of my conditioner and leave-in through the lengths and ends of my hair instead of piling a ton of product directly onto my roots.

You may need to experiment with the amount.

Curly hair can need moisture, but too much heavy product can also stretch out your curl pattern or make your hair feel weighed down.

The Styling Products Make the Biggest Difference

This is where the magic happens for me.

After my leave-in conditioner, I use my curl styling products.

One product I really like is Innersense I Create Hold. This is the gel-style product that helps give curls some structure while they dry.

I also like the Innersense curl styling products such as Quiet Calm Curl Control and I Create Curl Memory.

You absolutely do not need to use every styling product at once.

In fact, one of the challenges of curly hair is figuring out exactly how much product your hair wants.

Too little and the curls can become fuzzy or lose their shape.

Too much and your hair can look weighed down or feel coated.

My general philosophy is to start with less and add more if I need it.

Scrunch Your Curls Up Toward Your Scalp

Once the styling product is distributed through my hair, I start scrunching.

I cup the ends of my hair in my hand and gently push them upward toward my scalp.

Then release.

Move to another section and repeat.

You can actually hear the water and product squishing through the curls when your hair is wet enough.

This helps encourage the natural curl pattern instead of stretching the hair straight while it dries.

I usually scrunch all the way around my head until I like the way the curls are forming.

Then Stop Touching Your Hair

This may be the hardest curly hair rule of all.

STOP TOUCHING IT.

Seriously.

Once my curls look good and the styling product is in them, I try to leave them alone.

Every time you rake your fingers through your curls, separate a curl, fluff your roots or play with your hair while it is drying, you are potentially separating those curl clumps.

And separated curl clumps often become frizz.

This is especially difficult because curly hair can look a little strange halfway through the drying process.

Don’t panic.

Don’t start rearranging everything.

Don’t decide one curl needs to move three inches to the left.

Leave it alone and let it dry.

You can deal with individual curls after your hair is completely dry.

How I Dry My Curly Hair

There are two basic ways I like to dry curly hair: air drying or diffusing.

Both can work.

The important part is minimizing unnecessary movement while the curls are drying.

Air Drying Curly Hair

Air drying is obviously the simplest method.

After applying my products and scrunching my curls, I leave my hair alone and let it dry.

The downside is that curly hair can take a LONG time to air dry, especially if you have thick hair.

You also have to resist the temptation to keep touching it.

If I am air drying, I try to style it and then go do something else.

Don’t stand in front of the mirror analyzing your curls every five minutes.

They are not finished yet.

How to Diffuse Curly Hair

If I need my hair to dry faster, I use a diffuser.

The diffuser attachment is helpful because it spreads the airflow over a larger area instead of blasting one tiny section of hair with concentrated air.

Again, the whole goal is to dry the curl while disturbing it as little as possible.

I like to use lower airflow rather than blowing my curls all over the bathroom.

You can gently place sections of curls into the diffuser bowl and bring the diffuser toward your scalp.

Hold it there for a little while.

Then turn it off or lower it before moving to another section.

The less your curls are whipping around while you dry them, the better.

Don’t Constantly Move the Diffuser Around

This was another important lesson for me.

If I am wildly moving the diffuser all around my head, shaking it through my hair and constantly flipping my curls from one direction to another, I tend to create more frizz.

Instead, I try to work in sections.

Place the curls in the diffuser.

Hold.

Dry.

Move.

Repeat.

It takes a little more patience, but curly hair generally responds well to patience.

Try Drying Your Roots Without Disturbing the Ends

If the ends of my hair are drying nicely but my roots still feel soaking wet, I may focus the diffuser around my roots without constantly manipulating the rest of my hair.

Again, I am trying to preserve the curl clumps that have already formed.

You can gently tilt your head to one side and then the other so that you can reach different sections of the scalp.

I just try not to repeatedly flip my entire head upside down and back again once my curls have started setting.

Let Your Hair Get COMPLETELY Dry Before Touching It

This may make an even bigger difference than which curly hair products you buy.

Wait until your hair is completely dry before you start touching it.

Not 80 percent dry.

Not “basically dry.”

Completely dry.

If you start separating curls while some areas are still damp, you can create frizz very quickly.

I know it is tempting.

Don’t do it.

What Is a Gel Cast?

If you use a curly hair gel like Innersense I Create Hold, your hair may feel slightly firm or crunchy after it dries.

That isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

The gel is helping hold the curls together while they dry.

Once my hair is completely dry, I can gently scrunch the curls again with dry hands.

This softens that crunchy feeling while keeping much of the curl definition.

Curly-haired people often call this scrunching out the crunch.

Basically, the curls stay defined but feel much softer and more natural.

Scrunch Out the Crunch—But Wait Until the Very End

This is where touching your hair finally becomes acceptable again.

Once everything is dry, gently cup a section of your curls and scrunch upward.

Release.

Move around your head.

You don’t have to aggressively break apart every curl.

I just soften the curls enough that they look natural and touchable while keeping the definition I worked so hard to create.

Don’t Brush Dry Curly Hair

One of the quickest ways for me to turn defined curls into fluffy hair is brushing them once they’re dry.

For most curly styles, I do my detangling when my hair is wet and has conditioner in it.

Once my curls are dry, I leave the brush alone.

Obviously there may be times when you want to brush your curls out intentionally, but if your goal is defined curls, brushing through them when they are dry will usually separate that curl pattern.

Water Is One of Your Best Curly Hair Styling Products

This sounds almost too simple, but one of the best things you can use to refresh curly hair is water.

If I wake up and some sections still look good but other curls look stretched out or frizzy, I don’t necessarily need to wash my entire head again.

Sometimes I simply wet the problem section.

Then I may add a tiny amount of leave-in conditioner or styling product, scrunch the curl back into place and let it dry again.

You don’t always have to start over.

How to Refresh Curly Hair the Next Day

Second-day curls can be unpredictable.

Sometimes I wake up and somehow my hair looks better than it did the day before.

Other mornings I look like I slept in a wind tunnel.

When I refresh my curls, I try to avoid soaking my entire head unless I really need to.

Instead:

Wet the curls that need help.
Add a tiny amount of leave-in conditioner if they feel dry.
Add a little styling product if they need more hold.
Scrunch them back into shape.
Let them dry.
Leave them alone until they are completely dry again.

Sometimes just a little water is enough to reactivate the product that is already in my hair.

Protect Your Curls While You Sleep

How you sleep can also make a big difference in how your curls look the next morning.

Anything that reduces friction between your hair and your pillow can help keep your curls from getting crushed and frizzy overnight.

Some people use a satin pillowcase.

Some use a bonnet or hair wrap.

Some loosely gather their curls on top of their head.

Experiment and figure out what feels comfortable enough that you will actually do it every night.

The best curly hair routine is one you can realistically maintain.

Try Not to Sleep on Wet Curls

I also prefer not to go to bed with soaking-wet curly hair.

When your hair is wet, you can end up pressing curls into strange positions for hours while you sleep.

Then you wake up with curls flattened on one side and sticking straight out on the other.

If possible, I like to get my curls mostly or completely dry before I go to sleep.

Curly Hair Doesn’t Need to Look Perfect

This might be my favorite curly hair lesson.

Curly hair is not supposed to look identical every day.

That’s part of what makes it pretty.

Some days the curls will be tighter.

Some days they will look softer and more like waves.

One side may curl differently than the other side.

And there will probably always be one completely rogue curl somewhere on your head that has apparently rejected the entire plan.

That’s okay.

My goal isn’t to force every curl into exactly the same shape.

I just want healthy-looking, soft, defined hair with as little frizz as possible.

My Simple Curly Hair Routine

If you want the condensed version, this is essentially what I do:

Wash my hair with Innersense Pure Harmony Hairbath.
Condition with Innersense Pure Inspiration Daily Conditioner.
Detangle while my hair is wet.
Keep my hair very wet when I begin styling.
Apply Sweet Spirit Leave In Conditioner.
Add my favorite Innersense curl styling products.
Use I Create Hold when I want gel and more hold.
Scrunch my curls upward instead of pulling them straight.
Gently remove excess water without rubbing my hair.
Air dry or diffuse using gentle airflow.
DO NOT TOUCH MY CURLS WHILE THEY ARE DRYING.
Wait until my hair is completely dry.
Gently scrunch out any gel cast.
Leave the curls alone as much as possible for the rest of the day.

Curly Hair Is Mostly About Learning What NOT to Do

After trying so many curly hair routines and products, I have realized that sometimes good curls are just as much about what you don’t do.

Don’t rub them aggressively with a towel.

Don’t brush them dry.

Don’t constantly run your hands through them.

Don’t blast them everywhere with a hair dryer.

Don’t keep rearranging them while they’re setting.

And don’t panic because your curls look strange when they’re halfway dry.

Give them water, give them a good styling product and then give them a chance to form.

For me, combining that approach with my favorite Innersense curly hair products has made styling my curls so much easier.

SHOP MY FAVORITE CURLY HAIR PRODUCTS HERE:
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And remember: when in doubt, scrunch it and then stop touching it.

If you find the other Innersense styling bottle you were thinking of, send me the name or a photo and I can slot it into this exact post with a dedicated section about how you use it.

My Favorite Curly Hair Hacks & Items

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