by
Black Girl With Long Hair
Lately I’ve received several emails from readers wanting to know how to define their curls and coils.
Franchesca says….
“After I wash my hair, I love the curls that I see. But after I detangle it, it turns into a fro with no definition. How can I detangle my hair and still have the curls I see after shampooing?”
and Alexis says…
“My issue is that I have multiple textures in my hair and I really don’t know how to define my curls… It is so hard to find a product that is not too heavy for one part an not too light for another and I just really need advice.”
I know that defining coily/curly natural hair can be a challenge. What is your method?
60 Responses
Finger detangling. Using even a wide tooth comb on my hair makes me lose all curl definition. Once you continue to finger detangle it becomes easier and you have increased curl definition. It doesn’t take forever as time goes on as well. I’m 4a/b, super coily
yep I would say finger detangle and don’t stretch your hair at all if you want your natural curl definition to shine. Think of your hair as a slinky, after you’ve stretched that slinky a couple of times it doesn’t coil back up like it used to. I also only finger detangle now. I use NO styling tools because they break my tiny coils apart. Lastly moisture is so important. I remember someone said frizzy hair is just curly hair waiting to be moisturized. Moisturized hair will clump in some form or fashion. It might not be how you want it to clump, but it will clump! Asf or my hairtype I believe it’s mostly 4b it looks puffy with teeny tight coils
SHINGLING! Me and my twin sister are 4b/4c, and I honestly say it works! It’s basically partitioning into smaller parts, detangling, dampening, adding a curl definer then a gel to define curls. You don’t detangle again after. Works a treat! YouTube & Google it for better description
I have element texturizer in my hair. Can I do finger coils? The texturizer made my hair straight.
nope not if your hair is straight
I have 4bc hair and usually I don’t bother to define my curls as I have gotten use to the fluffiness and Afro texture of my hair. However, I recently started using Shea Moisture products which I really enjoy. I discovered that a mixture of Shea Moisture Curling Gel Soufflé and echo styler gel works well on wet hair to give definition to my curl reluctant texture:) My hair doesn’t get crunchy using the mixture of the two. I do find it hard to revive this wash and go style the next day…it just isn’t the same, but a second day curly updo is feasible.
You gave the best answer. Thanks for the tip, Ms Nay 24. I will use it.
Hello Ladies: You will have to form your curls. My hair is just like yours….I turntp into a fro. Use Eco Styler Gel and Shea Smother Curl Smoothie together. Also have a spray bottle on hand. You will spray your hair when your hair becomes dry. Anyways, part your hair in sections. You will then grab pieces of hair from one sections at a time and apply the shea butter first with a little gel to give the curl definition. You will either use the smooth method where you just rub down the piece of hair smoothly and once you let it go the curl will form or you can actually move your pointy finger in a circular motion forming your curl. It usually takes me about a hour to complete my entire head. Once I am done and It’s dry I pick out my curls. Then on day two you can spray your hair with water and olive oil…also use activator no drip in the spray bottle daily. Once your curls are formed the next week you will only have to co wash your hair but don’t comb your curls or move it around so much when your washing out the conditioner. Dry, shake and then go!
But what is your hair type? Is it type 4b/4c?
Hello..my hair type is 4a. I can share some other tips via email.
But how do I get my 4b/c hair to look like 4a.tips will be appreciated 😉
Ty for the advice
What is your miracle moisture cream?
i use the TC method, where you just take condish and run it along individual sections all over your head. works great and lasts forreeevver…until you wash your hair again at least.
Is buildup an issue with this method?
no, generally, so long as you shampoo every 3rd or 4th wash
I wash my hair with a gentle shampoo and rinse. While still in the shower, I squeeze some water out, and saturate my hair with conditioner. Then, I detangle (gently!), rinse out the conditioner with lukewarm water, and do the cold water rinse for as long as I can stand it. Don’t touch your hair while rinsing, as the water actually “sets” your curls. When I step out of the shower, I wrap a soft towel around my hair, taking care to not squeeze or wring out. Last step is to apply more conditioner. I usually use Aussie 3 minute repair (it’s actually a deep conditioner, but my hair loves it). When you are applying the conditioner on the last step, don’t comb your hair or “rake” it with your fingers. Don’t touch it until it dries. After it completely air dries, I shake my head a few times and separate some of the curls. It works everytime!
I have to try this for I have different texted hair going on also. If I airdry my hair, it becomes like an afo so I have to lay my hair down. When I do a braid or twist out the front holds and looks great and the rest frizzes out. I need help.
What is your hair type though?
I define my 4a/4b hair using my Miracle Moisture cream. I formulate a lot of stuff and was just looking for something that would tame the frizz on my curls. I used this as part of air dry routine and wow! I started testing it and so far my 3b/3c ladies love it too. Best yet it has absolutely no silicones or mineral oil (I don’t believe in that stuff).
Ladies great info. By the way the beautiful woman in the photo above’s name is Ayo she is an amazing african singer. Beautiful, gorgeous and talented thanks guys Please give props to her by spelling her name correctly. She is an icon in my book!
keep your hair soppin wet when you get out of the shower, dont comb it every day (it takes 3-6 weeks for hair to loc) pick it every 2 weeks with shampoo in your hair rinse condition rinse while really wet put in (i like elasta qp feels like silk i have multiple textures and all of them are curly)dont comb wipe around edges until it stops dripping,air dry, also for better curls try washing your hair upside down(it really works,dont comb it every day let your curls get to know each other and dont wash everyday rinse and use a little less product everyday and tie it down at night to avoid breakage.
I keep it pretty simple. I BC this past January and my hair is about 2-3 inches in length. I wash, condition and do a ACV rinse every Sunday night, then I use ECO styler gel to wet set finger coils all over. I tie it up in a silk scarf and the next morning I lightly unravel the coils. I apply a small dab of Lite S Curl activator to soften and shine and I am done. Every night I tie it back up, and every morning I lightly mist with S Curl activator spray (this works for me)For me this is as easy as pie!
Taliah Waajid has great and affordable products with fabulous herbal ingedients for natural hair, I love her detangling protective mist bodifier and the crinkles and curls natural hair and lock styling lotion.
brunettefury and B, I’m not a fan of VO5, Herbal Essence, or Suave…my hair likes Tresseme as a rinse out conditioner and Pantene ProV moisture rich line…I was kind of dissappointed bc the other stuff is so cheap and everybody seems to love it but it’s my hair so I gotta let it do it’s thing..lol…I have tried Cream of Nature leave in and my hair loves it so that’s a plus…!
I tried my first wash n go last weekend, stalked youtube and found a girl with hair as close to mine and her technique work…she did a rake through process where she sectioned her hair off, grabbed a glob of gell and just raked through until she felt her hair soften…I did this same things..and finally got an equally defined head of tight juicy curls…by the time it FINALLY dried, baby I was looking like Winona from Good Times..that fro had shrunk up about another 3 inches than normal and those curls were tight! I like my two day old twist out much better, it looks more authentic and natural…and my curls look like my own…
brunettefury, you’re not the only one. I don’t use VO5 either. I’m not really fond of Suave or Cream of Nature either (yes, really). If your hair doesn’t agree, just keep it moving no worries. I may revisit Cream of Nature soon out of curiosity…but I mostly use Giovanni and Nature’s Gate at this point.
4Bs and 4As, for a great defined twist our product that is all natural try Nature’s Natural Twist & Grow Loc Gel. I used to use Miss Jessie’s Curly Buttercream (not all natural and pricey), but this stuff works. Can be found at http://www.chatto.com for $5.00 for a 3 oz jar, and she usually sends along with your order a sample of her Aloe Conditioning Mist!
Do not use gels unless it is Aloe Vera Gel or damage will be result. Or you can try gels that are natural for definition under a dryer. I believe Susheka has a good gel and also Giovanni.
I’m digressing from the original point, but V05 conditioners seem to work for a lot of people, but I think my hair hates it. It’s funny because I don’t read a lot of negative reviews for that product, only positive. I’m transitioning and usually when I use V05, it wreaks havoc on my hair. It gets pretty dry…I’m wondering if maybe it’s the soy protein in the conditioner.
After I wash my hair, I simply braid my locs and leave the braids in after my hair is dry. I twist it first with shea butter. After my hair is dry, I simply take out the braids and voila…coil and definition.
http://www.naturaliscoolenough.blogspot.com
One thing I’ve discovered about my hair is that when I keep it properly moisturized, I don’t have any problem getting it to curl. It insists on doing so. But when my hair is too dry, I get a greater tendency to end up with a nice case of cotton-head. Now I don’t mind some fluff; it keeps my mom happy when she sees me. But for my hair, nothing else I do matters as much if I don’t keep it moisturized. So if you’ve tried several things, and none of them seem to be working for you the way you thought they ought, try upping the moisture. I moisturize mine as intently as if it were a Jheri curl, and if you’ve ever had one, you know you have to moisturize the daylights out of those things every day.
conditon wash
rinse
put it conditioner again, DO NOT RINSE
air dry..no combing or detangling.
finger style when halfway dry.
DO NOT BRUSH OR COMB.
When my hair was really short – (an inch or 2) I’d do the Kinky Curly method in the shower and then I’d let it air dry. Then a few weeks ago I discovered the magic of twisting! I wash my hair, let it air dry and then twist it (I guess that’s not really my true curl pattern this way) but when I take the twists out in the morning my hair is so curly and defined – really cute!
While my hair is dry I put box braids in. Then I wash it. Then I put hair lotion over my wet hair. Often I leave the ends unbraided and twirl it around my finger to give it a curl. I do this at night so that when I wake up my hair is dry. Take out braids and your hair has some weight to fall down and not stick up, if you have some length to it. My hair is about 6-7 inches and it falls down for about 3 days and then starts to defy gravity.
@NapturallyHappy and @LBell
– I see where you’re coming from in reference to the video. I think that playing with your hair and achieving different looks is cool and fun but can easily cross the line into curl obsession for some people. An indication that you’ve crossed the line into obsession might be spending HOURS each week to achieve a different texture-look and feeling your own isn’t as great.
My hair has a small but naturally occurring curl you can easily see. But my experience with wearing my hair out with curls on display was that my hair didn’t retain length as easily. So my advice is that if you wish to wear your hair this way and don’t have a natural curl pattern you can easily see then just to be careful you’re not manipulating your hair too much and that you don’t wear it out/loose too often and lose out on length retention you could get by wearing your ends tucked into a cute fluffy 10 minute updo.
why the curl/coil definition obsession. just let your hair be.
NapturallyHappy, I co-sign 100% re that video. Back when I first saw it I left a comment saying that that so-called “tough” hair looked gorgeous and soft. I’ve seen some of her other videos but I’m not going to put her on blast…I’ll let other people judge for themselves.
I too have mostly 4b/4c hair that doesn’t have super-obvious curls. As I said, I can get what passes for pattern definition with products alone (without twisting, plaiting, etc.) if my hair is a certain length or less. But I also don’t have a problem wearing it in its naturally frizzy texture…I’m not going to spend 3-4 hours (or longer! check out some of the people commenting!) brushing gel through small sections just to mimic “good” hair. I’m where you are: If it takes longer than 20 minutes, it’s not getting done.
braid outs with products heavy in castor oil give me great definition. in the morning i take down my braids with minimal manipulation. i do a little bit of fluffing and i got pretty kinky/curly fro.
warm weather helps too. my loose hair doesn’t react well to the cold weather. i usually wear cornrows in the winter.
I have about a 3 inch (stretched) TWA now, after cutting my locs last August, with 4 a/b hair. My current routine is simple: a daily cowash with V05 Free me Freesia (or any moisturizing, non-cones condish) and I put in Say Yes to Cucumbers conditioner as a leave-in (they have a marketed SY to C leave-in, but the ingredients are identical and the leave-in is more expensive for less product, so I just use their rinse out condish as a leave-in). I deep condish as I see fit, which might be every two weeks or so.
My curl definition is great, IMO, after its dry. There are like 90% coils and about 10% cottony texture.
One thing I’ve started to do is to only use products that are specifically for keeping the hair moisturized or has moisturizing ingredients (i.e., aloe vera, etc.) or products that are for damaged hair. I balance that with a deep condish with protein to keep the hair strong. I think the combo of “watering” it daily and using moisturizing products keeps my hair lush.
I have 4C hair and I can have some pretty curls. All that I do is
-Washing my hair with Dr Bronners castile soap ( I love this!!)
– Conditionning with VO5 Moisture Milks
– Rinse the V05 with water + Apple Vinegar mix
– Put Coconut oil during 5 min
– Rinse with source water
– Put a little amount of coconut oil on damp hair
– And then, make bantu knot with aloe vera gel lily of dessert.
The next morning take it off, brush slowly from the root to the end or u can do this with your fingers and It’s perfect!!!
But
a good youtuber to watch about detangling and still keeping definition is cynthiarf on youtube. her fro is amazing and her definition is gorgeous.
I get definition by finger styling while my hair is still soaking wet. I either leave quite a bit of conditioer in my hair from washing to ease finger styling, or I use pro-style gel if i want more defined curls. Just twirl strands around your finger and let them dry! My hai type is 3c/4a and I had the same problem starting out.
Hair Rules! kinky curling cream works to define as well.
haha @ Sofull Sista, I’m over the “curl-definition” effort as well. I too am a 4b/c and my hair just doesn’t have the “curls” that are so coveted. I think its okay though because one has to realize that natural hair comes in so many different forms that if your hair doesn’t do what another natural’s hair does, its okay. I too just do a twist-out or braid out to achieve somewhat of a “curly” look, but for the most part, it doesn’t really bother me.
http://www.notlikereallife.blogspot.com
This is a lil off topic, but I’ll post anyway. I watched the video posted by Sandy and was a bit bothered. As I said earlier, I believe in letting hair do what it may). Anyway, onto the video….
Her description of her hair: “kinky, kinky, dryyyyy, rough, tangled-up bush”, “as tough as you get”, “can’t put your hand through it” “just cotton” in a tone that seemed to indicate she could not stand her natural texture.
Her comments on what she achieves after all of the manipulation and products: “gorgeous, defined, shiny, glossy, defined curl that gets lots of compliments”
Her goal in the process: “break down the kinky coily and get the hair to start cooperating”
I’m not sure why the words bugged me so much. I’m not knocking the style. It’s pretty. I think it’s just the words that bothered me. Seemed so negative about the natural hair as it grows out of her head. I’ll probably need to watch some more of her videos to get a different impression. There was a discussion about curly hair being the new perm on either this blog or another one. I don’t recall where I read it, but a lot of naturals do seem obsessed with achieving the almighty CURL. It seems such a waste of time to go to all that effort to manipulate your hair. Then again, I’m super low maintenance. Anything over 20 minutes on my hair is too damn long. Would explain my one-note styling.
Co-sign with detangling in shower (preferably while conditioner is in hair) with the widest-tooth comb you can find. Once you get out, use your fingers to comb through and add product and then let your hair do what it may. IMO, the curl will never look the same as when it’s wet. The water weighs the curl down changing it (i.e making it seem looser). Curls will always look different when dry.
Side note: I have been able to use Ms. Jessie’s curly pudding and a comb AFTER showering and I find I get great curl definition for a week. I have to mix it with something else do as the curly pudding alone is quite drying and leaves the hair feeling hard. It works well mixed with the buttercreme. A little too expensive for my taste though, so not sure I’ll be buying more once my stock runs out.
I don’t even try because I’m enjoying my comb free/brush free life. If I want curls I’ll fake it with a bantu knot out.
OOH! Also— Try the Cherry Lola Treatment! It worked wonders on defrizzing and conditioning my curls!!
+1 on the no combing…sure finger detangle a bit in the shower, but stay away from the full out combing on a regular basis… I didn’t know I even HAD curls until I stopped combing!!!
FOR 4C hair type
stretch the hair . Grab a little section and apply a tiny bit of gel that can dry out quickly. The hair will revert to it coils but will not shrink up as much. I do not recommend to apply as much as on this video but she has it right :
For me, I like the frizz! However, when I want curl definition, I do these 6 steps:
1. ACV rinse
2. Deep condition
3. Finger detangle in sections
4. 100% boar bristle brush to smooth hair
5. Make 8 braids
6. Completely air dry
Let me be honest, this is a true process, but it gets the curls poppin’
I just cheat with twist-outs (about 1 or 2 inches wide) and separate each section fully or spray my hair with a little bit of water. It gives my hair a cute fuzzy kind of curliness that I like a lot better than that super defined type that you get from shingling. Anything else is too much effort for my 4b hair.
I’m a solid 4b, I don’t expect to see CURL definition in my hair anymore. I just don’t have hair that does that, but I’m ok with that b/c it can do plenty of other things. My natural curl pattern consists of lots of very small coils, thus no product separates them to achieve this coil/curl definition.
If I want small curl definition, I’ll twist/braid my hair, keep them in for most of the week and rock the twist/braid-out for the remaining days.
I’ll be watching this closely, because other than creating curls with twist outs, I have no clue 🙁 It does look nice and curly when wet and freshly shampoo’d or cowashed…then just dries into afro/fluff. not that i mind my afro, just would like the curlies to pop sometimes too
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I think people have different meanings for “curl/coil definition.”
Take, for example, that gorgeous pic of Ayo above. I call that a “chunky fro,” and I don’t think of it as “defined”… but I LOVE that look! I think my texture is quite similar to hers, and today my hairstyle looks very much like that pic, same length and everything. I achieve *that* look by doing a twist out on dry hair with butter and then sleeping scarf-less on a satin pillowcase. It lasts about three days before I need to re-twist.
To me “curl definition” is seeing almost each individual hair in its curly/coily glory. I achieve *this* kind of definition by using a leave-in on soaking wet hair followed by either KCCC (Kinky Curly Curling Custard) OR Curls by Sisters Smith Wet Set Pudding. And then — MUY IMPORTANTE — don’t touch it while it dries.
Another reason why I’m about to return to almost-TWA length is that it’s always been a lot easier for me to get pattern definition with products alone on shorter hair (3 inches or less). I am very much in the type 4 family: When my hair is wet I have a lot of small coils in the front half of my head and almost none in the back half. In the past if my hair was short enough I could use either a heavy gel or a thick styling cream (I used to use Kiehl’s) on mostly-wet hair. This makes the coils pop and with a little fingerstyling the back will either make tiny waves or form popcorn curls. It’s been a VERY long time since I’ve done this (pattern definition on short hair) so I need to experiment with some of the newer product/combos out here.
Past 3″, noticeable pattern definition will only happen if I do a twistout or braidout. My best, longest-lasting results come when the twists are done on wet or damp hair with a strong-hold product and allowed to dry for at least 24 hours.
To Fran: I have the same prob!!! I wash my hair, condish and THEN detangle, pulling through defines the coils. When I rinse the condish, I use my hands on my scalp to shake all residue out. After that I shake the water from my head and don’t touch!! This can only be done in the hot days of spring and summer though…soooo sorry if it wasn’t a RIGHT NOW….kinda thing, lol.
The quickest and easiest way to refine your curls would be to put more conditioner back in after you detangle then either rinse it under cooler water or leave it in…then don’t touch it.You can also put a little eco styling gel/whatever you like when it still soaking wet to help with the frizz and add more definition if the conditioner doesn’t give you as much as you like.
I actually Googled this very question about 2 months ago.
Google directed me to the following YouTube video:
Nice, right?
I actually haven’t tried it yet.
I’m a 4b/4c who wants the curl definition but who’s too lazy to do the work it takes to get them.
I’m so not into dedicating hours to achieving a certain look.
GOOD LUCK!
The #1 rule for curly hair: no combing.
After shampooing, I detangle/comb-through with conditioner. Then rinse that out, condition again, rinse (curls are back, ya?), never touch the comb again, and add styling product to my hair. I use a cotton scarf to dry my hair by wringing my hair in it and leaving for a bit. Kinda like a Music Soulchild head wrap. Sometimes when it’s halfway dry, I’ll add a little more conditioner.
The least manipulation the better. I get best curl definition in the summer when I can just go out with wet hair and it’ll dry in the sun. Or when I laze around the house. Blow dryers also frizz up curls.
Also, I think gel is a frequent no-no, however if it’s a special occasion or you just want to get great definition on a certain day, a light gel when your hair is about 1/2-3/4 way dry really brings those curls back. (Be sure to precede and follow with conditioner! And not use everyday!)
Another thing I hear about (and the name of this blog) is the desire for long hair moments other than that one picture you take stretching out a coil. What helps me is after detangling, conditioning, and adding product, I put it into one loose braid. Let the hair dry that way and I go from chin-length hair to slightly below shoulder length. BGLH. Almost.
Here is what I do, I detangle in the shower, apply product i.e.conditioner,gel,oil or whatever and shake, after that I do not touch it again because if you manipulate it in any way it will become a fuzz ball.
I have multiple textures…3 to be exact. To maintain curl definition, after I detangle, I rinse most of conditioner out of my hair. Add a little bit more and do the shingle method. I do another light rinse and then shake out as much of the excess water as possible. I do not use a towel. Just let my hair drip dry. I apply moisturizer and conditioner while still wet.
This works best for my multiple textures since conditioner is not too heavy for the looser curls and not too light for the tighter/coily parts. I use Herbal Essence Hello Hydration, Herbal Essence Totally Twisted or Renpure Organics (any of the 3).