A Curly Hair Routine That Actually Works

In brief

A curly hair routine has four parts: wash day with the detangling done while conditioner is in, products layered to seal water into the curl, a gentle refresh between washes, and night protection, so the pillow cannot undo the other three.

By Vitalii Prisacari, VTCT Skills Level 3 Diploma in Women's Hairdressing, including the Level 4 Hair and Scalp unit, State Registered Graduate Hairdresser, founder of Matted Hair London. Helped 1,000+ people since 2020. Reviewed September 2026.

Why curls need a different rulebook

A curly strand is oval and bends, and every bend is a gate that slows the scalp’s natural oils on their way down the length. So the ends of curly hair stay drier than the roots. Dry, bending strands catch on each other instead of sliding.

The order you do things in matters more than the product. An inexpensive conditioner worked slowly through damp, sectioned curls beats an expensive cream raked through dry ones.

Wash day, step by step

1. Pre-detangle before water touches the hair. Work through the lengths with your fingers, then a wide-tooth comb, on dry or lightly misted hair. Never start a wash with tangles in place, because water tightens them.
2. Shampoo only the scalp. Massage a sulphate-free shampoo in at the roots and let the suds that rinse through clean the lengths on their way down.
3. Condition in sections and detangle while it is in. With conditioner or a detangler giving the hair slip, work each section from the ends upward with fingers first, then the comb. Tangles that would snag dry curls slide apart when the hair is wet and coated.
4. Rinse with cool water to settle the cuticle.
5. Apply products to soaking-wet hair. Leave-in conditioner goes on first, then a cream or gel, scrunched upward while the hair is still dripping so the curls clump.
6. Dry without friction. Press the water out with a microfibre towel or a cotton t-shirt, then air-dry or use a diffuser on medium. A regular towel rubbed over curls causes frizz and knots.

Product order, simplified

Forget the acronyms until you need them. Water goes in first, then something to hold it there. Leave-in conditioner on wet hair carries the moisture. A cream or butter seals it in for thicker, drier curls, and a gel sets the shape and defines looser patterns.

Fine curls may need only the leave-in and a light gel. Coily hair usually wants all three, and often several times more product than straight hair. Judge it by how your curls feel on day three.

Between wash days: refresh, do not restyle

Wetting and restyling curls every day wears them out. To refresh, mist with water or half water and half leave-in, scrunch the flat sections and leave the rest alone. Twice between washes is plenty. Oily roots before wash day mean the scalp wants washing sooner, so bring wash day forward and keep dry shampoo off curls.

Detangling curls without losing the pattern

Part along the clumps your curls already form, not along a straight comb line. Working with the clumps takes the knots out and keeps the curl’s memory. A brush breaks the clumps up.

Curls also hold on to shed hair. The same bends that give curls their shape catch the 50 to 100 hairs everyone sheds daily, and shed hair left in the curls is where matting begins. For tighter coils, the full method is in my afro and 4C detangling guide.

Night protection: the quiet half of the routine

A whole night on a cotton pillowcase rubs curls against the fabric and against each other. Choose one: a silk or satin pillowcase, a loose pineapple (curls gathered high in a soft scrunchie), a satin bonnet, or loose plaits for long curls.

Of all the clients in my records of what causes matting, 4% matted from sleep friction alone. Matting at the nape usually comes first. The hair there is finer, gets brushed least and spends the night pressed against the pillow.

Signs your routine is failing, and what each one means

Frizz on day one means the curls needed more water when the products went on. Style on wetter hair next time.

Frequently asked questions

How often should curly hair be washed?

Once or twice a week suits most curly hair, and coily textures often prefer once. Let the scalp set the schedule and wash when it feels oily or itchy. Spend the washes you save on conditioning the lengths.

Should I brush curly hair every day?

No. Save the comb for wash day, when conditioner is in the hair. Between washes, run your fingers through the nape once a day, because shed hair collects there first and a finger check finds it while it is still a loose tangle.

Why does my curly hair tangle so fast?

In my Catford practice, 68% of the severe cases I take on involve curly-textured clients. The cause is the shape of the strand: each bend catches on the hair beside it, so curls tangle far more often than straight hair does. Hygiene has nothing to do with it.

What is the best routine for curly hair in hard water?

Hard water minerals stiffen curls and speed up tangling. In my case files, 6% of all clients matted because of hard water damage. A monthly clarifying wash followed by a deep conditioner, or a shower filter, makes every other product work better.

Should you wash matted curly hair before detangling?

No. Keep matted curls dry, because water tightens a mat and stretches the strands inside it. Nothing goes on the mat first, not conditioner and not oil. Fingers come before any tool, working from the tips to the roots, and product goes on only once a section has started to open. A section that stays solid under your fingers needs professional dematting.

When the routine is not the problem

If a section of your curls has fused, or detangling has started to hurt, leave it as it is and send me a photo. The free 10-minute assessment is by phone, WhatsApp or video call, and you will know what the hair needs before you spend anything.

Of more than 1,000 clients since 2020, 99% were saved without cutting. Dematting by hand costs £100 per hour at my studio in Catford, home visits across London add a £200 flat surcharge, and Klarna and Clearpay both let you pay in 3 at 0% interest. We Save Hair, Not Cut It.

Related reading: Leave-in conditioner, used properly · Which hairbrush for which hair type · How to actually grow longer hair · The complete guide to matted hair · The truth about dry shampoo

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