Here's The Best Order To Apply Your Hair Products In If You Have Curly Hair

When it comes to taking care of our bodies, there are many ways of doing things right and wrong. Have you noticed that when you scroll through TikTok, there's always someone explaining the right way to do something you've been doing for years? You might've seen videos tailored to applying your skincare products in a specific order, drinking water correctly, or why you shouldn't pop certain bumps on your body. 

Since we don't get taught the proper procedures for the things we do daily, it enhances our life when we find out how actually to do something. For example, applying your skincare or makeup in a specific order often makes them work better, thus providing excellent results. You might be struggling with acne despite following your skincare routine every night — but you might not be using the right products or using them in the correct order.

Like skincare, applying our haircare products correctly is essential to having healthy hair. You've probably noticed that since the cold weather has started, your hair has become dry, flaky, or itchy. You'll see the best results when you use the products meant for your hair type in the proper order. We know seeing many hair care products in the store can be overwhelming. However, it can be just as tricky to figure out the order to use them — which is why we tell you the best way to apply your hair products.

Curly hair is prone to drying out faster, and shampoos will make it worse. Instead of shampoo, try co-washing to keep your curly hair hydrated. Co-washing is using a cleansing conditioner in place of shampoo. You would wash your hair with the cleansing conditioner like you usually would with shampoo. Since a cleansing conditioner is a type of conditioner, it will help eliminate buildup while continuing to moisturize the hair. Whereas shampooing your hair can get rid of buildup, it can also strip the hair of the oils it needs.

Co-washing helps hydrate hair types that are mix-textured, dry, curly, and coily. However, doing a co-wash won't help if you have fine hair since you'd benefit more from volumizing products. One of the best cleansing conditioners is from Carol's Daughter, Hair Milk Cleansing Conditioner, for $11. It has a mix of shea butter, agave nectar, biotin, and pro-vitamin B5, per Carol's Daughter's website. Another option is the Briogeo Curl Charisma Rice Amino and Shea Hydrating Co-Wash for $32. The shea butter and avocado oil provide hydration, while the rice amino and tomato fruit enhance texture.

After your shower, you'll want to add a leave-in conditioner to your damp hair. Even though the co-wash helps to hydrate, you want to continue the hydration even after your hair has dried. Most leave-in conditions are thinner in texture than normal conditions, which won't make your hair feel heavy and weighed down. However, if you have coarse, curly hair, you can use a thicker product, like hair butter. They can come in a spray or regular bottle, and you want to apply a small amount only to the bottom half of your hair. Then, you can either scrunch the leave-in conditioner in your hair to keep the shape of your curls or comb it through.

The Briogeo Superfoods Avocado + Kiwi spray is a great leave-in conditioner for $25. It's perfect for all hair types and will leave your hair hydrated, detangled, and shiny. Plus, it has UV protection, so it won't damage your hair if you're in the sun. OLAPLEX no. 3 Hair Perfector is another popular leave-in conditioner you can use before your shower to help restore its appearance. Its main ingredient is Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate, a building bond that rebuilds broken and weakened bonds in the hair.

For hair that has dryer ends, a little bit of traditional conditioner can help moisturize the middle to ends of the hair. Some leave-in conditioners recommend being used one to two times a week, so when you don't use them, adding a little can help restore your hair. You'll get the extra moisture it needs without having to wash it out right away. Apply your go-to conditioner to the middle and ends of your hair when it's damp to hydrate and shape the curls.

Ouai's conditioner for thick dry hair is perfect for moisturizing and preventing frizz in your hair. It has marshmallow root, keratin, avocado oil, and shea butter, best applied to the middle to ends of your hair. Ouai recommends rinsing the conditioner with cold water to lock in the shine. So, adding an extra tiny amount when you're out of the shower will boost your hair's hydration.

A blow dryer with a diffuser attachment can help keep the curls in place. Without a diffuser, the dryer can break and damage the hair when dragged across the entire length. If you let your hair air-dry, the coils can quickly lose their shape and fall. The diffuser keeps the hair in place and shapes the curls with light heat, keeping the curls in their scrunch position while being blow-dried. In addition, your hair will have minimal frizz and better texture throughout the day.

Bed Head's Curlipops 1875 Watt Diffuser is a great beginner-friendly blow dryer for $34.99. You can remove the diffuser if you want a normal blow-dryer. It has three heat settings and two speeds to control the heat on your hair. In addition, there's a cool setting that helps set the style in place.