Where are my curly-haired girlies at?? Do you have your curl routine down pat? If not, I’m about to tell you about the routine that FINALLY worked for me. It may have taken 26ish years to figure out, but my curls have never looked better. The best part is that I get everything from Amazon, and if you’re anything like me, that makes it an automatic winner. In this post, I’ll take you step by step through my routine, I’ll link the products (with pictures for those visual people like myself), and I’ll even drop some before and after pics for proof that it’s a game changer at the end.

Here’s my disclaimer: I have very thick, coarse hair. I only wash it once a week most of the time, and I have no idea what it means for my hair to be greasy. Yes, I am aware that this is a blessing, but it also means that my hair is prone to damage and breakage way more than someone who has more natural oil. I don’t mind taking the time to curl or straighten my hair, it’s just not reasonable for me to do every week if I want to see any growth. The amount of product I use may differ from what other people need. If you have naturally curly hair, you know that there’s a lot of trial and error that goes into figuring out what works for you. This is definitely a “trust the process” type of thing. I have tried all of the trends (the curly girl method, no-pooing, the bowl method, etc.). This is a combination of what worked for me from each.

First and foremost, STOP USING A BATH TOWEL TO DRY YOUR HAIR!!!!!!! This does so much more damage than most people realize. Instead, use a cotton t-shirt. There’s no need to spend money on something to dry your curls when you probably have exactly what you need in your closet. Okay, now that that’s off my chest, let’s jump into the routine.

I am IN LOVE with the Surface Awaken shampoo and conditioner. They aren’t specifically for curly hair. They’re actually marketed for hair growth, but they make my scalp feel so clean. Surface does have a curly line, but I haven’t tried it. I shampoo twice, which I recently learned is what you are supposed to do. The first shampoo removes build-up, allowing for the second to actually cleanse your scalp. When you shampoo, focus on your scalp and let the shampoo rinse through your ends. After the second rinse, I condition my hair using the opposite method. I apply the conditioner directly to my ends and work it up to my scalp. If you are particularly greasy, this technique will help reduce some oiliness. Depending on how much time I have, I like to let my conditioner set for 10 minutes or so. Another disclaimer: I rarely wash my hair at the same time I shower. Typically, I flip over the side of the tub and wash it before I bathe because I lose so much hair. With that being said, if I’m going to let my conditioner soak for a while, I will just loosely clip my hair into a top knot so that I can go about my business.

Once my hair is thoroughly cleaned and rinsed, I start my product routine. It seems simple, but one of the key steps in this process is to make sure that your hair is not sopping wet when you apply the product. All I do is squeeze any extra water out into the bathtub before I start putting the product in it. Since my hair is so naturally dry, it can always stand to have a little extra help with moisture. I start with It’s a 10 leave-in conditioner and spray it just on my ends. Now, I normally never suggest brushing curly hair, but this is the one time that I break my own rule. I brush it through with either a wet brush or a wide-tooth comb. After this point, do not touch a brush to your curls again!

The next three products are all from Kerastase Curl Manifesto line. To be completely honest, I had no idea what I was doing when I first started with these products. All of the instructions are in French, so I decided to kind of wing it. It worked out in my favor, but if you decide to try Kerastase and can read French, come back and let me know if I’m using it totally wrong. The three products that I use from this line are the Gelee Curl Contour, the Creme de Jour Fondamentale, and the Absolu Refresh spray. I start with the cream first and use enough to fill the majority of my palm. I just run it through my hair, starting about midway down, and then scrunch it back up to my scalp. Then I repeat the exact same process with the curl contour. I do use a good bit less of this product, though. It’s a pump bottle, so it really just depends on how my hair is cooperating that day but typically I use 4-5 pumps. The curl refresh is optional, at least for me. I think it’s meant to be used on days 2 or 3 post-wash. Personally, if I need a curl refresh, I just use my continuous misting spray bottle and start from the beginning. The refresh spray just serves as a little extra boost when I feel like my curls may need it.

Okay, this next step is going to make some of you cringe. For others, it’s going to make you feel like you’re in junior high again. Regardless of any reservations you may have, this step is ESSENTIAL to prevent frizz and lock your curls into the nice, bouncy shape we want. This step is where I create a cast for my curls. I take Harry’s Sculpting Gel and saturate my hair. Harry’s is my personal preference, but any gel with a firm hold level will work. When I say saturate, I mean it. There’s no such thing as too much. I start from the ends and scrunch it up to my roots. I know that I have enough when I can hear it squishing with each scrunch. Once you’re happy with your squish and scrunch, DO NOT TOUCH your hair again. The cast has to dry to work.

We’re almost done, I promise. Remember that cotton t-shirt I mentioned? Here’s its time to shine. I plop my hair and wrap it with the t-shirt to dry. I will break it down super simple because it took me several tries to figure out what I was supposed to be doing. Step one: lay the shirt out flat with the collar of the shirt facing you with the sleeves out (short-sleeved shirts work best and keep the wrap less bulky). Step two: flip upside and hang your hair over the shirt. Step three: lower your hair down onto the center of the shirt, but more towards the chest area. Make sure to place your hair in a way that it will essentially “plop” onto the shirt. Step four: flip the tail end of the shirt over your head to create a sort of bonnet and use the sleeves to tie a knot and secure the shirt in place. TA-DA!! You’re done…for now. I prefer to sleep with my hair like this. That allows time for it to dry and keeps me from wallowing it around on my pillow in my sleep.

Once you’ve taken your hair down from the plop and it is fully or almost fully dry, you should look like a wet rat, think scrunched hair circa 2006. Don’t worry, we’re going to fix it. All of the gel used to create the cast has dried and should be stiff. This is where I “scrunch the crunch”. So basically, use the same method you used to apply the gel and do it to your stiff hair. Start at the ends and work your way up. Be sure to only scrunch. Don’t brush or rake or comb the curls. You should start to see nice, soft, bouncy curls start to fall. Depending on how liberal you were with your gel, this may take a few minutes. If you get all of the cast broken but you feel like your roots are stuck to your scalp, just flip upside down and scratch your scalp with your fingertips. It’s likely that some of the gel at your roots is still intact. Once you flip back up, you should see improvement. Now you have beautiful curls that you can be confident in wearing!

Is it a lot? Yes. Is it time-consuming? Yes, it can be. It helps that I only wash my hair as little as I do, but I get that isn’t realistic for many people. I also know that the products I listed are on the pricier side, especially if you’re used to using drugstore products. However, each of these products lasts me months. Unfortunately, as we age so does our hair. Much like our bodies, if we don’t invest in the health of it, we will have to live with the consequences one day. For some of you, that may not be a big deal. For me, having healthy hair is at the top of my self-care priorities.

If you’ve made it this far and decided to try my routine, let me know your thoughts, results, and suggestions! As promised, here are some before and after pics of my curls. The proof is in the pudding!

Before

These pics span from about 2018-2022. I went from waves to just a big ball of damaged frizz. I damaged my hair so badly all because I hated my curls.

After

I mean, just look at that definition!