Tips & Tutorials

10 Tips for Diffusing Curly Hair | Curly Hair Routine

Discover how to curl hair with a hair dryer with our helpful tips and tricks. We’ve got 10 easy, manageable tips for diffusing curly hair that will help you achieve minimal frizz and maximum definition

When you are at the start of your curly hair journey, it can be overwhelming knowing which is the best way to use – that scary attachment – diffuser head. However, using a diffuser not only saves drying time but can increase the volume and body of your curls/waves. Any curly girl with tell you it takes a lot of practice and MANY attempts to perfect your curly hair routine. Don’t give up, your gorgeous curls are waiting! Keep reading for our top tips for diffusing curly hair.

 

1. Gentle washing

Grow gorgeous curl shampoo for taking care of curly hair

Taking care of curly hair starts in the shower.  How you wash your hair and the products you use can affect your result. Aggressively washing hair can lead to tangles and breakage which leads to frizzy, unruly curls. Look for shampoo & conditioner haircare for curls because they are formulated with curls in mind. Remember – gentle circular motions for washing only!

2. Use a microfibre towel

Woman using microfibre towel for curly hair

You may be wondering why you need a specific towel for curly hair. The benefits of using a microfibre towel help all hair types and textures because they are incredibly absorbent and gentle. Hairstylists and experts explain that hair is extremely fragile when wet. Microfibre towels absorb a lot of water without causing excessive dryness, that’s why your curly hair routine will benefit from using a microfibre towel because it reduces frizz and breakage.

 

3. Gels, creams & mousses

Grow gorgeous curl butter for the perfect curly hair routine

From gels, creams and mousses there is a variety of hair care for curls out there. Don’t worry, we’ve got the simplest explanation for a beginner; creams hydrate strands, gels provide hold and definition, and mousses add volume.  Taking care of curly hair doesn’t have to be so complicated, simply start your curly journey with just one styling product that hydrates and defines.

4. Apply product using praying hands technique

Woman showing praying hands technique

The best tip for diffusing curly hair is knowing how to apply your styling products. Your curly hair routine should use the praying hand technique; where styling product is applied across the palms of hands and then applied to the hair between both hands in a praying motion.

The praying hands technique is a method we recommend for beginners because it teaches you to distribute your styling products evenly and reduces frizz. The biggest mistakes beginners make are clumping products on the ends of hair or applying too much product to roots.

 

5. Scrunch

While your hair is wet and you have sufficiently applied your styling product with praying hands – it’s time to scrunch.  You want to gently scrunch the hair in an upwards direction from the ends all the way to the roots. If you’re wondering how to curl hair with a hair dryer, it starts with scrunching! Scrunching is the best way to get defined curls on curly/wavy hair.

 

6. Medium heat and low speed setting

A top tip for diffusing curly hair is to only dry hair on a medium heat setting with low speed. If you have fine hair, we recommend a low heat setting to match your hair type. The reason why we recommend using medium heat and a low-speed setting is that it reduces frizz and damage to strands.

 

Diffuser hair dryer

 

7. Hold 10cm away from hair

So, how should you start to diffuse curly hair? The first step to your curly hair routine should be to hold your diffuser about 10cm away from hair and in slow circular motions start to heat around your head. The diffuser ‘spikes’ shouldn’t be touching your hair at this point. Holding your diffuser 10cm away and focusing on your crown, you will start drying your roots first because your roots will dry faster than your ends. You can dry under your roots by flipping your hair over and drying it upside down.

 

8. Leave ends till last

Once your roots are about 70% dry you can move on to your ends. By drying your ends last, you are taking care of your curly hair. Usually, the ends of hair dry more quickly than our roots. By leaving your ends last you will dramatically reduce the amount of frizz that your curls have.

 

9. Slowly dry ends

Have you heard that slow and steady wins the race? Well, the same can be applied to your curly hair routine. The number 1 top tip for diffusing curly hair is to slowly put curls within the diffuser head and hold at roots – then repeat. This slow motion of putting sections of curls within the diffuser head and holding reduces frizz while drying your ends effectively. Once hair is about 80% dry you can leave it to air dry.

 

10. Fluff or scrunch out the crunch

tip for diffusing hair is to leave to dry before fluffing hair

Once you have waited and your hair is 100% dry – it’s time to fluff or scrunch out the crunch! Scrunch out the crunch is when you have used a gel that has left a cast. By fluffing your hair with your fingertips, you will add volume and create bounce. Hello, gorgeous curls!

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Rosalind Roberts

Rosalind Roberts

Writer and expert

Roz is a brand content editor that loves all things haircare! She has a Master's degree in International Fashion Retailing & Multi-channel Marketing.