Understanding Natural Movement In Hair
09 REFRESHING YOUR HAIR ON NON-CLEANSE DAYS
NON-CLEANSE DAYS
SIDE NOTE:
Some people have stronger Curl Patterns than others. Their hair is going to do what it wants to do, no matter what, and doesn’t need much help/support, so refreshing is more about encouraging things back to their curl groups than needing to encourage the actual curl. Some people have weaker Curl Patterns (MELTY CURLS)—for some this can happen for a period of time if the hair hasn’t spent most of its time living curly or if it is damaged— and for some, it is their natural state. Some hair easily takes suggestions instead of doing what it wants or gets confused easier. There are Curl Patterns that will melt out between cleanses if not given support through refreshing.
We don’t brush through, comb through, or rake through dry curls. This doesn’t mean we have to leave the hair alone—though some curls can be left alone and do fine, a lot of curls need some encouragement on Non-Cleanse Days.
Most of our interaction with our dry curly hair should be scrunching. When it has expanded too much or has a bit of frizz—we can scrunch/squeeze on top of and around the strands to encourage them to go back into their curl groups (especially effective if we have set a good Foundation for Longevity). When we want to encourage our curls to curl up, then we scrunch from the ends of the strands up to the scalp. If we have curl groups that clump themselves into larger groups over time, then sometimes we gently separate the larger clump back into its natural curl groups.
We don’t have to have the curls look the same each day—they just have to look good. It’s okay for them to look different each day between cleansing and those variations are some of the fun of curls. Most of my curly guests who have a good routine will say that Cleanse Day isn’t their favorite curls, though they look just fine.
With hair that has movement, we need to switch our approach to our hair—we don’t have to style it or tame it. WE WANT TO CHECK IN WITH THE HAIR AND SEE IF IT NEEDS ANYTHING FROM US TO HELP DO ITS THING WELL RIGHT NOW, INSTEAD OF JUST DOING THE SAME THING TO IT EACH DAY.
