As someone who has fought against their natural texture since as soon as they could use a flat iron, I’ve come a log way on my journey to natural. From high school to college until the dawning of my 30th birthday, I was the poster child for fried hair. Before OLAPLEX, I had no idea what a 'bond builder' was, because a bond builder didn’t exist. 6 years ago, a former coworker told me to do the OLAPLEX No.3 treatment 2-3 times a week. She explained to me how to use the product and was determined to see my hair healthy. Being as I worked from home, you better believe I did the max. I noticed a difference with the first treatment. My hair felt fuller, thicker, and stronger.
Now, although my hair was super healthy doing a couple of treatments a week, I was still flat ironing weekly and waving it out 2-3x a week (I know). I never liked my curls before OLAPLEX because they were all over the place; some beautiful ringlets, some very loose waves, and some I don't know what to call pieces. I just didn’t know how to style hair that wasn't uniform. Once I put down the heat, I began wearing my hair curly and I couldn’t believe how defined my curl pattern was and continues to be. I began experimenting with so many styling products. Most of the products and tricks I tried out before, I don’t use today, but the tips below have been the ones my hair can’t live without!
Olaplex.
Curls are the most fragile of hair textures. This means thermal and mechanical styling (as well as chemical services) make this already fragile texture more vulnerable. OLAPLEX rebuilds the broken disulfide bonds in the hair, by linking them back together to create healthy bonds. This is vital for curls that need to be brought back to life, whether it's too much heat, breaking the hair with hair ties and brushing, or chemical services.
Moisture.
If you have curly hair, you know how dry it gets. Our hair loves to soak up any bit of moisture we give it! For this reason, it’s important to moisturize it daily. Leave-ins and oil are a must! I use OLAPLEX No.6 Bond Smoother every time I wash my hair when I style it out, then I add OLAPLEX No.7 Bonding Oil to finish it off. The reason No.6 and No.7 are essential to my hair game is they moisturize my hair and rebuild bonds simultaneously with OLAPLEX’s patented formula. It’s a win win! Any given day, whether I do a treatment or not, I can rest assured my hair is getting moisture and repair because of either the No.6 or No.7.
Microfiber towel.
Drying with a microfiber towel has really helped keep my curl pattern in tact as well as reducing the frizz. I use a couple of micro fiber towels when I dry my hair out of the shower. I ring out all the moisture I can with my hands, then I wrap my hair in a microfiber towel to get all the excess drip out. Once my hair is no longer dripping wet, I use the second microfiber towel to scrunch my curls up once around my head. I then apply my styling products which I cocktail together in my hands (OLAPLEX No.6, OLAPLEX No.7, and a light hold gel) and work the product in once with the microfiber towel, then with my hands. If you don’t have a microfiber towel, you can also use an old t-shirt!
Hands.
One of the best tools I have for my curls are my hands. I avoid brushing or combing through my curls at all costs!
The importance of scrunching my hair while it is drying and shaking it out is essential. This also applies to when I detangle in the shower. I do as much detangling as possible with my hands, and whatever I cannot get, I gently use my Tangle Teezer brush. The scrunching helps to define the curl pattern, giving it a springy bounce. While If I were to just apply the products on without scrunching and shaking, they wouldn’t accentuate my pattern as well. For volume, I shake my hair out at the root, and separate chunks of curls at the mids to create the volume I desire.
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