As a curly haired person, I know that it is difficult to follow every tips and tricks you hear to get amazing curls. We always tend to make mistakes or in my case, get lazy or overlook our curls. We realize it when the curls get damaged and lose their charm and beauty.
Also, when I was small, I never cared about my curls as I didn’t know that curls require special care. I used to comb my hair, no special shampoo, and also no nighttime routine. When I grew up, that’s when I understood that curls are different and researched for the best curl care. But it was late as my curls were very damaged.
So, how to repair damaged curly hair? This was my first thought a few weeks back. And I did everything according to my hair texture and type, to bring back the bounce and curliness. So, here I am to let all my curly-haired friends to know, what to do if your curls get damaged.
But before that, it is also necessary to understand why the curls get damaged and how to protect them.
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Top 10 Tips on How to repair damaged curly hair
I have shortlisted 10 tips to repair damaged curly hair from my personal experience.
1. Condition Deeply-
A point that we all know, but follow very rarely. The best way to keep your curls healthy and bouncy is to give them the happiness of conditioning deeply.
Deep conditioning is nothing but applying a deep conditioner on your dry and damaged curls and leaving it for a longer time.
If the curl damage is excessive, you should deep condition them once a week or once every fortnight. The deep conditioning mask penetrates the hair strands deeply to ensure soft and smooth curls.
2. Make Your Curls Happy by Trimming-
Trimming makes our curls happy, it makes them bouncy and healthy. You might be thinking why is trimming so necessary, well, I used to think the same that my curls are not growing and I have to trim them. But the fact is, our curls grow, it’s just that the growth becomes less visible due to the coiled structure of curls.
When you trim your curls, you give them a fresh look and remove all dead ends and split ends too.
3. Water is Life-
Yes, I know we understood this line pretty early. But what I mean is, water is life not only for our body but also for our hair. Keeping ourselves hydrated helps to flush out the toxins from the body and make sure our hair is hydrated too.
4. Don’t Underestimate Satin-
Yes, I know while sleeping on a satin pillowcase, people around you might be wondering what is so special about curls. But they will only compliment you tomorrow morning when you will have frizz-free curls. The best thing about satin material is it does not absorb moisture from your curls.
And well-moisturized curls are soft and smooth.
5. Take Time with Conditioner-
Well, this is something you must follow. You will wash your curls twice a week, and on those two days, you must give your curls time. Time for shampoo to do cleansing, and time for conditioner to get absorbed in the hair strands.
After you apply hair conditioner, wait for at least 5 minutes, for it to get absorbed, and then try to wash it with cold water. This helps to seal the curl cuticles.
6. Give Your Curls Chemical Break-
Applying too much chemical on your curls will overload them. It is always a good idea to give them a break from harsh chemicals. A chemical break means you can skip the hair coloring and switch to something natural if your curls get damaged easily.
7. Pamper Curls with Moisturization-
Just like skin, our curls too need immense moisturization. Pampering curls with moisturization means applying leave-in conditioner on it, to make them soft and smooth. Leave-in conditioner is like moisturization for curls that penetrates in the hair strands and makes the styling easy.
8. Have Patience while Brushing-
First thing, dry curls should not be brushed. But if you still need to brush the curls, then second thing, have patience while brushing the curls. There are many different ways to brush the curls, always divide the curls and then start brushing them from the end.
9. Protect Curls by Protective Hairstyle-
If you have long curly hair, then it is necessary to protect them with protective hairstyle. Protective hairstyle means tying the curls in a bun or braid, this way the curls do not get tangled and are protected.
10. Say “No” to Heat Styling-
Heat styling your curls once in a while is ok, but doing it on a regular basis will dry your curls and make them dehydrated. If still you have to use the heating tool on your curls, use heat protectant spray.
What Causes Damaged Curly Hair?
So, now you have taken care of the damaged curly hair, let’s see what causes curly hair to damage.
1. Extreme Use of Heating Tool-
If you use a heating tool almost every day or even alternate days, then your curls will become dry and dehydrated. Also, extreme use of heating tools causes split ends and damages the hair cuticles.
2. Washing Curls Too Many Times-
Curly hair are dry in nature, now washing them frequently will make them drier and also remove the natural oil from the scalp.
3. Not Doing Proper Styling-
If you are using styling products on your curls, it is necessary to use them properly. Because not using hair products properly also damages them.
4. Using Any Products-
It is very necessary to use products made especially for curly hair, not doing so, will damage the hair cuticles and can also cause dryness. When I was small, I used to use any product on my curls, as a result, they became very damaged and dry.
5. Not Setting Good Hair Care Routine-
Just like you have your own routine, your skin routine, similarly it is necessary to have a hair care routine too. Following a proper hair care routine helps to keep your curls in a proper defined shape.
What is involved in a Hair care routine?
Well, the hair care routine is not that difficult. The following are the steps-
- Use a good hair serum or conditioner while sleeping.
- Tie your hair in a pineapple bun while sleeping.
- When you wake up, give your curls time to settle and brush them with your fingers, to open the curls.
- Always follow the L.O.C method to keep curls soft.
- Protect them from harsh sunlight.
6. Not Taking Care of Diet-
Eating a balanced diet helps to keep your curls healthy and defined. If you do not take a proper diet, then due to lack of nutrition your hair becomes weak, and that results in split ends and damage of curls.
Why Does Curly Hair Need Special Care?
After gaining knowledge about damaged curly hair and how to repair damaged curly hair, now is the time to understand why our curls need special care. Because, not everyone will understand the requirement of curly hair. It happened to me also, every time I used to do something different for my curls.
Everyone around me was like- “curls hi to hain, itni kya priority” This Means they are just curls, why do you give it so much importance? But that’s the whole point, they are curls and that’s why they need special importance.
Because curls are made this way one wrong move or one wrong product can damage them and then you have to start all over again.
The coiled structure of the curls already makes it difficult for the scalp oil to travel down the hair strands, and this is the reason the curls are dry and dehydrated.
From the above, we came to know the following reasons why curly hair needs special care-
- The coiled shape of hair follicles.
- Less moisture content in the hair follicles.
- Increased chances of breakage, as the curls are dry in nature.
- Curly hair is prone to tangle.
Natural Remedies for damaged curly hair
You saw the above tips on how to repair damaged curly hair. But you know, using natural remedies on your curls is one of the best ways to repair damaged curly hair fast. Some of the simple natural remedies that I follow to fix damaged curly hair are-
1. Yogurt Hair Mask for Damaged Hair-
Whenever I see curd or yogurt lying around in the fridge, I think of using it as my hair mask. A yogurt hair mask is an excellent ready-to-use ingredient that helps to repair the damaged curly hair.
Due to the high protein content in the yogurt, it helps to strengthen curly hair, reduce hair frizz, and make curls soft and shiny.
DIY Hair Mask:
- Take one bowl of sour curd.
- Add 1 tbsp. of honey in it.
- Mix them properly.
- Apply the yogurt on your curly hair.
- Keep it for 30 minutes.
- Wash it with lukewarm water.
2. Fenugreek Hair Mask for Damaged Hair-
Fenugreek is a powerhouse ingredient, it not only helps to increase the taste of the food, but also promotes hair growth and strengthens the hair follicles. Using a fenugreek hair mask once in a month helps to repair the damaged hair and make the curls soft and smooth.
DIY Hair Mask:
- Soak one bowl of fenugreek overnight.
- Next day morning grind the soaked fenugreek.
- Mix it with 1 tbsp. of yogurt and oil.
- Apply the paste to your hair and scalp.
- Wash it off in 30 minutes.
3. Curry Leaves Homemade Oil–
Since childhood, I have heard that curry leaves are good for hair. They strengthen the hair follicles and also prevent premature greying. So, I thought why not make homemade curry leaf oil, that can be used daily and help to keep curls healthy?
DIY Curry Leaves Hair Oil:
- Take coconut oil.
- Transfer the coconut oil to a big pan.
- Heat the pan.
- Add some crushed curry leaves to the oil.
- Let the oil boil.
- After the oil is cooled down, strain the oil.
- Your curry leaves oil is made.
- Massage the oil into the scalp and hair.
4. Hot Oil Massage-
Giving your curls the love and care of a hot oil massage once in a week helps to make the curls soft and smooth. Hot oil massage helps to reduce split ends, provides deep hydration to the curls, and also protects the curls against hair breakage.
Hot Oil Massage:
- Take 2 tbsp. of coconut oil.
- Add a few drops of lavender essential oil.
- 2 tbsp. of almond oil
- Heat the mixture of oil.
- Apply it on your scalp and hair strands with the help of cotton.
- Leave it for 30 minutes.
- Wash it off with lukewarm water.
5. Onion Juice Hair Mask-
The best hair mask I feel is when you feel your curls are too frizzy. Onion juice is rich in sulfur, it helps to promote hair growth, reduce dandruff, and strengthen hair follicles.
DIY Hair Mask:
- Take one onion.
- Grate the onion to extract the juice out of it.
- Apply the juice to your hair strands and scalp.
- Leave it for 30-45minutes.
- Wash it off with lukewarm water.
FAQ’s On How to repair damaged curly hair?
1. How often should I deep-condition curly hair?
The deep condition of curly hair actually depends on the amount of repair your curls need. If you feel, your curls are very damaged, then pampering your curls with deep condition twice a month is good.
But if the damage is normal, then deep conditioning once a month will be fine.
2. How long does it take to restore damaged curly hair?
Restoring damaged curly hair is a long process and you need to be patient with it, but if you are dedicated and have already started changing the way you handle your curls then within a month you will see a good change in your curly hair strands.
3. How can I prevent future damage to my curly hair?
If you want to prevent future damage to your curly hair, the first thing that you need to do is to understand your curl type. After understanding your curl type, you can make sure how to change your curly hair routine and also which natural remedy to follow.
