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Ohhh, so That’s Why My Curls Look so Much Better Some Days Than Others…

Zoe Weiner

February 21, 2019

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Photo: Getty Images/Westend61

When it comes to my curls, I never know what I’m going to get. Some days, I roll straight out of bed with hair that looks like it belongs on the cover of a movie about mermaids. Others, I wake up with a dry, matted mess on top of my head that—I kid you not—a pigeon once mistook for his nest and tried to land in (seriously, there are pictures). I’d always thought that the end product of my curls was exclusively based on the weather and products I had been using, but I recently discovered that there was a third factor at play: my haircut. Because a haircut for curly hair, apparently, can make all the difference.

“I think a good haircut for curly hair can work with your curl pattern,” explains Garren, celebrity stylist and co-founder of R+Co, noting that while a particular cut can’t exactly change your curl pattern, per se, it can alter the way it looks. "Curls look bouncier when you cut your hair because you get rid of split ends and take some of the weight away. It’s keeping your hair healthier so you have more of a wave pattern and curl pattern."

While a haircut can provide structure and cohesion to curls, always pay attention to the tool that your stylist is using to help you get them. “I think the first time you cut your hair, it should always be cut with scissors—not a razor, as that can thin the hair and cause the hair to fray,” he says. From there, it's all about monitoring how your cut grows out. If you loved your haircut when you first got it, Garren suggests monitoring it at around the 2 to 3 month mark, which is when it starts to go through a transitional phase of growing out.

From there, it's all about using the right products to add moisture and definition. Try R+Co Waterfall Moisture + Shine Lotion ($29), which adds moisture and hydration to strands; Ouai Hair Oil ($28) , which I personally use every morning to make my dye-colored curls look alive; and a nourishing hair mask, like Moroccan Oil Restorative Hair Mask ($42).

So yes, you'll want to be slathering on moisture for the sake of your spirals, but you should also be getting it chopped on the reg.

Fellow curly girls, check out a few other *~*genius*~* (if we do say so ourselves) tricks for dealing with your natural kinks, and treat 'em to one of our favorite DIY product recipes to keep them looking naturally gorgeous.