Do you find that your natural hairstyles start off soft, defined, and smooth, but by the end of the day, your style has frizzed and “poofed” up? While there is nothing wrong with a little frizz and not to mention the fact that frizz is often times inevitable, there are a few tips and tricks that you can try that can help to make your natural hairstyles last longer. In this article, we have compiled five helpful tips that can benefit you in how to make your natural hairstyles last longer.
Here is how to make your natural hairstyles last longer:
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1) Be weather-aware
The weather can have varying effects on your hair. If the forecast says it is going to be a hot and humid summer day, this can create the perfect formula for frizz. On the other hand, if you are in the middle of a cold, harsh winter season, this can produce a drying effect on your strands. To prep your hair for either weather forecast and make your hairstyle last, moisture is key. Frizz is often caused by a lack of moisture throughout your strands.
For example, if you go outside with very dry hair and the weather is humid, the hair cuticle may lift in response to the water molecules present in the air in an attempt to absorb moisture. This can create the appearance of raised strands, or frizzy hair. To lessen / prevent excessively frizzy, dry hair and encourage longer lasting hairstyles, be sure that you are adequately moisturizing your strands and sealing in moisture with the right moisture sealants. Examples of effective moisture sealants include oils, butters, and other leave-in’s. Using an effective moisture sealant can help your natural hairstyles last throughout whichever weather forecast is up for the day.
2) Make sure your hair is detangled before styling
Whether you are wearing a wash and go, a twist-out, cornrows, etc., if you want to make your natural hairstyles last longer, it is important that you detangle your hair before attempting to style it. Styling your hair while it is tangled can lead to excess frizz, less definition, and a shorter amount of wear you get out of the style. To add, leaving your strands tangled can make them more susceptible to breakage.
Gently detangle your hair in sections with the use of a good detangling product. When your strands are thoroughly detangled, this will allow more of your hair products to reach your strands and thus encourage smooth and defined curls, coils, and kinks!
3) Use styling products with a strong hold
Another tip that can benefit you in how to make your natural hairstyles last longer, is to try using styling products that will provide a strong hold. For example, if you want to make your wash and go’s last longer, styling gels are a good choice of products to help capture your natural curl pattern, lessen frizz, and last throughout the day.
Gels tend to provide a longer-lasting hold with your styles in comparison with creams, but may need to be paired with another leave-in to prevent crunchy curls. For twist-outs and braid-outs, you can try a twist-defining cream to support a longer-lasting hold.
4) Properly preserve your styles overnight
Aside from making sure that your natural hairstyles last throughout the day, you may also want to preserve your style overnight. Properly preserving your styles overnight can help to prolong the amount of wear you get out of them throughout the week. One way to ensure that you are adequately preserving and protecting your hairstyles overnight is to wrap your hair with satin or silk in the form of a bonnet or headscarf.
Wrapping your hair with satin or silk fabrics can serve as a better alternative compared to commonly used cotton fabrics. Cotton fabrics can have a drying effect on your strands. In addition, there are other ways to preserve your natural hairstyles overnight. Some of those ways include placing your hair in chunky twists or braids, a pineapple, or some other style that keeps your strands in place.
5) Avoid over-manipulating your hairstyles
If you style your hair while it is wet, in the effort to make sure that your hairstyle lasts awhile, it is key that you avoid over-manipulating your hair as it dries. If you manipulate your strands too much as your style dries, this can disrupt the product from fully absorbing as well as create frizz. Even once your hairstyle fully dries, over-manipulation (e.g. picking out your hair, fluffing, etc.) can also cause frizz and disrupt the curl pattern. This can shorten the amount of wear you get out of your hairstyle unless you re-style it.
With a few tips for how to make your natural hairstyles last longer in mind, what is your favorite natural hairstyle to wear? Share it in the comments down below!
