I thought I knew a lot about styling curls but then I met Val. She helped me get over my fear of gels and how to style curly hair for frizz free curls. We even made a video together!
I have naturally curly hair but it took me years to understand how to work with my curls and get them to look their best. I had a pretty good curly hair routine going but it was sometimes a little hit and miss. Curls are so dependent on the weather, the water and how much product you use.
It was during a visit to the La Biosthetique spa in Waterloo, Sydney that I met the gorgeous Val. She’s originally from Brazil but spent the last 9 years in New York. She’s recently moved to Sydney to marry her Australian fiance and so New York’s loss is our gain.
Val worked at several leading salon in New York but it was a Devachan that she was schooled in curls by Lorraine Massey, author of the Curly Girl Handbook. Val learnt curl styling for all types of curls and we hatched a plan for her to teach me a new way to style my curls. You can watch the video below!
How to style curly hair for frizz free curls – Video tutorial
Click here if you can’t see the embedded video.
Tips for styling curly hair for frizz free curls
- You need to understand the stage of styling curly hair. The before pic is my natural hair that has been air dried without any product. SUPER FRIZZY! The middle image is my hair dried with the gel. Yes – this is dry hair! It feels super crispy and looks awful. BUT this is not the final stage. Only once your hair is completely dry do you gently scrunch the curls to break the gel cast and let your defined curls shine.
- Add in your curl cream to super wet hair. You want to really saturate your hair and mix the cream with a little more water and work it through your hair from root to tip.
- Don’t fear gels. I was terrified of gels because I thought they only gave you crispy curls. Gels do leave a crispy coating on your hair but you need this to stop frizz forming. Once your hair is completely dry, you can use a hairdryer to warm up the gel and scrunch your curls to reveal soft, shiny and defined curls.
- Never rub your hair with a towel. Use a low fibre towel or an old t-shirt to remove excess water from your hair.
- Don’t touch your hair while it’s drying. It’s so tempting to touch your hair and keep moving it but this will only cause more frizz. Leave your hair alone.
- Use flat pin curl clips to help get volume at the roots. Clip the pins at the roots of your hair to help them stand up and dry with more volume.
- Use a diffuser. Let your hair dry naturally if you have time but if you use a hairdryer, make sure you use a diffuser. This universal bucket shaped diffuser is great for curls and allows the air to circulate and dry your hair without blowing it all over the place.
- Your hairdryer should be set to max heat and low speed. You want the most heat to dry your hair quickly but low power so your hair isn’t blown around.
- Be patient. Make sure your curls are completely dry before you give them the final scrunch.
- Your second day curls will look even better. Make sure you know how to sleep with curly hair and your second day curls will be even better. You’ll feel like flipping your hair back and forth!
These curls held so well and these photos were taken the next day. They even lasted another two days after this.
I have tried this styling routine twice at home and I have another few tips.
- Keep a towel around your shoulders. When you’re applying the curl cream it can be a bit messy. Keep a towel over your shoulders and use a water spray to make sure your hair is wet when you apply the product.
- Use a t-shirt instead of a towel on you hair. I love the fine disposable paper towels Val had in the salon as they are perfect for scrunching curly hair. An old, soft t-shirt is the next best thing.
- Allow more time than you think when drying your hair. The first time you try this, make sure you have lots of time to get it right. If you have to rush out with wet hair it will become frizzy. Practice this when you have time so you can then get it exactly right.
Be the first to see my new ebook by pre-ordering your copy now!
My new 30 Curly Hairstyles in 30 Days ebook will help you to master your frizz and love your curls every day. Inside you’ll find over 35 curly hairstyle tutorials plus bonus styling tutorials and curly hair tips.
Click here to pre-order your copy now.
By pre-ordering now, you’ll be the first to get a copy before it is launched on April 28. Plus you’ll secure the very limited pre-launch price, saving you 33%!
Such a crazy before and after shot! Thanks so much to Val at La Biosthetique for helping with this tutorial.
Have you tried this technique for styling curly hair? What’s your tip for frizz free curls?
What curl cream do you use? I’m trying to look for one. I have fine, curly (but also more on the wavy side) hair.
Hi Christina, I’m so glad I found your blog. Great job, you are so inspirational!! My goal is to not wash my hair every day. I use a curl cream wet and then a gel or mousse to get a gel cast. The problem is when I wake up on day 2 and take my hair out of the pineapple my hair is almost stuck in the ‘up’ position. It doesn’t really fall back down and is quite stiff. I then find myself completely wetting it to get a normal style back. Any advice?
Thanks for the tips! But I don’t get what product to use now: curly cream or hair gel? Does it have to be a special brand to get the hair like that? Thanks for the answer!!!
Hi Natalie, I use both. The curl cream is to moisturise my hair and help the curls to form and the gel is to set them and stop frizz from forming. The brand is not as important as the technique you use to apply them xx
Hi Christina, I am loving all your hair care tips and tutorials. Thank you :).
I recently got a Deva Cut while visiting NYC and noticed that Val from La Biosthetique used to work at Devachan. Does Val still work at La Biosthetique in Waterloo? I looked at the website however, I couldn’t see her name as one of the stylists.
If not, do you know where she is working or is there another Salon / Stylist you can recommend in Sydney that follows the dry cutting method?
I hope to hear back from you when you get a chance.
Jules.
Hi Jules! Sadly Val has moved to Brisbane. In Sydney, Project One and Mousey Browne specialise in curly hair or also see Alex at Stevie English Hair xx
Hi Christina,
I noticed you mentioned that Val moved to Brisbane?? You wouldn’t happen to where she’s working? I live in Brisbane and have been looking for a new curly friendly hairdresser for ages!
Thanks!
Xen
Hi Xen, yes I tracked her down! She’s at Vogue Nationale salon. If you go see her, say hi from me! Christina x
This is awesome! You mentioned gel but I didn’t hear you using it in the video. did I miss it? I though you only used the curl creme with water. Thank you.
Hi Katherine, back at the chair she used some gel in my hair as the final product 🙂 xx
Hi, I was just wondering what product she washed your hair with in the video or if she was just wetting it with water at the beginning?
Hi Sarah, I think she used the La Biosthetique Cheveux Longs shampoo xx
Hi! Thnx a lot for ur tips. I still have a prb! I dnt kno hw to Clip the pins at the roots to help them stand up and dry with more volume. I got my roots flatten all the time! 🙁
Hi Ni! Have you seen my at-home tutorial version? Watch it here – https://www.hairromance.com/2016/05/wash-style-curly-hair.html and hope this helps xx
How do you keep from getting “gel flakes” in your hair? I have to use so much gel in my hair to prevent frizz, but then it shows up as crusty white flakes in my dark hair and looks awful. Any tips?
Hi Kara, sometimes the gel reacts to your conditioner or other hair products. You can test them together to see if the gel balls up. Hope this helps x
Thanks for this great website! I have curly hair and have been blowdrying it straight for YEARS now! Last summer I began to experiment with letting it go curly and…compliments seem to come my way. Now I have choices, curly or straight!
In watching the video it seemed like Val was touching your hair a lot as she was drying it. You both indicated, though, NOT to touch the hair at all until it is completely dry. Can you please elaborate on that? I am always so tempted to mess with it in order to get a bit more volume. Your tip for the last stage was genius: warming the crunchy gel with the dryer and then scrunching lightly to get the crispies out! Thank you for that!! I’ll be burying myself in your website to learn a whole lot more to benefit my newly discovered curly hair. Thank you so much!!!
Thanks so much Marjan! Val’s touching my hair to see if it’s dry but I think it’s more not to try and break up the curls until it’s completely dried. And just let your hair fall into the diffuser to dry it. Hope this makes sense? So glad to hear you’re embracing your curls too – that makes my day! Christina x
Great tutorial! I have quite curly hair, which can be quite hit and miss.The main problem here is if it works, it doesn’t work for long. sometimes I wake up with brilliant curls, but by lunchtime it looks like there is a badger on my head (very frizzy.) Anyone got any advise to avoid badger hair days?
Hi May, I find this technique really lasted in my hair. If I follow it exactly, I get great curls for 3 days. If my hair is a little dry when I apply curl cream, or I touch it too much when it’s drying, then my hair will start to frizz up later. Give this technique a go exactly as she does it and see how you go with your hair. I always keep a few bobby pins around for an updo on those frizzy days. Good luck! x
I love this a lot ? I have a curling cream at home from another brand but I am afraid that if I use it as much as was shown in the video, that you would feel that in my hair and that my hair would get oily.
I hope you can make an at home routine for this! That would be so nice 🙂
Thanks Iris! I will be filming a new tutorial for this soon 🙂
I have long (down my back) naturally curly hair and I’m constantly trying concoctions to work with my curls instead of against them. For about the past 6-8 months I’ve been following a routine that works really well for me.
Wash hair upside down (like over the tub or a sink)
Condition – I use a wet brush to brush the conditioner all through my hair (plus, it pulls out the loose hairs that would end up clogging my drain) (you can use your fingers and rake the conditioner through)
While I’m still upside down, I squeeze some of the excess water out, then (still upside down) split my hair into 2 sections and work a blob of Garnier’s Curl Sculpt Conditioning Cream Gel into each section. (I use a blob about the size of 2 quarters for each section)
Then I get a t-shirt, wrap it gently around my hair,so it doesn’t drip, and immediately turn around and sit on the side of the tub, using the t-shirt as a “cape” and rake my fingers through starting with the underside of my hair and then moving up to the sides and top.
Here comes the hard part – LEAVE IT ALONE!! DO NOT TOUCH IT, SHAKE IT, SCRUNCH IT UNTIL IT IS DRY!
When the hair is completely dry, you may have some spots to gently scrunch to get the “crunch” out and you are good to go. I aways get compliments on my hair – and I attribute that to not using any heating tools on it – just let it hair dry. But know it’s going to take a while to dry.
At night, I put it all up in a “pineapple” on top of my head so I don’t crush the curls. I only have to do my hair twice a week – it holds that well! Good luck! and let me know how my routine works for you!
I use Joico K-pak shampoo and conditioner and deep conditioner.
Lisa Luciano
Thanks for sharing your products recommendations Lisa! 🙂
Hi, I was wondering if you knew any equivalent products, as I am in South Africa.
Also, what kind of gel do you use?
Hi Rachel, I also like Matrix products which you should be able to find in salons in South Africa or purchase online. I am currently working on a big products post for curls so stay tuned xx
Hello
Love your website. I have really really curly hair and love how your hair came out in the video, where could I find that product, la biosthetique curl defining cream? I looked online but I do not see any. I currently live in California, so Im not sure if they sell it in the states.
Alicia
Hi Alicia! You’re right, it’s hard to find in the US. I found this shop online that will ship to the US – http://www.cosmeticsnow.com.au/iteminfo/la-biosthetique-defining-cream or try the Be Curly range from aveda.com. I also love their products for curly hair.
Thanks, I’ll definitely try this! It sounds silly, but I’m proud of Val being a countrywoman of mine. 🙂
Hope it helps Beatrice! And Val is so fab xx
I have had straigt hair all my life, in the past few years I get random curls and waves and I have no idea what to do with them, so I use a straighting iron. Any suggestions. I know I have all the wrong products to deal with curls.
Hi Marjorie, like in the video, I love using a curl cream and letting my hair air dry or using a diffuser. You can find more of my curly hair posts here xx
I just found your site through Pinterest and I am loving it! I have had the hardest time with my curls, I used to straighten my hair every day when I worked at a hair salon but just as the receptionist and no one there could do anything with my curls. I tend to just toss my hair into a pony tail or braid. I’d love to try the curl cream and gel. Is there any that you would suggest. I’m in the U.S.
Thanks!
Thanks so much Melissa! I’m working on some new curly hair posts with product recommendations at the moment. I’ll be posting them soon xx
ugh – I literally threw away two curly hair products recently because they made my hair crispy and you are the second person who has noted that and given these final steps since then. (unfortunately, they’ve already made their way to the trash truck *sad face*)
But I am totally purchasing some more, because your curls look AMAZING!! Fingers crossed I have good results.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Karla! It took me ages to figure this out too. Good luck with your curl and persevere through the weird crispy stage to final stop defined curls xx
The result is really awesome! I love the curls! I also have a curly hair and it is very difficult to get such a cool effect with my hair! I will definitely try this method! If my hair looks like this I will move it all the time! The feeling should be great! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thanks Mildred!
At 46 years old, I have only recently realized how much better my curl formation is when I apply product to sopping wet hair. It virtually eliminates my frizz! I am no-poo, I use Curl Keeper Original and Deva Curl Light Defining Gel mixed in my palm, applied to my hair in 4-5 sections. Then I scrunch with a t-shirt to define the curls and get rid of the drips. I try to let it air dry but occasionally use my diffuser. My hair is a bit curlier than yours, and a bit longer, with long layers. Curlier loose spirals around my face and more S-curls at the back and crown. I have trouble with the top being flat. I’ve used pin curl clips, duck bill clips, and jaw clips while it’s drying, but I still end up with flatness. I remember reading in an old post of yours about a dry powder-type product used at the roots for lift. Do you still use a product for root volume, and if so what is it? (I live in the US.)
Hi Kim, yes I love styling powders. I use a Schwarzkopf powder (think it’s called Got2b in the US?). Alternatively, Aveda has a great volume powder. Most brands now have a similar product in their range. Check out my post on styling powders here xx
Thank you so much! I need to look them up and read the ingredients – since I’m no-poo, I don’t use anything with silicones. Reading the comments on that post, sounds like it can build up on your hair.
I use a sulphate free shampoo, two conditioners and then before I get out the shower I use another conditioner as a leave in and then apply my curl cream. Sounds like a lot but it’s fairly straightforward. Once I’m out the shower I comb sections all over, twist them around my finger and use a micro fibre towel to absorb excess water from each curl. I always end up with Shirley Temple sausage curls like this. I throw in a treatment every second or third wash and that changes too depending on if my hair needs moisture or protein.
Great system Christie! I love hearing different ways to style curls x
🙂 That is exactly how I do it with my curls! In fact, I have my duck clips on right now. Waiting for the hair do dry out completely. lately I’m using Fructis curl cream + Tigi Curlesque serum with good results.
Awesome Lisa! And thanks for sharing your curly product cocktail too 🙂
Any chance you have a post with tips for cutting curly hair? I need to get mine cut soon and don’t know what to ask for other than layers!
Hi Shanna, I wrote about my curly haircut here. Hope this helps 🙂 xx
Thank you so much!
I love collecting frizz-fighting ideas. It seems like my hair reacts differently to the same routine everytime, so the more “solutions” I have in my arsonal the better! Do you use the curl cream in super wet hair and the gel together? If so, do you also apply the gel when your hair is sopping wet? How much gel do you use?
Hi Deb, I applied the gel after the cream and after squeezing out more water with the tshirt or low fibre towel. I use a lot less gel then the cream. Just a few pumps of gel throughout all my hair. I am planning to do an at-home curl routine soon too 🙂
Hi do you apply the gel in the same way as the cream? In small sections of the hair? Or just scrunch it all over? I’ve tried the technique of adding my curl creme to soaking wet hair and it’s much better but think it needs a bit of gel as still a little frizzy! Thanks Sarah x
Hi Sarah, you can see at around the 3.20 mark how Val applies the gel to my hair. She just scrunches it in, focusing more on the top layers and ends. Glad this is working for you too! 🙂
That’s great thank you, I was so busy watching val I didn’t see the screen shot in the corner!!
Haha! I am going to try and shoot an at-home version of this too. I will probably be moving house this month so it may have to wait until I’m settled again 🙂
Hi Christina! Did you get around to making an at-home version of this method?? I know you’d mentioned in the comments section that you were planning to shoot an at-home tutorial. I was really hoping to see how you’d do that at home 🙂
Hi Cheryl! I did but my video was terrible :/ So sorry! I plan to remake it asap as I have the at home method into a better routine now. I do it straight out of the shower with a towel around my shoulders while my hair is really wet. Christina x
Do you cut your hair any specific way to encourage more curl?
The front of my crown is the curliest with full spiral waves. The curls get looser towards to back and the very back is just waves.
No matter how its cut I can not get the back to spiral 🙁
Hi Sheena, it’s normal for you to have different curl patterns across your hair. Often the longer layers of hair at the back are not as curly as the shorter front layers. You could have extra layers cut in, or try twisting your hair when it is wet to encourage more curls 🙂 xx
Hi there and thanks for a great post – I live in rural Victoria and have tracked down where I can buy the products, I’m ready to order (to add to my bulging bathroom cabinet!) but please could you clarify which actual products you used? There appear to be several gels in the range and I’d really appreciate knowing exactly which ones you used.
Many thanks
Melanie
Thanks Melanie! We used the Defining Cream from the Curl range and the Styling Fluid from the white Biosthetics styling range 🙂
Perfect curls! I would love to see one of your 30 hairstyles in 30 days books specifically for curly hair.
That is a fab idea Rachel, and I have been slowly working on something like this for a while. Watch this space… xx
wow, your hair looks amazing! i have a similar curl structure as yours, but mine get a lot tighter at the ends. i’ve only straightened it once in my life!
the principles behind this routine seem really valuable, but it would be great to have a video or post about how to replicate it at home…. it would definitely make it seem more doable!
Thanks so much! That’s a great idea to do an at home tutorial. I did include some tips in the post but a full tutorial would be better x
My daughters hair is naturally curly but much like you I have a problem getting her hair to look the way I want it to consistently. Thanks for this video and the information. I really think I have been using to much product on her hair.
Thanks Sophie, I hope this helps. It really takes a lot of trial and error to find the perfect routine for curly hair. It’s so individual x
Amazing curls! 🙂 Great tutorial! Could you check out my beauty blog as well? and follow? It would be appreciated!
AllBeyondBeauty.com
“Always Stay True & Be You!”