9 Things Every Curl Needs

1. Oil

Don?t wash naturally curly hair more than twice a week; your rizos need the oils in your scalp to help keep them moisturized. And when you do, use a thick, hydrating shampoo and conditioner.

2. Fattening up

Before you go creating curls in straight or wavy hair, wash it with a thickening shampoo, then apply a thickening mousse while it?s wet so hair has the body it needs to hold a curl.

3. The brush-off

Forget about using a brush on curly hair (hola, frizz!). Always detangle curls with a plastic, wide-tooth comb.

4. Shower time

While in the tub, coat curls with a moisturizing conditioner, then comb through them. Detangling will be a snap!

5. A gentle touch

Never towel-dry natural curls; the friction will make them frizz faster than you can say "Dippity Do." Instead, gently blot rizos with a towel before air-drying or drying with a diffuser.

6. A rubdown

When applying conditioners or frizz-fighters to curly hair, first rub the product into your hands, as if you were applying hand cream. This will help you distribute the product evenly onto strands so you don?t wind up with dry, frizzy patches.

7. An old scrunchy

To keep curls from falling flat at the root, use a soft scrunchy to tie hair into a high, loose ponytail before going to bed. Scary ?80s flashback? You bet. But you?ll have fresh, bouncy rizos in the morning!

8. More oil

To get your curls really soft and shiny, take time out once a week to do a deep-conditioning treatment. Just make sure the product contains essential oils, like avocado or sunflower, to penetrate and moisturize strands.

9. A travel kit

Keep a small can of hair spray and some big bobby pins on hand. If curls fall flat during the day, take sections of hair, wrap each around two fingers, then slide fingers out and pin the coils to your scalp. Spritz with hair spray and let loose after a few minutes. ¡Problema resuelto!