Updated October 2022 By Dr Jonathan Palmer

How do I get naturally curly hair?

Seven Ways you can get naturally curly hair - see our exclusive tips for you!

The shape and thickness of your hair follicles determine whether your hair is naturally straight, wavy, or curly. Naturally, curly hair is inherited from your biological parents by mixing their genes. This gene mixing happens before you are born and cannot be changed. The genes within your body ultimately influence the shape of your hair follicles. You may not be able to change your hair's natural texture, but there are ways that you can do to accentuate your natural curl.

These curling tips will help make your curl stronger and increase curl volume or could naturally create a curl if you don't currently have curly hair.

1. Ensure your hair is strong and healthy. Having healthy, strong hair helps ensure your curls can last the day have good bounce, natural volume, and intense colour. Healthy hair is all-important for that natural curly beautiful look.

2. Use specialist curl-enhancing styling products, for example, curl cremes can help create or boost your natural curl. Curl cremes are specifically formulated to enhance your curls. Many of these products are available and can certainly make a difference. Most are available online or in most Highstreet stores. Which products you need will depend on what you are trying to achieve, your hair type and hair length etc. Examples include trying to create a tighter curl, enhanced lift, and increased bounce or volume.

3. Use curling products that suit your natural hair type and the health of your hair. Your hair type is calculated using the Andre Walker system by analysing your locks' thickness (fine, medium, or coarse) and degree of curl (Type 1, 2, 3, or 4 hair). For example, if you have fine delicate curls, you should be using lighter products and avoid serums that will add weight to your curls, making them appear flat. Some product suggestions are linked below for you. If you are not sure what your hair type is, we can help as we offer a specialist hair typing service that will ensure you accurately know your hair type, so you can have confidence that you are purchasing the correct products for your hair.

4. Curling tongs can be a very efficient and quick way of adding a beautiful curl to your hair. There are many curling tongs available on the market. A word of warning when using heating tongs: burning your hair is easy to do and not easy to see. Excessive heating damage to your hair is accumulative, permanent and cannot be repaired. To overcome this, we suggest you use a heat protection product (see example below) and, importantly, use the lowest heat setting for the least amount of time on your hair required to get your desired curl. Not all curling tongs allow the user to change the device's temperature, but we strongly recommend that you have this level of control available to you to protect your hair whilst you get the look you want.

5. Use a diffuser on your hairdryer. Hair diffuser attachments on personal hairdryers are a great way of adding volume and curl to your hair. They work quickly and are a great way of drying your hair and adding curl ready for a night out. We suggest using a low to medium heat setting on your hairdryer; this will add a little time to your curl routine and help your curls become established, making them last longer whilst protecting your hair from heat damage.

6. Use a wide-toothed comb. Wide toothed combs are a great way of removing tangles from curly or wavy hair but without the excessive pulling which commonly occurs when using a hairbrush. Wide-tooth combs do an excellent job of helping keep neighbouring similarly curled fibres together, which reduces any pulling on individual hair fibres (reducing damage) and helps define larger curls and ringlets.

7. Use a light "non-sticky and non-crispy" mousse. Mousse has come a long way since it was first developed. Many of us remember it from the late 80s and 90s, leaving our hair a good looking but a sticky mess! Modern mousses are a great way to enhance your curls and get some much-needed nutrients into your hair at the same time! 

To get the best from your curls, apply mousse straight from the shower and do not brush. Put a small amount of mousse on the palm of your hand and repeatedly scrunch it into your hair, then allow it to air dry. If you have time, wrap your hair into a towel to support your curls as they dry. If you are in a rush, try using your hair diffuser attachment on your hairdryer after applying the mousse. Remember to use your hair drier on a low to medium setting to protect your hair from heat damage.

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Boucleme is a relative newcomer to the beauty market and started trading in 2013. They are purely focused on curls and bring a beautiful range of naturally based products, including cleansing, conditioning and styling, to you. Our feedback from clients using Boucleme has been fantastic, so we wholeheartedly recommend the brand to you. Give Boucleme's hydrating hair cleanser a chance to help you cleanse and hydrate your hair. Be sure to let us know how you get on.

Experimentation is the key to discovering what will work for you and your curls. For example, we found through our experimenting that some products that don't specifically claim to enhance our curl did have quite an impact. For example, our curls became more pronounced while trailing Garnier's Ultimate Blends Smoothing Hair Food (Coconut and Macadamia) product - something not commented on, on the product. Maybe you could give it a try too?

If you would like to find out how healthy your hair is to maximise your hair curl, then please check out our hair analysis services.  HairKnowHow can give you specific and personal hair advice to help you get the best beauty, health, and natural curl from your hair.

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

The HairKnowHow Team.