Table of Contents:
- How to Refresh Coily Hair in 4 Steps
- When Should I Refresh My Coily Hair?
- Protecting Coily Hair Before Bed
- Best Products to Refresh Coily Hair
- What To Avoid When Refreshing Coily Hair
- Trust Your Coils to Curlsmith
How to Refresh Coily Hair in 4 Steps
Dry, dehydrated coils can really throw a spanner in the works when it comes to trying to achieve healthy, defined hair. It’s an issue that most of the coily community can attest to experiencing on a regular basis, and it can be frustrating. When your coils look and feel dull and lifeless, it prevents you from styling your hair in your desired look. Not to mention, it can be damaging and lead to issues like split ends, breakage and brittleness. So, if you’re struggling with thirsty coils, learning how to refresh coily hair is of paramount importance. Here are tips on how to take care of coily hair to ensure your strands remain healthy, hydrated, and full of vitality.
When Should I Refresh My Coily Hair?
Believe it or not, the state and condition of our coils are often dependent on factors beyond our control. For instance, where we live, our day-to-day environment, and lifestyle factors are all contributing factors when it comes to the hydration levels of our hair. As such, levels tend to increase and decrease throughout the day. So, let’s break down the different times when your coils will likely need refreshing.
Refreshing Coily Hair in The Morning
When you wake up in the morning, your coils are likely at their driest due to the friction and moisture loss that can occur overnight, especially if your hair isn’t protected with a bonnet or a satin pillowcase. With this in mind, refreshing the hair in the morning helps to replenish the moisture and hydration that is lost. Think of it like having a glass of water the first thing in the morning.
Refreshing After Exercise
Going to the gym regularly is another activity that can contribute to loss of moisture due to the excessive sweat that occurs during physical activity, which contains sodium chloride. When sweat evaporates, the salt becomes more concentrated on the hair strands, pulling moisture from the cuticle, leaving the hair feeling drier. Post workout, your coils will require a hydration boost, so try spritzing with water or a spray mist. To minimize dryness, install a quick protective style, such as a few vertical cornrows or chunky braids.
Extra tip: cover your hair with a satin scarf or a sweat-proof headband prior to your gym session to help prevent frizz.
Between Washes
When your hair craves moisture and hydration, a sure-fire way to quench your coils is to wash them. Shampooing your hair is the ultimate hydration booster, due to its ability to remove grime and buildup while infusing curls with water-based ingredients that restore and revive hair back to a healthy balance. Despite the benefits of shampooing your hair, it's not practical to do so on a daily basis. So, if you are in between washing and your hair feels parched, applying a curl refresher spray is a time-saving alternative.
Protecting Coily Hair Before Bed
As previously mentioned, when our head hits the pillow at night, moisture and hydration often escape. One way of ensuring your coils receive the right amount of hydration before you hit the sack, is to implement a nighttime hair routine. If your coils are lengthy and prone to tangling, it’s worth braiding or cornrowing your hair at night to keep it protected and knot-free. Before you wrap your hair with your satin bonnet or scarf, spritz a few drops of a refreshing mist to help keep your coils moisturized, defined and submersed in hydration.
Best Products to Refresh Coily Hair
Quenched coils are achievable once you find the best products to refresh coily hair.
At Curlsmith, we are here to help our curl community discover effective hair hacks as well as products that work to refresh curls.
CurlFit Reviving Mist
Our new CurlFit Reviving Mist is a curl/coil-friendly alternative to dry shampoo. Powered by micellar water technology to refresh and hydrate the hair and scalp, our hair mist also neutralizes odors and reduces excess oil following a rigorous workout or an active day. Additional ingredients include peppermint oil to soothe the scalp and tropical fruit extract, which contains natural odor-fighting properties. Our mist is suitable for all curl types and textures.
Shake & Shine
Formulated with 7 types of hyaluronic acid and seaweed, our innovative Shake and Shine is the ultimate moisture booster. Powered by our revolutionary bi-phase curl refreshing technology, Shake and Shine works by locking in moisture to hair fibres. It also reactivates and refreshes curls, while enhancing curl definition, and shine. Ideal for use in-between wash days, apply when your curls feel dry and brittle.
What To Avoid When Refreshing Coily Hair
Trying to maintain the right balance for your curls and coils can be quite a fine balancing act.
Avoid these common mistakes to ensure your curls and coils remain hydrated:
Oversaturating your coils
When your coils are dry, instinctively you will want to add as much moisture and hydration as possible, but that’s counterproductive, as dousing your curls can lead to excessive frizz and shrinkage. Instead, opt for a light mist like Curlsmith Curlit Reviving Mist to add hydration.
Going overboard with heavy oils and moisturizers
Similarly, many of us equate dry coils with hair that is starved of moisture and subsequently ply the hair with heavy oils and butters. In truth, dry hair usually indicates that the hair is lacking in hydration so heavy products will only cause coils to be limp and laden with product buildup, instead of light, quenched and defined. Go easy on the hair butters and apply light bi-phase mist like the Shake and Shine instead.
Leaving protective styles in for too long
Wearing protective styles like braids, cornrows and extensions is an effective way to keep your hair healthy and well-maintained but leaving them in for too long can cause the hair to become excessively dry and the scalp irritated. CurlFit Reviving Mist provides the scalp with key benefits, absorbing excess oils and sweat to support a healthy scalp.
Trust Your Coils to Curlsmith
Learning how to refresh your coils is such an integral part of your hair routine, and Curlsmith is here to help you on your journey. It can be such a minefield to navigate how to refresh your hair effectively for your curl type, so check out some of our free hair guides. Take our curl quiz to get to know your hair type, and we encourage you to read our guides geared towards your curl type: how to refresh curls and how to refresh wavy hair.
