Care for curly hair

It’s a temperamental hair type, but it can look absolutely luscious when treated properly. Rachel Marie Walsh explains how to care for curls.

Shampoo Less

A trichologist once told me to think of the scalp as earth: what grows from it is only as healthy as the soil itself. Your scalp is covered with skin and so requires gentle care to stay healthy. Avoid shampoos containing sodium lauryl sulfate (this is both a salt and a detergent, effective but harsh) and irritating extracts like mint and rosemary. Choose fragrance-free or minimally fragranced shampoo, such as Philip Kingsley No Scent No Colour, €15.94. If anti-dandruff shampoo doesn’t cure a flaky scalp, try massaging it with fragrance-free moisturiser the night before washing. Shampoo curls every third day at most, unless your roots are very greasy. A daily rinse and condition is OK but go easy on the cleansing! The process is hard on hair. Don’t shampoo twice in one shower. Concentrate on the roots and remember that lather is not what cleans your hair but a sign that there is no build-up left to clear. Do not start to scrub harder when you see suds.