Picture from Flora & Curl Coconut & Mint Refreshing Clay Wash
Resetting your hair is important for both styling and health. Doing a curl reset helps to strip away product buildup and provide your hair with a blank canvas.
What is a curl reset?
A curl reset involves using stronger shampoos and cleansing products to deeply cleanse your hair and strip all buildup off it. They remove product, dead skin, dirt and flakiness. Think of it as detoxifying your hair. Before resetting your curls, you need to know when it’s right to do so.
Signs of product buildup
- Greasy/oily look and feel (especially at the roots)
- Raggedy looking curls – sitting all over the place and clashing
- Flat roots/weighed down hair
- Flaking
- Hair feels dirty even after being washed, or feels like it needs to be washed again only after a couple days post wash day
What causes product buildup
Product buildup can be caused from several practices:
- Not thoroughly washing your hair, even with normal shampoo. Instead, thoroughly wash your hair through engaging the roots and massaging them with your shampoo
- Using an abnormally high amount of product
- Using products with harsh ingredients and/or ingredients that are hard to wash out
- Not using a clarifying shampoo
- Not using a strong enough shampoo (usually described as ‘lightweight’)
How to reset
Use the right products. I recommend a mint scalp refresh oil or a clarifying clay wash.
If you choose to use an oil, then divide your hair into sections and apply a few drops of the oil in each section, focusing on the scalp. Massage it into your scalp with your fingers. Leave for 5-10 minutes and then follow up with shampoo and conditioner.
Benefits of the oil:
- Peppermint oil soothes the scalp and promotes hair growth
- Lavender oil purifies the scalp and soothes dandruff
- Coconut oil conditions and adds elasticity
- It melts away product buildup, flakes and dirt with ease
Benefits of the mask
- Clay minerals purify and exfoliate the scalp, while absorbing excess dirt, flakiness and build-up
- Organic banana and coconut intensely softens curls
- Micro minerals in clays and mint oils stimulate scalp and promote hair growth
- Visibly enhances curl definition and encourages curl responsiveness to products
If you use this mask, ensure to detangle your hair first. Leave it damp and add the clay wash to your roots and hair. Allow it to sit for 10-15 minutes. Rinse it out and follow up with conditioner.
How often you should reset
This depends on a lot of factors – like the products you use, how much you use, how often you wash your hair, how thoroughly you wash your hair, what shampoo you use – the list goes on. I can’t tell you how often to reset your hair, but I can tell you the signs to look out for. Remember the signs of product buildup listed above and refer to it as a guide.
Most of having curly hair is learning how to listen to it and diagnose what it needs through understanding and studying your hair. Once you know the signs to look out for and how your hair responds, then you will be able to know how to treat it.
Still unsure?
Regardless of what products you use, every curly girl needs to reset her curls. Keep in mind that buildup doesn’t just come from products, but also other factors like dirt, dry skin, etc.
Resetting your hair is not only a fun, refreshing and relaxing experience, but it also gives you a clean slate for styling and helps your curls to respond better to your styling efforts and products.
