Kinky Curl Hair: How To Deal

Introduction

Adrienne, one of HairBoutique.com's team members, was born with naturally curly hair. Her mother's family is Latin. Her father's family is European. Natural curls run in her family and she inherited Type 4 ringlets which she refers to as "very kinky, bordering on nappy".

Growing up she alternated between loving her tightly formed ringlets and hating them. She longed to transform her Botticelli curls into shiny sleek straight strands and dreamed of going very blonde.

Her first major transformation several years ago was to have her very dark hair bleached to the lightest possible blonde. Although the blonding process made her hair very dry, she retained her natural curls which she straightened with lots of product and a variety of irons.

She loved being blonde but was not happy with the constant root maintenance and time commitments with straightening products and irons. As a result, she allowed her hair to revert back to its natural dark brown and "kinky curls".

After recovering from going blonde, she decided to go straight on a more permanent basis. Adrienne decided to "have her curls chemically straightened" and paid a large sum of money for "thermal reconditioning treatments". The method her hairdresser employed was "Yuko Japanese Straightening".

As Adrienne tells it, the results were "disastrous" and her hair was transformed into literal "strings of limp spaghetti". She knew she was in trouble when the hairdresser kept saying "I have never seen this happen before". Indeed, Adrienne's naturally curly hair was extremely damaged.

Although the Yuko processed hair eventually grew out, Adrienne's beautiful ringlets never returned in their original form. Instead, she describes her current hair pattern as "extremely nappy, haylike and just like a brillo pad". She deals with her limp curls by alternating between wearing temporary long natural hair extensions and pinning her hair into tight buns.

Can she recover her damaged curls? Yes, if she is willing to work at it and allow her curls to return to their natural state.

Adrienne has several options including utilizing straw sets to help recover her beautiful curls. She is currently following a new routine to recover her natural curls including using deep conditioning treatments and locking in moisture with Beautiful Hair Oil and Beautiful Hair Mist.

What Are Kinky Curls?

Kinky curls are sometimes referred to as tightly curled. Tight curls may range from thin to thick and may be fine or coarse. When tight curls are cared for properly they develop an exquisite bounce, shine and curl definition.

There are lots of different expert opinions about the best care for tightly curled hair. Like any time of hair advice, what works for some, may not work for others.

When it comes to kinky curls expert opinions include some of the following tips:

1. Tightly curled or kinky curls contain an intense curl pattern. The curls needs lots of ongoing moisture to prevent potential breakage. Moisture is a key component for any type of natural curls but even more so with a tight curl pattern.

2. Plain water is not drying to kinky curls. The reality? Water is an excellent moisturizer and will not dry out strands. Water is the ultimate friend of natural curls. You can actually wash your hair every day if you only use water or conditioner only (CO).

Potential damage occurs with the types of cleansing products used, not the application of pure water. If cleansing products are used when hair is washed, it may be best to only wash hair once or twice a week rather than every other day.

3. The application of any types of oil to the hair will not specifically provide moisture if it is not already present in the hair. Hair oils will definitely help to lubricate hair and protect it from drying out, but moisture is not provided by oil.

4. Naturally curly hair which is kinky should never be detangled unless it is first completely saturated with leave-in conditioners. Hair that is tightly curled is naturally fragile but so much more so when wet. Hair should be combed and detangled with a wide tooth comb that is completely smooth to prevent snagging delicate curls.

5. Naturally curly hair which is kinky should never be detangled unless it is first completely saturated with leave-in conditioners. Hair that is tightly curled is naturally fragile but so much more so when wet. Hair should be combed and detangled with a wide tooth comb that is completely smooth to prevent snagging delicate curls.

6. Tight curls should avoid the use of hot tools. Irons which get too hot can damage the natural curl pattern and can literally burn the hair. When a straight look is desired, it is best for curl maintenance to go for a wet roller set using the largest possible rollers and sitting under a hood style dryer.

7. If curls must be dried in a manner other than using a hood dryer the best alternative is to either allow hair to air dry (in warm weather) or use a long finger curl diffuser attached to a blow dryer. The setting should be on cool and the air flow should be low. This will allow curls to be dried without heat damage.

A diffuser may help curls achieve a bigger look with less curls hanging.

8. Wet curls should be touched as little as possible until after they are dry to prevent frizz.

Summary

Then it comes to tangled tresses, it is always best to avoid them in the first place if you can. When the tangles happen anyway, follow the steps listed above and do the best you can to remedy the situation. If all else fails, forgive yourself for any tangles that have occurred, for whatever reason and promise yourself you will do better next time. And trust me, you will.

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