How To Refresh Curls In Quick And Easy Steps

How To Refresh Curls In Quick & Easy Steps:

Since washing hair every day is a huge no-no in the Curly Girl Method and not recommended if you are caring for curly hair in general, we curly girls need to find ways to refresh our curls without constantly washing them.

Luckily I’m here to show you all the ways to refresh curly hair.

Whether you’re refreshing curls because you’ve slept on them and they’ve gone flat, or it’s a couple of days before wash day, and you want to stretch your curls a little further to wash day, I’m here to show you how.

We all crave a good hair day every day with frizz-free curls, but in reality, it is a little more difficult than it may seem; managing your curls is no easy task, but knowing ways to refresh your curls in between washes will transform your curly hair game.

Now wait, let me tell you something…

To make life easier for you, I have spent hours trying and testing the top methods for refreshing my curls at home and broken them down into some quick and easy steps that will easily fit into your daily routine.

So stay tuned; your luscious curls are waiting!

How To Refresh Curls After Sleeping:

When we sleep, we tend to toss and turn, move around and smoosh our curls; knowing how to refresh your curls in the morning is key to having bouncy curls every day– without washing your hair.

First things first, we need to help ourselves out during the night by putting our hair in a protective hairstyle and switching to a silk pillowcase if we can.

Our regular cotton pillows can actually cause damage, as when you toss and turn, this can rough up the cuticle and cause unnecessary breakage and frizz– who knew?

Before taking the curly girl method seriously and taking care of my curls, I had no idea how much damage my cotton bath towel, and cotton pillowcase was causing on my hair– as well as the frizz it caused!

So here’s how you refresh curls without washing in the morning:

Step One: Put Your Hair In A Protective Style The Night Before:

The top tip to make refreshing your curls that much easier is to plan; putting your hair in a protective style the night before will help protect your hair during the night from frizz.

I love popping my hair up in a pineapple on top of my head; if you have very thick, long hair, I would recommend putting your hair up in a bun on top of your hair, depending on what works for you.

I would also recommend using a silk scrunchie if you have one over a regular hair tie; scrunchies cause much less breakage and don’t tug on your head. You can even use a cloth to keep it in place.

The looser you secure the scrunchie, the better; this will minimize breakage and hair creases in the morning.

Sleeping with your curly hair in this hairstyle will prevent breakage and frizz because it reduces friction as you turn at night, preventing you from crushing your curls.

Step Two: Take Down Your Pineapple The Next Morning:

So fast forward to the next morning– this is technically the first step. You’ll want to take down your pineapple or bun from the top of your head and give your roots a little shake.

This should help gently loosen the curl; you can then give your head a little shake– don’t go giving yourself a headache at 7 a.m., give a gentle shake, so the curls fall from your head.

Step Three: Grab A Water Spray Bottle:

When refreshing curly hair, it’s important that you work with wet or damp hair; trying to refresh dry curls may result in frizz- especially if your hair is prone to frizz.

If you have dry and frizzy curls, I would recommend filling your small spray bottle with water and half a tablespoon of your hydrating and moisturizing leave-in conditioner– this should help restore moisture between washes.

Dampen your hair with the mixture; you can either work in sections, wet your hands, and smooth or scrunch the water and conditioner into your hair.

The smoothing will elongate the style, while the scrunching will help refresh the natural curl shape. Focus around where the hairband/ scrunchie is as there may be a line where your hair has been tied up.

Try not to saturate your roots as when you sweat during the night; there are already enough natural oils on the roots; try to focus on the ends.

Step Four: Apply Leave-In Conditioner To Stubborn Hairs:

For stubborn, dry, and frizzy curls, you might want to apply a dime-sized amount of leave-in conditioner. Use the Denman Brush and twirl as you brush it down the curl; this should help revive it.

You can either use a Denman brush or if it’s a small section, you can use a finger coil to revive the curl, wrapping it around your fingers after combing through your favorite conditioner.

Step Four: Fluff Your Curls:

If you need a little extra volume, once you refresh your curly hair, leave it half an hour to air dry and give it a little fluff at the roots.

Flip your hair upside down, and using your fingers, give your roots a little shake, using the same technique as you did after taking out of the pineapple.

Then you’ll have frizz-free day curls that look bouncy and voluminous for the whole day!

Tips Of How To Refresh Curly Hair Without Washing:

So it’s getting onto second or third-day hair, and you’re wondering if there are ways of refreshing curly hair without having to wash it?

Well, good news, I’m here to show you my top techniques for refreshing your curls without having to wash your hair, so your wash day can stick to once a week!

Refresh With Water:

If your roots aren’t too greasy because it’s only a day or two after washing and your curls need a spruce up to redefine the curl, then just refreshing with just a spritz of water will be enough to do the trick.

If you have plenty of styling products and already have a styling gel in your hair from yesterday or the day before, then a little water and scrunching will reactivate the hell and give those curls a little refresh.

You can either refresh old curls by soaking them with a water spray bottle, working in sections or if your scalp is particularly oily, then you can hop in the shower and give it a good rinse.

This is the best method as to how to refresh low porosity curls, just a little bit of water will do the trick. For high porosity hair, you’ll need a leave-in conditioner and a gel or mousse to lock in the moisture and smooth the cuticle.

Check out my full guide of everything you need to know about hair porosity here.

If I have a bit of time on my hands, I prefer to give my curly hair a rinse in the shower, giving my scalp a good massage for 5 minutes under the running water; this will help ease the excess oils from your scalp without having to shampoo.

Plus, it gives me the option to refresh curly hair using your curl defining or hydrating conditioner on the ends. You can then style like usual, applying your chosen styling product like your hair gel or mousse.

This is my favorite refresh method if I have the time.

Hair Steamer:

Another brilliant way to add moisture and volume is by using a steamer; you can find a wide array of brilliant steamers on Amazon at affordable prices.

The warm water vapor will help moisturize the curls and help curls spring back to life; it can be used on its own or with a curl cream leave-in conditioner if you’re looking for different ways to refresh curly or natural hair.

Finger Coils:

If you’re currently transitioning, you might struggle with keeping your curls looking springy, so finger coils are brilliant at refreshing curls.

Just apply your favorite styling product and twirl each strand around your finger until it is twisted; scrunch your curls and leave them to air dry.

Hair Gel Or Mousse:

Hair gel or mousse can provide a major hold for old curls that need a little boost and style longevity. Work in sections and wet your hair using a spray bottle with water or a leave-in conditioner,

Then apply a small amount of styling hair gel/mousse to each curl; you can then use your styling brush (I like my Denman Brush) and run the gel through the ends of your hair, twirling as you go down– only do this if your hair is soaking wet though.

Scrunch your curls in your hand or with a cotton t-shirt or microfibre towel. You can then leave them to dry, or plop your curls or even diffuse on a cool setting if you’re in a hurry.

If you have quite fine hair, I recommend you opt for a lightweight gel or mousse, as some gels can weigh down your hair and leave a greasy residue.

Styling cream:

If you’re looking to refresh curly hair but want more of a natural finish, then you can dry refresh your curls using a styling cream.

Using the same technique to the gel, apply the styling cream to each section of hair in between wash days that need to smooth, and then scrunch upwards.

This will work well, especially if you live in a state with humid weather.

Pin Curls:

Another brilliant way to protect your hair and refresh your curls after sleep is to do pin curls. Using a small strand of curls, spritz a bit of water and apply a strong hold gel.

Wrap the curl around your finger, or if you want larger, bouncier curls, then wrap around two. Slide the curl of your finger, and pin to your scalp using a bobby pin in an x formation.

Do this for all-natural hair curls that need refreshing. You can either use a diffuser on low heat to dry quickly or go to sleep in this hairstyle and wake up to bouncier curls.

Either way, once the hair is dry/pins have cooled, you can flip your head forward and give your roots a little shake, and you’ll be left with beautiful curls. This should also help prevent frizz and add volume to your curls.

Dry Refresh:

Do your curls need just refreshing during the day and wondering how to refresh curls without water? Well, it is pretty easy to refresh your curls during the day.

If your scalp is a little greasy, just apply some curl-friendly dry shampoo and give your scalp a little massage to sort out the oily root.s

Use finger coils to help smooth out curls if they are looking a little fluffy and frizzy. Finger detangle individual curl clumps that are tangled to help prevent frizz.

If your hair needs it, then you can spray a little spritz of water to give your curls a little reviver, give your curls a little scrunch, and they should be as good as new!

DIY Curly Hair Refresher:

Sometimes, all we need for refreshing curly hair is a refresher spray; you can either buy one online or make your own; here’s my top DIY recipe recommendation here.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• – Small water spray bottle:
• – Purified water
• – 2-3 tbsps conditioner
• – 2 tbsps hair gel or desired hair products
• – A few drops of lavender essential oil
• – A few drops of rosemary essential oil
• – A few drops of peppermint essential oils
• – 1 tbsp aloe vera gel

To refresh curly hair, sometimes it just needs moisture and hydration for the curls to bounce back up again; curls thrive on moisture as they are the driest hair type.

If your hair is quite porous and needs moisture, then add more conditioner if needed. The conditioner will help hydrate, while the gel will provide hold on the curls.

The essential oils peppermint, lavender, and rosemary oil are brilliant for strengthening the hair strands and promoting natural hair growth. They all have some serious benefits to curly hair.

You can even add aloe vera if you’d like; aloe vera is a humectant that helps absorb and retain moisture. It also gives hold to the hair and adds definition to your curls.

You can mix all the ingredients using a whisk in a jug, then pour into the spray bottle; make sure you spray well before each use.

Work in sections and spray just a spritz per section evenly across the whole head; use a styling brush or your fingers to style and scrunch and then leave to air dry.

Summary:

Learning curl refresh methods is a super important thing to learn in between washes. Us curly girls tend to have dry tips, so don’t forget to apply leave-ins.

Choosing the right hair products to revive your curls during the week can help stretch your wash days even further; as long as you keep your curls hydrated, then you might even be able to stretch your washes to once every week or two.

It’s time to learn how to refresh your curls, ladies!