HELP! 10 Curly Hair Disasters and How to Fix Them

We've all had them-curly hair disasters. Check out our tips for all hair types for fixing your curly hair disaster.

NaturallyCurly's Evelyn

Curly Hair Disaster Tips from Evelyn

The Flat Iron Fiasco

You decided to try something new-a straight style! But come wash day, you noticed your hair hasn't rebounded back to its tight, springy coils. You shake your head in disbelief, fighting back some of the most painful words in your natural hair journey: heat damage. Put the hair shears away! It might not be permanent.

Solution: Deep condition! Heat clamps down the cuticle of the hair, not allowing any moisture in. It may take a while for the moisture to reach your hair and revert. Use a moisturizing deep conditioner and let your hair sit under a steamer or shower cap for 30 minutes. You may even have to do this over several days to train it back into its natural curl pattern.

To prevent this in the future, make sure you do protein treatments to strengthen your hair. They can be natural treatments like an egg deep conditioner or store bought like Miss Jessie's Rapid Recovery.

What a Tangled 'Fro We Weave

For me, it's midterms, student organizations and internships. For you, it might be a big project at work and chauffeuring the kids to football practice. Either way, after a month or two of loose hairstyles and NO combing, your hair is crying to be free! Free-form dreadlocks are cool…only if that's the look you're going for! Detangling at this point seems like an impossible task, but we can get through it . . .

Solution: Wet your hair, divide in big sections with no-snag elastics. Slather on a super slippery conditioner. Let sit under a shower cap for 15 minutes to let the hair soften. Take one section, divide in to 3 smaller sections, and detangle with a wide-toothed comb. Start at the ends of the hair and work your way up. Follow with a Denman brush to ensure all the shed hair is removed. Two-strand twist that small section and move on. Take your time! Rinse out the conditioner with cool water.

This problem usually happens to those of us who don't like protective styling and just never get around to sleeping with a satin scarf. To prevent this from happening in the future, use a light gel or serum (likeKinky Curly Curling Custard) and rake through small sections of your hair. Even while wearing your hair in a 'fro, defined curls take longer to tangle and get fuzzy.

Dry Hair Disaster

You've tried all the hair creams, greases, and conditioners imaginable, and your hair still feels rough! There has to be a way to get soft natural hair, right? Yes. Here's how . . .

Solution: The cuticles or layers of a hair strands are overlapping. When they are raised, it gives the hair a rough feeling to it. Human hair is slightly acidic with a pH of 4.5-5.5. You can close the cuticles and smooth down the strands by using acidic ingredients. Aloe vera gel is a great ingredient for this! Also, warm water opens the cuticle, while cold water closes it up. Rinse the conditioner out of your hair with cold water. Also manually smooth down your hair when you moisturize it. The act of smoothing down product downward from root to tip will push the cuticles down. When the cuticles are closed, moisture stays locked in the hair. Remember that afro-textured hair won't have a "silky" feeling to it. When properly moisturized, highly textured hair may feel light and airy, like cotton!

NaturallyCurly's CurlySuzy

Curly Hair Disaster Tips from CurlSuzy

None of My Favorite Products are Working Any More

Lately my hair seems to be drier and drier. My favorite products are not working. My frizz is getting worse and I am losing my curl formation. My curls are a mess. Could I have product build-up?

Solution: Product build-up can cause havoc on your curls. Using a clarifying shampoo and then following with a deep conditioning treatment will get the curls back to normal.

If you love your hair products that have non-water soluble ingredients (most silicones), then be sure to remove them by using a clarifying shampoo before your hair starts to rebel.

I Just Worked Out and My Curls are Suffering More than My Muscles

My hair looks terrible after I work out. My curls are frizzy and lifeless. Plus, I already washed my hair this morning, so I do not want to wash it again because that will only make my hair drier and harder to deal with.

Solution: Co-washing is the way to go with this hair disaster. It is a quick way to cleanse your hair and moisturize it at the same time. Elucence Moisture Balancing Conditioner or Suave Tropical Coconut Conditioner are both super conditioners for this situation.

Hat Head and Smashed Curls

Hats are warm and cozy but can be a problem for curls. You either have to keep the hat on for the whole day or figure out a way to revive the curls when you take the hat off.

Solution: Curl refreshing sprays can be the answer to this curly dilemma. A little goes a long way and they smell great, too. DevaCurl Mist-er Right or Oyin Handmade Greg Juice will revive your curls that the hat so effortlessly destroyed.

Midday Curl Mania

My hair started out the day fine. No frizz and good curl formation were what I saw in the mirror. But, by my lunch hour the story had changed. My hair was twice the size and frizzed out.

Solution: Pomades to the rescue. This is a tricky fix for two reasons. If you use too much your curls are in even bigger trouble. Take a very small amount of pomade and put it in the palms of your hands. Rub them together. Next, this is the second part of the trick - gently smooth the pomade over your curls and scrunch just a little bit. If you touch and scrunch too much you will wreck the curls even more. MOP Glisten High Shine Pomade is a good product to keep on hand in your desk or purse.

NaturallyCurly's Alyssa

Curly Hair Disaster Tips from Alyssa

Flat Waves

What qualifies most wavies as such is the fact that their wave starts inches down your hair and hair lays flat against your head. Both thing are a pain to deal with, but both can be fixed.

Solution: Duckbill clips. These are the easiest fix to get the hair away from the crown of your head. Every morning when I'm dealing with freshly washed, wet hair, I take 3 or 4 and clip them around the crown of my head. Leave them in while you continue getting ready and your hair dries. Since your hair dries around them it adds a lift all around the crown of your head so your hair doesn't look like you slept in a headstand all night. It's hard to visualize how to do this on your own so here's a video to show you exactly what I'm talking about.

Second Day Scare

I wash my hair every other day, which will seem like a lot to many of you, but sleeping on my hair that's full of product sometimes makes for a battle in the morning.

Solution: A satin or silk pillowcase. Again, another quick thing to make your life a little easier. Cotton can be rough on your waves or curls, mainly because it separates them throughout the night and causes an outstanding case of bed head. By simply using a satin or silk pillowcase, it acts as a guard to your waves throughout the night and you will wake up with hair that is much easier to deal with. I have tried the pineapple method and nothing works for me like a good pillowcase. This two pack comes in a variety of colors so you can still match your room while taking care of your waves overnight.

Straight Hair Underneath

I have come across several wavies who tell me that their bottom layer of hair is straight and hangs below their curl and there is nothing they can do about it. I have the same issue with my hair, and while it is a pain it can be fixed.

Solution: When getting your hair cut, get the straight layer trimmed a little shorter than your waves. It might seem like an odd concept, but when the straight part of your hair dries, it will shrink up below your waves and will never be seen. Trimming the bottom layer shorter solves the problem of being able to see straight hair hanging from your waves, which in turn takes your attention off of them. It's another quick and easy way to solve a problem that seems to be unmanageable.

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Check out NaturallyCurly.com for more tips for curly hair.