Beauty columnist Kerry Harvey shares the secret to getting your curls to bounce up for summer.

Summer is the season to wave hello to natural waves

Yay!  It’s Summer time! Some lucky people are off on their holibags and thankfully for us staying put at home, we’ve had some pretty nice weather! One thing I’ve noticed is my normal blow dry (I don’t use straighteners) becomes a frizzy mess on an evening out with this slightly humid weather! I’ve naturally fine frizzy hair, but with a little product, it curls beautifully!! After years of styling, and for a long time hating my curly hair, this Summer I decided to break free and embrace the curl!

After lots of research and talking with various stylists who specialise in all sorts of natural curls, from loose to afro hair, here are some top tips and products that have helped me LOVE my natural curl and may help your curls bounce back too!

Curls need moisture!  Washing with regular shampoos, normally strip the hair! ‘Shea Moisture’ has a fabulous range of products for natural curly heads which you can find in Boots.  All natural, cruelty and paraben free amongst many other fabulous attributes and created with organic shea butter!  It simply screams MOISTURE!

Many really curly haired pros will not wash with a shampoo.  Instead they use conditioner alone to keep the moisture levels as high as possible!  Personally, I do shampoo, and love using their Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Shine Shampoo with Silk Protein & Neem Oil €14.99 Boots.ie.  It helps restore your natural curl pattern whilst de-frizzing and cleansing the hair!

Then I pop a grape size amount of their Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Shine Conditioner €14.99 Boot.ie, which is super hydrating, protects and adds shine, for a few minutes and rinse off.  This is fabulously lightweight, and can be used daily!

Next, I add a spritz of Unique One All in One Hair treatment Spray €15.99, from Sallyexpress.com, into my palms and gently scrunch it into the ends of my hair.  With my head upside own, I push my hair up and in towards my scalp aiding curl formation. No need to wash out, plus this is also fabulous for heat/colour treated dry damaged hair!  It leaves a super soft natural curl and I LOVE this product!  If you prefer a more styled curl, then opt for a moose or styling gel!

Soft Curls:

Instead of towel drying, as this messes the natural wave pattern your wet hair forms naturally after washing, use a cotton or towel wrap, lay it flat on your bed in front of you, turn your head downwards towards the wrap (so your curls hang down over the wrap), and then drop or ‘plop’ your head down into the wrap – all your wet hair is now on top of your head when wrapped. This technique is known as ‘plopping’. Letting your hair dry like this overnight will unwrap beautiful natural soft curls.

Ringlets:

Separate the hair into small ½ inch sections and simply twist each section using your fingers.

You can make your sections smaller or larger, whatever your preference is, but twist each section in the opposite direction to the previous section.  This will create a natural looking tussled yet tight curl.

Air dry, and once dry, toss your head over pulling your fingers through for a fabulous voluminous look!  A quick stunning style when on holidays – a walk in the warm air will see you have super ringlets within 45mins!

Diffuser:

I hadn’t seen nor heard of diffuser since my holy communion! Oh the memories!

For me, this is a quick, easy solution to fast natural looking curls.  I grab and tussle large handfuls of my hair into the diffuser head and on a medium heat, gently massage the diffuser towards my scalp – again with my head facing the ground (adds volume).  I then switch to the cool setting on the hairdryer to set those curls as my warm curls simply fall out!

Check out the Diva Professional Styling Universal Diffuser XXL Pro, €17.00 from Sallyexpress.com! It attaches to almost every hairdryer brand and won’t break the bank as styling tools go for a quick fabulous mane of cascading curls!

Now, go forth and let those natural waves free gals! K x