I’ve been on a little bit of a hair journey in the last decade. For a long, long time I had my hair cut the same as straight hair and treated it the same way. My mom and every other female family member has straight hair so I didn’t really have anyone to learn from and just did what I could. I didn’t really give it much thought and often it was just kind of blah and a little poofy and awkward, but I didn’t really think about it.

Fast forward to college where the weather was warmer and I’d let it air dry and experimented with gels and mousse and tried to work that crispy, wet curly hair look. For most of those years I had a love/hate relationship with my hair, mostly on the hate end of the spectrum. More recently, I’ve been embracing my curly hair and feeling like I just needed someone to help me understand it!

A few weeks ago I finally had a haircut by a new stylist that completely revolutionized my hair routine. She totally got curly hair! She understood my questions and for the first time ever, cut and styled my hair as it was meant to be, curly. If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, you’ve got to try her out, Tara at Juut Salon.

For all you other curly haired gals out there, I thought I’d share my new hair routine that I’ve been loving 

The tools + product: Carol’s Daughter creme, Alterna Bamboo Pure Kendi Oil, Curling Iron Set.

The routine: I’ve always washed my hair every other day, but from my stylist’s recommendation, now only use shampoo about once a week. The other times I just rinse it with water and use conditioner as normal. (Side note, in my new routine I continued to use the same shampoo and conditioner)

After showering, towel drying, and while my hair is still wet, in my palm I mix together about a gumball sized amount of the conditioner creme and 2-3 drops of the oil. Then I run it through the bottom 2/3 of my hair. Sometimes I twist small sections of my wet hair into curls, just randomly throughout, but I’ve been forgetting this most of the time. I go to bed with my hair wet and it dries overnight.

For a long time I was using the wrong kind of curling iron! I was using too big of a barrel that didn’t mimic the size of my natural curls. I picked up this iron and now use the 0.7-1inch wand. The tapered end also mimics natural curls more accurately! In the morning when my hair is mostly dry, I part my hair where it makes sense that day (curly hair is a little different every time) and curl sections near the outside that seem like they could use a little love. I curl much smaller sections than I used to, again, I grab the amount that matches more my natural curls. I also don’t hold it around the curling iron as long, just a few seconds (maybe 3) to prevent heat damage. I end up curling maybe about 10-12 sections total, again usually just the outside. Then I shake it out a little with my fingers to make it look more natural, and then maybe pull some back in a clip depending on what I’m doing that day.

The curling step takes less than 5 minutes! I was amazed at how quick this routine was but how much I love it. I really don’t need to do more. And let’s be real, I have 3 young kids and barely have time for 5 minutes on my hair. Again, I’m loving this routine and thinking I’ll be following it for a long time.