The Curious Column: Curls & Beauty Diary Tips & Routine

I cannot talk about curly hair care in India without mentioning our guest blogger today. Anjana, the gorgeous woman behind Curls & Beauty Diary has inspired several girls across India & abroad to love their curls. She has 2c wavy curly hair, that I LOVE! Healthy, bouncy shiny hair – first curl crush in India If I had to give a name. She’s also from Bangalore so if any of you needs help in that city, don’t hesitate to reach out to her. Find her answers below & don’t forget to follow her on her social media channels & Youtube, all of the links you will find at the end of the article. 

Tell us about how you started your natural hair journey – when did you embrace your curls?

Early childhood was not at all a worry. I didn’t care about primping much. It was from my late childhood till the start of my college, that I absolutely hated my hair. I would go about asking people with straight hair what shampoo they used (ya, shampoo :P). I would keep brushing and combing it, hoping it would marvelously turn straight somehow. I thought of getting a revostyler.

At the end of my 12th standard, I almost decided to get permanent straightening done. Thankfully I did not. In college, I once got a really good haircut done in Cochin. And for the 1st time ever I saw my hair like I had never seen it before. It was not a frizzy bush, it was actually spring shaped. But nothing much had changed :p, I was still absolutely clueless about how to take care of my hair.

I started using heavy oils, sticky gels, applying products on dry hair (because there was no clear cut description anywhere of what I should really be doing. Or maybe I didn’t look hard enough). Learning about curly hair care was a gradual process which took me around 4-5 years. I read through curly haired blogs, tried the techniques and slowly began seeing the beauty that my hair is.

Did you face any resistance from friends or family? Any tips for girls who are asked to keep their hair brushed out “neatly”?

Not at all thankfully. I’ve only had adoration and compliments. Thank god! For those who are not as fortunate, I’d say – Show them what a beauty curly hair is (right routine, products and confidence!) and that will keep them mum.

[bctt tweet=”Show them what a beauty curly hair is and that will keep them mum.- Anjana” username=”curiousjalebi”]

Name 5 inexpensive products you easily get in India that are great for curly hair

Enliven conditioner, Revlon Flex conditioner, Loreal Smooth intense conditioner, Matrix biolage range,
Schwarzkopf gel

You recently purchased several deva curl products – which one has your vote?

I am swinging between One Condition and B’Leave in. But I guess B’Leave in wins – lightweight moisture is what it is!

Your go-to curly hair routine when you want flawless curls

• Wash with any sulphate shampoo(diluted)
• Condition and detangle with Enliven conditioner. Finish off with squish to condish.
• Scrunch in Cantu Creamy Hair Lotion followed by Devacurl Ultra Defining Gel.
• Plop for 30 minutes
• Diffuse till dry

You often talk about hair cut shock – what is it & what should readers remember about the same?

After all haircuts, my hair acts weird – not clumping like before, looking wonky and dead. The only thing I do is wait. Yes, it is very hard to wait especially not knowing how your haircut has turned out, but I have to wait for 2-4 weeks.

The most important part of a curly hair routine is?

Conditioning. I can skip my styling products or plopping once in a while but I just cannot skip conditioning. This step will determine how your hair is going to look. Moisture, tangle free hair, texture – these 3 things are determined for me in this step.

Any tips for hair growth?

Do mini scalp massages daily with 1-2 drops of oil blends, do thorough scalp massages with oils before washing, eat healthy, sleep on silk to prevent hair breakage.

Air dry or diffuse?

Ever since I’ve tried diffusing I’m hooked on to it! Super volume and curl definition. But if it is not done right, it can make matters worse!

You have a video tutorial on diffusing curly hair – what mistakes do you think people make that spoils the curls while diffusing?

• The top mistake is not having enough product to start with and then the diffuser dries it out further.. eeks!
• Not using a gel – A gel cast will prevent the diffuser from causing frizz.
• Diffusing on high speed and heat
• Moving the diffuser around too much
  

How often do you wash your hair in a week – does the hair texture decide how long your curls last?

I wash my hair 2-3 times in a week. My curls last for 2 days after which it goes in a bun! After day 2 it starts getting droopy. Tighter curls can get more days.

You aren’t particular about a purely CG friendly routine – can you tell us why?

I haven’t found any difference between using sulphate shampoos and sulphate free shampoos. It’s probably because I always dilute my shampoo in water.
I used to use silicones too but recently discovered that they weigh my hair down so now I avoid silicones.
I think it’s more important to see if or not a product suits your hair rather than going for a trend.

[bctt tweet=”I think it’s more important to see if or not a product suits your hair rather than going for a trend. – Anjana” username=”curiousjalebi”]

What is your styling technique?

I always scrunch my products in. I have rarely had success with raking my products in. Scrunching after squish to condish ensures that my clumps are not broken.

[bctt tweet=”Scrunching after squish to condish ensures that my clumps are not broken. -Anjana” username=”curiousjalebi”]

When did you start the blog & what was the first post about?

I started my blog in September 2015 and the 1st post was about why one shouldn’t brush or comb curly hair when dry. Because I realized that is the top mistake curlies in India make.

Who are your favourite curly hair bloggers with your curl type?

Frankly, I don’t have even 1 curl twin 🙁 Still searching!! But Sindy (@all_about_my_curls) and I feel we have similar (give or take) hair types – large curls.

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There you go peeps! Hope this helped! You can find her posts via the links below: