I'm here to share care tips for type 2c hair. Do you have some serious waves in your hair? Does it feel not curly enough to be called curly, but too curly to be wavy? Then you have come to the right place for some tips on how to handle this type of hair. I am a proud owner of type 2c hair.
This type of hair has more defined waves and loose curls all over the head. You might find that your hair can be quite frizzy and resistant to styling. This type of hair also loses curl definition very easily. So, try one of these care tips for type 2c hair for some great results.
One of the best care tips for type 2c hair is to use a diffuser. Blow-drying like normal should be your worst enemy, but you may find diffusing to be your new best friend. This method works well at defining waves and curls, while bringing bounce to your hair. As a 2c haired girl, you may have the problem that comes with air drying where your hair is dragged down by all the water. But diffusing fixes that problem by removing most of the water so your hair can dry faster and there's more bounce to the waves and curls.
You may have heard that curly girls need to put product in their hair when it is soaking wet. Well, I would not recommend this for us 2c girls. I find that when I place product in my hair when it is damp instead of dripping, the hair turns out much more defined. By removing some of that extra water, you are again taking out unneeded weight and that is a huge factor in how defined your hair will be. Since 2c hair loses its definition so easy, we need to remove most of the factors that cause this problem and excess weight is one of them.
I know you may be terrified of gel or just absolutely hate it, but I really recommend giving it a chance. The biggest complaint I hear about gel is that it leaves you hair feeling crunchy. This problem can be easily fixed by doing what is called “scrunching out the crunch”. All you must do is, once your hair is completely dried you flip your head over and start scrunching your hair. This will remove the gel cast which causes that horrible crunch. The reason you get that crunchy feeling is the gel creates a protective shield over your waves and curls while they are drying so they keep their shape when they are in their most vulnerable state, which is when it's wet. Once the hair is dried, you can remove the cast and you will have beautiful shiny well-defined hair.
Do not, I repeat do not, use a regular bathroom towel on your head. When you do that you are just asking for your hair to be a frizzy mess. All those little fibers in the towels rough up the cuticle in your hair and create that dreaded frizz. Instead, invest in some microfiber towels or use old 100% cotton t-shirts to scrunch out the excess water. These two things are much gentler on your hair.
How do you apply product to your hair? Do you smooth it over your hair or do you scrunch it in? If you just smooth it over, try switching to the scrunching method as this encourages curl formation, while not disturbing your hair pattern. While smoothing over elongates your waves and curls it can lead to losing definition. Also try scrunching your hair while your hair is flipped upside down. By doing that, you will create volume and wave at your root, which a lot of 2c girls struggle with achieving.
I hope no one with this hair texture is brushing their hair while it is in its natural state. If so, please stop. Brushing wavy or curly hair while it is dry is just asking for a disaster. This ruins your curl pattern, creates horrible frizz, and creates unwanted volume. Picture a lion’s mane. That is what your hair will look like if you try to brush your hair while it is dry. The best way to detangle your hair is in the shower with conditioner in your hair, either with your fingers or a wide tooth comb. I do not even recommend combing your hair while it is wet after washing, because this too can make your waves and curls go into hiding, as it pulls the pattern out of the hair until you wash it again.
With 2c hair, you do not want to weigh your hair down with too much product. I am sure by now you know why the excess weight is a bad thing for this hair type. Excess weight = less definition. This might take some trial and error to see how much product is too much, but once you find out, your hair will thank you for it. The waves and curls will be bouncy, shiny, and well defined instead of stringy, frizzy, and limp.
Embrace your natural texture! Everyone has such unique hair and we should not be afraid to let our hair be itself, whether it's curly, straight, or wavy. It is all beautiful. Hopefully some of these tips will help you on your journey to make the most out of the hair you were born with.