Blog

Naima has very tight, kinky hair that is extremely healthy as there is no damage from flat irons or any other high heated appliances. Important to note that although her hair is healthy; it’s fine and is vulnerable to strong clarifying shampoos and heavier styling products. Her hair also grows very slowly so she needs to give attention to it, if she strives for longer hair.

When it comes to natural kinky hair, much like Naima’s, there are several misconceptions such as people usually assume that because they have so much hair it gives the appearance that it is dry and thirsty for moisture. Since the hair appears to look dry and thick when in fact it’s fine, many curly heads go crazy conditioning with thick products and oils. Over moisturizing prolongs the drying process. Thankfully we had the chance to get some insight from Jonathan Torch, master of curls, on to best way to style and maintain naturally kinky curls.

What are other problems can naturally kinky curls face?

Naima’s hair for example, is prone to tangles so extra curly hair care  and patience are required while removing them after she has washed and conditioned. Tight curly hair shrinks during the drying process therefore achieving length can often be quite the challenge. It’s important to keep stretching each curl during the drying process to maintain all the precious length while trying to avoid frizz.

Steps to Achieve Naima’s look:

1. First we started off using Curly Hair Solutions Silk shampoo to clean and moisturizer her hair and scalp. There was a bit of product build up in her hair so I had to allow Silk Shampoo so sit in the hair for up to 3 minutes. This allows the product to work at the root level in breaking down the build up and making way for the moisture and cleansing of the shampoo.

2. Next I drenched her hair in Curly Hair Solutions Conditioner and then rinsed it out thoroughly immediately, as her hair does not require a ton of moisture.

3. From there, I then used Curly Hair Solutions Slip Detangler to loosen all knots so I wouldn’t have any resistance when I combing her curls.

4. Lastly I mixed a cocktail of three styling products to complete her style. Half of the cocktail was Curl Keeper Original, and then I added a bit of the Curl Keeper Styling Cream and lastly a pinch of Curly Hair Solutions Silk Leave-In Conditioner. This combination of styling products allowed me to attain frizz control that felt very soft with tons of shine.

If you are short on time when styling what tips would give to achieve this look?

Once your hair is fully prepped with all your styling products, your hair should be sopping wet at this point. You can speed the drying time be carefully holding a damp towel to your hair making sure you are still and not disturbing your curl pattern. A damp towel absorbs more moisture than a dry towel. There are super absorbent micro fibre towels that really do absorb quite a lot of the excess moisture cutting down lots of drying time. Be careful not to rub dry your hair instead allow for natural absorption.

Are there any particular techniques you find work with kinky curls better than others and why?

Taking out all the knots and tangles so you have no resistance trying to comb through your curls; although this applies to all curl types it always a good idea to ensure you get the best styling results. Before adding product always start off with a large toothcomb then switch to smaller teeth combs to help define curls. Then use the Root Brush to get perfect curl formation and lift and support at the roots. Make sure the hair is soaking wet while you apply your curly hair styling products and taking the extra step to distribute evenly from roots to ends. Sometimes you may need to keep adding water while applying, so I would recommend keeping a spray bottle handy.

If you have similar curls, style and texture and have questions, please comment below this post so we can answer them for you!