Coily, curly and straight: beauty pros share their top hair hacks

The law of sod dictates that if you are born with curly hair then you probably want poker-straight tresses, while if your locks are naturally smooth you inevitably yearn for some kinks. But let’s put down the tongs and straighteners for a minute and consider that while many of us spend our lives battling against what mother nature gave us, the texture that actually suits us the most may just be the one we’ve always tried to style into submission.

In fact, if there was one lesson to be learnt from lockdown it was that  letting our hair take on its innate character (thanks to lackadaisical brushing and air drying) was actually rather liberating. A word of warning though –  going au naturel doesn’t mean leaving your hair to its own devices. Just as with ‘no-makeup makeup’, there is some subtle honing involved whether it’s a zhuzh with a tong or some stealth volumiser at the roots.

Whether it’s coily, curly or straight, we’ve enlisted three industry experts to give their top tips for getting the most out of your hair…

‘I would describe my hair as very tight and coily in terms of the curl pattern with a medium to coarse density,’ says Subrina. ‘“Coarse” is often viewed as a negative term within the Black community but I’m using it purely to describe the way it feels and I actually love that it’s coarse – it gives my hair the aesthetic that I love (and it’s taken me a good few years to say that).

Sometimes I switch it up – I blow it out or I put braids in it and I have fun with it, but I’m most comfortable when my hair is in its natural texture.’

Washing: ‘There’s misconception that tight, coily-textured hair like mine shouldn’t be washed very often but I would advise that you wash your hair at least once a week. I never see hair wash days as a chore; cleansing with a gentle, hydrating shampoo and conditioner (I love Aveda’s Nutri-Plenish range) keeps my hair healthy and by adding a rich mask such as Aveda’s insanely good Botanical Repair Strengthening Leave-In Treatment I can ensure that despite colouring my hair I’m not going to compromise the condition.’ 

Drying: ‘I love a wash-and-go (wearing my hair as it naturally dries). I apply my leave-in conditioner when my hair’s soaking wet to maximise my natural curl pattern before brushing it through with a Tangle Teezer which really helps to define the curls. Then I get out of the shower and check which curls are a bit looser or frizzier and might need a bit of help. For those curls I’ll just twist the hair around my finger to help them along before leaving my hair to dry naturally.’

Styling: ‘I don’t really use a serum on a regular basis unless I happen to blowdry my hair straight and oils don’t tend to be my go-to either – I’ll only use them once in a while as you might a nice perfume. People tend to think that oils hydrate but while they might help to lock moisture in and give hair some ‘slip’ they don’t actually add hydration – you need a water-based product for that which is why a leave-in conditioner is much better for my texture. My hair feels hydrated without feeling sticky to the touch and I can get away with leaving a week between washes if I have to so that my natural oils can come through.’

‘My hair is very straight and quite fine, but luckily I have lots of it,’ says Lauren. ‘I say luckily – it does come with its perils. Knots form with a gust of wind or when I wear a scarf and adding any type of water (whether that’s  ie shower, swimming or sea) requires a detangling brush and product to hand to minimise the fallout. Quite literally.’

Washing: ‘I’m the person that would petition for bigger conditioner bottles when buying a shampoo and conditioner set – I need to use a lot more of it compared to shampoo and I wash my hair every day. I religiously comb my conditioner through with a detangling brush in the shower and leave it in for a couple of minutes. I also use a mask once a week – that keeps my ends looking healthy as my hair is long and can begin to look scraggly otherwise.’

Drying: ‘I never towel dry – a certain knotty death ensues otherwise. I use a microfibre towel to take out the main bulk of water and gently squeeze and pat my hair before spritzing some detangling spray through the lengths with a volumising product through the roots. I then comb through and pop it into a low bun while I put my makeup on/do the school run. I then use a large round brush and the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer with the gentle attachment to smooth my hair as I dry and curl under the ends (if I have time).’

Styling: ‘My hair would naturally dry straight so if I want it to look extra straight or polished, I’ll run a straightening iron through. Mostly, though, I leave my hair and spray a dry texturising spray all over to give it some guts and impart a subtle scent. Et voila!’

‘My hair is one huge mix of curl/wave patterns,’ admits Grace. ‘It may look super thick but the texture itself is fine – I just have lots of it.’

Washing: ‘When shampooing my hair I focus on the scalp and I normally wash twice. Us curlies tend to use a lot of products so a double wash is a great way to make sure the hair is fully cleansed. I would recommend doing a pre-shampoo treatment the night before wash day too as this will help with detangling.’

Drying: ‘A diffuser is the curly girl’s best friend and when drying I always use the diffuser attachment on my amazing Shark Style IQ Hair Dryer & Styler HD110UK which allows me to dry my hair in around 10 minutes. I like to diffuse upside down on full heat and full power, starting with the roots before working my way through the rest of my hair for major volume!’

Styling: ‘When styling, my go-to will always be a leave-in conditioner for some extra moisture (curly hair tends to be dryer than straight hair). As my hair is fine in texture I only need a small amount before applying a curl cream – The Living Proof curl collection is fantastic. I use the raking method to apply the two products (a technique using your fingers to de-tangle curly hair in the shower) before scrunching some gel over the top for added hold before drying. I like to squeeze my hair with a T-shirt or microfibre towel before applying products as styling on damp hair helps me to achieve more volume and reduces drying time.’