In the last 7 years, I have transitioned from straightening my hair to leaving my hair naturally curly. It started mostly out of connivence since straightening my hair took so much time. However, as I got better at taking care of my curls and improved my curly hair routine, I started to truly apperciate my natural hair.

Slowly I learned what types of products are best for curly hair, and how to make the most out of my curls while cutting down on frizz. I am not an expert, but I have come a long way.

My Curly Hair Routine

This is the shampoo and conditioner that I use. It is about $10 per bottle. All products will be linked at the end of the post.

On average, I wash my hair every 4-5 days. I don’t keep track. I wash it when I have the time, feel like it, or have an event.

For a long time (years and years) I used mousse on my wet hair. I used a MOUNTAIN of it. After talking to a curly haired friend, I realized I wasn’t using enough mousse on my hair. That is when I stopped being so skimpy with the amount of product I was using, and I started using this huge pile. That small change helped a lot.

This stuff is cheap. It is less than $4. I am no picky about which Herbal Essences variety I buy. I just look for the strongest hold in stock.

Recently I have been experimenting with using gel, and trying the gel cast method. I mix these two products together, and scrunch them into wet hair. If I am using gel, I do not use mousse. It is one or the other. I want to go back to the mousse soon to try it out again, and then decide which products actually work better for my hair.

My hair is long and SUPER THICK. I use this much product 2 or 3 times. The clear product is the gel. The white product is the Leave-In Treatment.

I also have started plopping, which is wrapping your hair up in a cotton t-shirt for awhile. I’m not sure yet if this is making a big difference in my curls, but I do like that the shirt takes out some of the moisture and helps my hair dry faster.

I let my hair air dry, and I use a diffuser. I especially like to diffuse my roots. If I don’t have to go anywhere, I let my hair dry air completely. If I have somewhere to be, I speed up the process with my diffuser.

This is called the pineapple. I sleep with my hair piled on top of my head like this every night. It really helps my curls stay nice longer. Super cute, right?

Plus, I sleep on a satin pillowcase. This helps cut down on the frizz. My pillowcase cost less than $10.

One last thing I have been trying out is the Deva Cut, which is a haircut technique designed for curly hair. The unique parts of a Deva Cut are 1) the hair is cut dry in order to take into account your hair’s natural curl pattern and 2) the styling session. The styling session uses Deva Curl products, and comes with some education on how to use them if you are new to styling your curly hair.

I have shared my first two Deva Cut experiences on Instagram. You can find me @SimplyRebekah and check out my story highlights to see everything I have shared about my curly hair journey.

To hear more curly hair routine talk, check out the January 9, 2019 episode of Sorta Awesome. I share how I didn’t realize I had curly hair until late in college and my biggest curly hair routine struggles. Meg shares her own curly hair journey and gives a great explanation of a gel cast along with some of her recommend products. Click here to listen or find the episode in your favorite podcast app.

My Curly Hair Routine Products:

(affiliate links)

• Shea Moisture Daily Hydration Shampoo & Conditioner
• Herbal Essence Mousse
• Garnier Fructis Style Pure Clean Styling Gel
• Shea Moisture Miracle Styler Leave-In Treatment
• Hair Dryer with Diffuser
• Satin Pillowcase

Do you have curly hair? I would love to hear all about your curly hair routine!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Simply Rebekah. This post is not sponsored.