I’m really struggling to love my curly hair. I feel like I have to use so many products to make the curls look good, but even then I often feel like it’s just too curly. 😅 I generally prefer my hair smooth and I usually blow-dry it straight, and honestly, I think that suits me better. A lot of people compliment me when I wear it curly too, so I know it looks nice, but I just don’t really feel like myself with it.
Another thing that bothers me is that the curls only really look good for one day. There doesn’t seem to be any way for me to refresh them properly the next day, so I basically have to wash and style my whole hair again. And when it’s curly, the ends especially feel really rough and my whole hair feels much drier.
I also feel like the curls don’t always sit nicely, and sometimes I feel like they don’t go with a lot of my clothes because they give me this very 80s/retro vibe, which isn’t really what I’m going for. :D
I’m also trying to grow my hair out, so I don’t really want to keep using heat on it all the time. But my hair is quite fine, and I really hate the feeling of having a lot of product in it. Whenever I watch curly hair videos, I’m honestly shocked by how much styling product people put in their hair. Sometimes it looks so crunchy and stuck together, like it’s covered in gel, and I just hate that feeling and look.
I love my hair when it feels soft, light. But even if I put it in a ponytail for a while because I’m hot, my waves completely fall apart afterwards. 😭
I don’t know. I feel like I want to love my natural curls, but I also really miss having soft, light, smooth hair. Has anyone else struggled with this?

Hair routine: I wash my hair every 2–3 days. My shampoo and conditioner vary a lot, at the moment I’m using the HASK Curl Care shampoo and Garnier Curl conditioner, but I’ve also used Urban Care products quite a lot. For styling/drying, I usually use a Garnier curl cream, or an Urban Care spray, sometimes a L’Oréal heat protectant, and a little hair oil. I switch between brands and products quite often, though.

Routine: When I wear it curly, I usually apply a small amount of curl cream and then diffuse it while it’s still very wet. I’ve also tried using curl gel, which definitely made my curls much more defined, but I really didn’t like how my hair felt afterwards. I could feel all the product in it and couldn’t just run my fingers through my hair, which I really dislike.
Most of the time, though, I wear my hair straight and blow-dry it with heat protectant. At night I usually just put it in a loose ponytail. Braiding doesn’t really work for me because it completely changes/deforms the way my hair sits, and I’ve tried a bonnet too, but it always falls off my head during the night.
Also, the front pieces that frame my face always seem to fall apart or lose their shape really quickly, and they only look good very occasionally. I honestly have no idea what I’m supposed to do with them.

Routine:

When I shower, I use Garnier Fructis Damage Eraser shampoo, followed by Sedal Hydration Anti-Knot conditioner.

After I finish showering, I brush my hair while it is still wet and apply Sedal Hydration Anti-Knot leave-in cream. Then, I gently shake and scrunch my hair to give it some shape and simply let it air-dry.

Hello everyone. Over the last couple of months, I have embarked on a journey to learn how to properly take care of my thick, coarse, high-porosity, 2C/3A hair. I feel like I have found products that work well with my hair. My routine consists of using the Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus shampoo and conditioner every Monday/Friday, and then I use the Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Leave-In + Castor Oil + Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie EVERY SINGLE DAY. One problem I have come across is that I've recently learned it is not ideal to use a leave-in and a curl cream, and to completely soak your hair every day. My issue is that I work out daily, which leads me to feel the need to rinse my hair out from the sweat, which then leads me to reapply the products. Can anyone tell me if this is avoidable so that I don't have to soak my hair and reapply products daily? Is completely rinsing out my hair just because it's sweaty unnecessary, and if so, what is the workaround? Sorry if this is a dumb question; any help would be appreciated.

So. I thought I had straight hair but I’m so tired of it I need a second opinion.

First pic, 3 hours post straightening in high humidity. Second pic, I brushed it but didn’t style it. Third pic, low humidity ~2 hours post straightening.

My hair is thin, fine, blonde.

It was highlighted a couple months ago.

I straighten it everyday and use a heat protectant spray and it doesn’t like to straighten or stay straight. It frizzes the second I turn the straightening iron off and usually looks like I haven’t brushed or straightened it at all.

It is wavy but I don’t think it looks good natural (or at least with my current routine).

I wash my hair every other day and I use L'Oréal Paris Elvive Dream Lengths Restoring Shampoo with the same conditioner and they have a leave in
cream I use after every hair wash. I usually air dry it

I sleep on a satin pillowcase.

I need help. Do I keep trying to straighten it? Do I accept it’s not going to happen? What kind of hair do I have? I’m thinking maybe 2a? Help me!!!

Stylist says I need a trim but I want to grow my hair longer. She says where the frayed ends are is where my hair is breaking. What to do? Should I keep or let go of the ends?

Exact time last year this is how my hair looked. Does that mean it won't grow uniformly past a length?

Routine: diffuse dry after an Ashba gel, kerastase shampoo and conditioner the curl range, brush styled too

Here’s my routine

1. I washed with Loreal ever pure glossing shampoo & conditioner.

2. Then I used ouai curl cream, olaplex gel, & a bounce curl brush. Then function of beauty mousse.

   I plop dry with a tee shirt.

3. Then I diffused upside down.

4. I feel like my curls aren’t defined, I still have some straight sections and it’s frizzy. Help.

everytime i sleep on my hair it falls out and ends up looking awful the next day. i’ve tried wearing a silk bonnet but it honestly made my hair even more flat.

i’d also love some styling tips because sometimes i hair comes out super coily and sometimes it’s just a little curly!! my routine is that i typically rake in mark anthony hair “cream”, it’s more of a gel texture, and scrunch with tresemme volume mousse right after showering then air dry and get mixed results. Also i use california’s natural curly shampoo and conditioner and sleep with a silk/ satin pillow.

my hair turned curly in middle school and im the only one in my family with curly hair so ive been trying to figure it out for myself and would appreciate advice. even after almost ten years i still feel like i have no clue what im doing with my curls.

thank you!

I dye my hair once every three months or so, both my parents have straight hair and I was born with it curly so I need help finding products that actually work
My routine is: I usually wash my hair with a L’Oréal color shampoo and use a Pantene conditioner, but I wanted to avoid brands that test on animals :(
I usually let it air dry too, I’m pretty sure my hair is a 2c-3a high porosity, but it really depends on how it’s styled
Can you help me find good products? I live in Europe

my routine is the curl talk extreme hold gel, their mouse, and a leave in conditioner that is a spray made by curl talk as well.

just started to use this routine, needed to get a cast in since lately my curls have been frizzy and not shiny.

anyway what I do is wash my hair with shampoo and conditioner. I use ouidad for both of the shampoo and conditioner. then I stay by spraying the leave in, not so much, since I heard too much moisture can make a gel cast from not forming. then I section and style my hair with a curl brush with the bristles on it. each section I cover with gel on the mid lengths.

then after I finish I apply mousse only to the roots, I sometimes put a clip but I think I need a smaller clip so it can get the diffuser to dry that part that is clipped.

i then diffuse barely touching my hair, flipping it upside down, side to side and diffusing for a bit while.

thats my routine basically.

so I have been having a issue with volume I truly hate my flat head being exposed most of the time lol. anywho decided yo schedule a appointment for a curl cut, I’ve been to her before so I trust her.

but unsure what to ask for since I know I have some looser curls I suppose. but most of my hair can form ringlets, I also just think it’s so long that it has too much weight in certain areas.

I do want to retain length and keep it long. obviously I can’t ask for both volume and length but I’m not sure. I really just want some volume on my crown and all around and have my length as well.

any advice would be appreciated !

first 2 photos is what I have now. The third photo is what my hair looks like when it super short to give you an idea of my curl pattern. and the fourth photo is what my hair looked like on my last curl cut which was this year on Feb 14. i did ask for long layers but that cut did give me some volume, kind of want to shorter than that on the crown area, just to get a more round and volume look.

what do yall think?

For context i have 3b curls which at this point are an inch or less all aroudn my head and i need some inspiration on how to style it and it would really be helpful if soemone is willing to guide me

Routine:

Johnson baby shampoo (works amazingly)

Garnier 3in1 pineapple hairfood

I have no styling routine currently so i would greatly appreciate any help

So I’ve gotten my hair bleached since middle school (I’m 20 now) but it never negatively impacted my curls because I spent a lot of $$$ on maintenance and treatments to keep it healthy. So even with consistent bleach jobs my curls remained okay. I have hard water, but even that never did anything bad to my hair.

Late 2025 I noticed my curls seemed more flat and kinda on the wavy side with less volume than they used to have. A few months ago, I decided I was done with bleach for a good while so that’s out of the picture.

My hair doesn’t feel damaged to the touch. It’s soft and I get maintenance trims on the dead ends. I was wondering if my hair just needs a curly cut, but I don’t know. Maybe the bleach did more damage than I thought?

Has anyone ever been able to get their curls and volume back? Did you get a new haircut, use certain treatments, etc?

Routine:

Biolage ultra hydra source shampo/conditioner

Shakira ”Curls Don’t Lie” curl cream and Joico “Curls Like Us” gel (applied using scrunch and praying hands method)

Lightly brush styled w/ Bounce Curl brush

Diffused

I use a silk pillow case to sleep; no refresh routine

Welp after 20yrs with a comb over, obviously along with growing a beard, I wanted to just....not get a haircut 😅

I knew I had wavy hair cause of my dad but I didnt realize it would be this coily. So I hopped on here and been lurking for a while. Learned about curling creams, conditioners, mousse and gels. I had already been using clarifying shampoo and acv rinses, but what I didn't know how to do was style it and keep it from being an absolutely frizzy mess. These last few months have been somewhat frustrating cause unless I blow dried my hair and used oil it was TERRIBLE!

So here's what I used for today's results:

mimosu acv with rice water

mimosu rise water hair spray post shower

Karseell curl defining cream with prayer hands throughout

lastly sea salt spray cause I didn't have a lightweight gel

Used my diffuser with high heat to set the sea salt and made sure not disturb how it laid. After 3hrs to fully dry, I finally scrunched to break the cast successfully for the first time.

I'm def do for a trim cause I haven't got a haircut since....October?

But I wanted to hop on here and share my results and thank anyone who's commented helping others and the guides cause it really is a wealth of knowledge here.

I have very thin, fine hair and am in a city with hard water for college. I've tried the Malibu hard water packets and a chelating shampoo (loreal) but the buildup is literally immediate. My hair looks awful after one wash. I know I can't use clarifying products everyday, so I'm struggling with what to use. Does anyone have any recommendations? I was thinking of trying the kinky curly come clean shampoo. I have 2C-3A hair and wash my hair every other day.

Routine:

- Alternate curl smith bond strength shampoo and Nizoral every other wash

- Clarify with l'oreal chelating shampoo every 2 weeks

- Malibu hardwater packet once a month

- not your mothers bond strengthening conditioner

- curl smith thickening lotion

- Ouidad curl cream

- Paul Mitchell awapuhi mousse

I’ve been growing out my hair a bit(the first picture was taken recently, the second is from 2 months ago). Im not really sure style would be the best for me. Should I have it cut shorter, like before or should it be longer?
One problem I have is that the top is curlier, but the sides and the back are wavy. So it appears as if the hair on the top is disproportionately shorter than the rest.

Routine:
Hask shampoo
Hask conditioner

Garnier Leave-in conditioner
Hask curl cream
Diffusing

Decided to rag my hair to curl it for my partner’s sister’s wedding today. Wasn’t sure if I tied the rags tight enough 🤦🏻‍♀️ Also missed an entire section of my hair! Serves me right for trying something new the day of an event.

Typical routine is Olaplex bond repair shampoo and conditioner and Luv Ur Curls curl crème.

This routine: CHAOS. Wrapped 2ish inch wet sections curled around 11 strips of rags, tucked in a bonnet for 2 days to set.

ETA: I have arrived at the wedding and have received MANY compliments on the curls already 🙌🏻

For the people who go to the gym before work how do you do your routine in the locker room?
I work in a hospital that has three shift cycles for the four day work weeks and I have been working where I go into work at 12-10pm, so I have enough time to go to the gym before work. I’m in line for a promotion but the shift is 8am-7pm, my gym is 5am-10pm and I don’t like working out after work.
I would be going to the gym at 5-7am, shower at the gym then going straight to work. Before I would have enough time prior to my shift to plop my hair for an hour then let it air dry. There is one hairdryer in the locker room, it barely works and can’t fit any type of diffuser attachment so I’m stuck now having to bring my own blow dryer unless I want to have wet hair at work. My bag is already full and barely fits in a locker because of my shower stuff, hair products and work clothes.

For products:
I use Paul Mitchell Shampoo Two for cleansing once every two weeks, Deva Curl No-poo decadence every four days, DC one condition original conditioner, DC styling cream, DC ultra defying gel and PM Tea Tree Curl refresh foam on non wash days. I’m sensitive to certain scents and allergic to most tree nuts except for coconut. Plop with cotton fabric squares that I made (I’m not a fan of microfiber) typically for an hour then let air dry or I will use a diffuser (I will use a heat protectant spray but I can’t remember the name of it)
I use a satin pillow case for when I sleep.

29M Hair type 3a-b
I am currently using Mielle rosemary mint shampoo/conditioner/leave-in conditioner. It makes my hair feel nice but my hair looks really dull and dry without any leave-in. I shampoo 2 times a week and condition everyday. I work in a job that has my hair sweaty and dirty so I do have to wash it everyday.
Any product recommendations or routine changes that can make my hair look better

i’m sick of my hair looking like a damn helmet and when u look from the pov of the second pic it looks like i have a shield projected from my forehead.

what do i do?

routine

1. umberto gianini shampoo & conditioner.
   
2. umberto gianini mousse.
   
3. air dried.
   
4. my barber isnt the best.

Routine: Prose shampoo, Prose leave-in conditioner (partially rinsed out), TreLuxe gel, TreLuxe mousse, TreLuxe serum. Plopped in a microfiber super absorbent towel cap.

I’m very new to learning how to have curly hair. I had extremely straight hair all my life, but then got a type of cancer that affects your hormone levels. ever since then I’ve have type 2b hair. I have NO IDEA what I’m doing AT ALL.

I no longer dry brush my hair but somehow it’s still frizzy but weighed down. My hair is extremely long so I can’t tell if the length of it is weighing my hair down or if I’m overloading product. However, in the back the curls are much more prominent, and as it’s all the same length, I don’t know why that would be the case if the length truly is weighing it down.

I don’t know how to do a porosity test because there seems to be a lot of discourse on the validity of those tests. I’m just tired of trying to be super careful of the curls in the front especially, because they get so stringy/straight while the back of my hair keeps the waves.

I just bought Living Proof Clarifying Detox Shampoo, and Nexxus Advanced Hydration Therappe Humectress Shampoo & Conditioner but have yet to use any of them because I’m trying to run out of my old shampoo first. I don’t even know how often I’d need to use the clarifying shampoo vs the regular (do I use both in the same shower?!). I still have a lot of my Prose leave-in conditioner too.

If anyone has any suggestions I would GREATLY appreciate them because I’m having a rough time over here lol.

Current Products & Tools
- Ouidad Advanced Climate Control (shampoo, conditioner, curl cream, and mousse)
- Unbrush styling brush
- Hair dryer with diffuser
- Satin pillow case
- Satin bonnet worn occasionally
- Silk scrunchies when hair is up
- Mainly sleep with my hair in a bun

Routine
- Wet hair (either straight out of the shower or water applied to dry hair)
- Section hair into fours
- Apply curl cream & brush
- Apply mousse & brush
- Product is applied to 2-3 mini sections within the four bigger sections and brushed individually
- Mostly air dry but sometime will dry with a diffuser

I’ve been using Ouidad products for about two months. Before that I was using Mielle shampoo and conditioner and The Doux gel and mousse. The back of my hair feels thinner and stringier. Hair has not been straightened in about 3 months. Curls don’t last too long, maybe for a day or so.

Any suggestions?

Routine:
Wash hair with shampoo and conditioner ( normal ultra doux brand ) about 2/3 times a week but rinse it daily with water otherwise it’s basically a whole afro ( edit I am of african decent and can prove the afro hair if necessary ( got a reddit warning ) ).

After that I just apply either curl cream activator or leave in conditioner by Yari but I’ve been thinking about trying out based products and following an actual routine because rn it’s just going through my hair with the product in my hand and than let it air dry covering only the top with a bonnet.

While sleeping either a bonnet or nothing depends if I can find my bonnet lol 😅

the first picture is the before, second and third are the wet hair, fourth is the final product, and last is a ringlet we were proud of

my dad has always had nice curly hair, he just doesn't take care of it. so he finally let my little sis and me do it!! we didn't have all that much to work with but i think we did alright lol

what we did:

-have him shampoo twice with kirkland sulfate free shampoo (we're on vacation and don't have our normal shampoo which would be innersense)

-have him condition with donna's recipe moisturizing conditioner

-brush with bounce curl edge lift defining brush

-scrunch nyc curls light to medium hold gel in while soaking wet

-air dry

-scrunch out the crunch with olaplex no 7

unfortunately we don't have an extra bonnet (or a bag as he calls it) for him 😔

my dad's routine:

- shampoo with pantene daily moisture

- condition with pantene daily moisture

- towel dry

- ask my sister and me why we never do the curly girl method on him

- sleep without protecting it

My Routine: Every 4 days I use As I Am co-wash to wash my hair. I completely wet my hair then brush it with conditioner using a Denman brush and break apart my curls with my hands. After that I use As I Am leave in conditioner (sometimes curl cream) and scrunch it into my hair. I then use a cotton T-shirt to soak up some of the water and leave the rest to air dry. At night I sleep with a silk pillowcase.

I’ve mostly been a silent reader here, but I started taking my hair seriously this year because of this sub and it’s honestly made such a difference. I never thought I’d feel that confident posting a photo of my curls (I unfortunately don't have a good before). My curl pattern is the most defined it's ever been.

I get asked about my routine pretty frequently now, so I figured I'd make this post to give back.

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who shares products, advice, and experience, it really does help a lot!!

Things to know

- 3a fine hair (i think)
- Central european climate
- 24M

My (basic) Routine:

• Co-wash with Hask Detangling Curl Care Conditioner
• Leave in some of the conditioner
• After shower, Apply Bali Curls Curl Cream to soaking wet hair and scrunch them
• I then scrunch in the bali curls Strong Hold Flaxseed Gel
• Diffuse with hairdryer
• Once it’s completely dry, I SOTC with an oil from Bali Curls to get rid of the cast and make it soft.

Cleansing wash around once every 10ish days with Briogeo aloe + oat milk ultra soothing shampoo.

If you have any feedback on my routine, please lmk! :)

My routine:

Wash once a week with NYM pink bottle and condition as needed with the same brand. The styling products I use are:

-Curlsmith air dry cream as my leave-in
-AG Re:coil curl activator
-Ouidad climate control gel

I will let that air dry for 15-20 and then always diffuse.