Why is curly hair dry?

I have struggled with dry hair for as long as I know. It was like an added burden over having unmanageable curls. But once I found the right products, ingredients and techniques, dry hair became a thing of the past. So why is curly hair so dry naturally? Let’s find out!

Have you noticed how hair becomes greasy if left unwashed for 3-4 days? Meanwhile on the straight haired side of the world, woman feel the need to wash hair every 1-2 days. This greasy feeling is because of sebum – an oily secretion produced by the sebaceous glands on our scalp.

In curly hair, with all the twists, bends and turns, the sebum cannot easily flow down from the scalp to the ends. In straight hair, it would be like going down a slide 😀

This is the reason curly hair is very dry especially after a wash and the very reason we need to rely on external emollients to quench the thirst. The external nourishment can be in the form of oils, butters and silicones found in conditioners and leave ins.

In addition to the natural causes of dryness, there could be other reasons that are causing your curly hair to be extremely dry and here’s how you can find them out and correct them:

• Shampooing every day or using very harsh shampoos – Since the sebum takes time to reach the ends, shampooing everyday can strip your hair off the bare minimum that’s there. How to wash & condition curly hair.
• Not conditioning or using a poor conditioner – Conditioner is what conditions your hair and provides the first step of moisturization and a good foundation for your styling products. Never skip conditioner and invest in a good one that suits your hair.
• Not sealing moisture post washing with a product rich in oil or butter – A good wash should be followed by sealing in the water with a good serum or leave in or the water will just evaporate away. How to apply products and scrunch curly hair.
• Sleeping on a cotton pillowcase – Cotton absorbs way too much moisture. Sleep on silk instead.
• Chemical or Heat Damage – Using too many chemicals(hair dyes, smoothening and straightening creams) or heat tools(straightening rods, blow driers) can also cause hair to become dry.

Quench the thirst of your curls and make them happy 🙂 Here is a post with my full curly hair care routine – My curly hair routine .