In junior high I straightened my hair everyday. Don’t ask me why, I was going through an self-image hair style phase. I then was super late getting up so I wore my hair (naturally) curly, and a gazillion (how I remember it) people told me how nice it looked. I was a little shocked, but decided to roll with it.

A, because I felt like curly hair was a little spunky, and I often felt like a salmon swimming upstream anyway, so.. and B, it cut my morning ‘get presentable’ time significantly.

I’ve worn it in a variety of cuts, I’ve dyed parts of it, but in the many years I’ve learned how to be a curly girl, I always tend to stick with my essentials for taking care of it and helping it look its best.

ps – I also wrote a few tips another time on this blog.

My morning routine consists of the following:

A cotton t-shirt.

This is a secret trick for curly girls: instead of using a towel to get out that extra water, scrunch your hair with a t-shirt. It’s easier on our hair and prevents frizz.

A light mousse.

This varies from time to time. I think my hair gets accustomed to a particular gel or mousse so I change it up often so it doesn’t get bored or immune to its power. I say light, because curly hair needs to be as light as possible. I just recently bought some shampoo/conditioner that I can’t use because it was too creamy and heavy. Weird, right.

Redken Guts 10.

This is a product I was only introduced too within the last year: a root booster. Sounds intense, doesn’t it? Fear not, it simply helps lift or volumize hair at the crown of your head. Not sure how it does this, it might be a mental thing, but it has sucked me in. Your choice.

A nice diffuser.

If you have curly hair, I’m sure you already use one of these, but it’s a major key in helping your curls actually be curly. I finally caved and quite adult-ly asked my mom for a nice blow dryer for Christmas two years ago. Still going strong!

Silk Therapy.

This is a product I don’t use every day but appreciate. It is magical, prevents frizz, and gives my curls a shiny-but-not-oily look.

Noodle Head Boosting Spray.

This bright orange bottle is fantastic. My hair could be stick straight and if I spritz it with this stuff it curls up instantly (without making my curls brittle, which is a plus). I highly recommend keeping this product on hand at all times.

And last but not least…

A good hair spray that won’t leave your hair like a rock.

I’m digging TRESemme lately.

There you have it, friends. My curly hair routine.

— Are you a curly girl? Do you have any secretly fabulous products? My ears are always open.