How to refresh curly hair without washing

Why refreshing curls is important

Let’s talk about refreshing curls – your secret weapon for gorgeous hair between wash days! Instead of starting from scratch with daily washing (which can be harsh on your curls and cost a lot of time), a quick refresh will restore definition, tame frizz, and add moisture to your curls, keeping them hydrated and bouncey. The perfect curly hair routine is all about working smarter, not harder!

How to refresh curly hair: General tips

• Sleeping on a satin towel or satin pillow case prevents (or at least reduces) waking up with very frizzy hair. This will make refreshing your curls the day after washing your hair a lot easier.
• The hair products that you apply during or after washing are not immediately ‘gone’ after a night of sleep. You can ‘reuse’ these products the next day by activating them again to refresh your curls.
  You reactivate the product by taking the main ingredient and reapplying it in your hair. The main ingredient is the ingredient that is listed first on the list of ingredients on the product label.
  Spoiler: Often the main ingredient in hair products is water! So, by spraying with water you activate the hair product that has water as its main ingredient.
• A simple way to check if you still have enough product in your hair. is wetting your hair a bit. If it feels smooth, it still contains plenty of product in . Just let your hair dry to revive your gel cast.
  If it doesn’t smooth use a bit of product to add moisture
• You can pick up a cheap spray bottle at every euro store and drugstore.
• Try to understand the status of your hair. Does your hair feel dirty or do you suffer more from product buildup? If you find that the latter is the case, it is better not to refresh your curls, but wash with a clarifying shampoo.
• Top curls often sag faster than the curls at the bottom. So give the top layer of your curls just a little more attention.

NaturallyCurly’s curl refresh routine

1. Fill a spray bottle with water and mix in a little leave-in conditioner for extra hydration for your curls. Then spray the mix through your hair.
2. Rub a styling product of your choice between your hands and gently run your hands over your curls.
3. Once your hair is dry, scrunch your hair from the ends to the roots.
4. Your curls should now look fresh again. Do you think your curls are still out of shape? Then rub some gel between your fingers and apply to your curls. Optionally, you can use pins to secure your curls until they have dried.
5. Flip your head over and rub your fingers on your scalp at the roots of your hair to create volume so that your curls regain their umpf. When refreshing your curls, be careful not to run through your hair with your fingers – that will create frizz.

Manes by Mell’s curl refresh routine

Manes by Mell is a Canadian hair specialist and has beautiful blonde curls herself. With her funny vlogs about her curls, she knows how to captivate more than 300,000 on YouTube.

1. Divide your hair into two parts: a bottom and top layer, curling the top layer.
2. Fill a spray bottle with water and spray your hair. This activates the product that is still in your hair from your previous wash. Make sure your locks are wet enough to absorb the new product.
3. Take a small amount of styling product on your hand and apply it to your hair using the praying hands technique.
4. Then you get your hair out of the tang. Mell does this with a brush.
   According to the Curly Girl method, it is better not to use combs or brushes, so you can also try to detangle your hair with your fingers. Especially keep an eye on how your hair reacts to this, as it can sometimes lead to above-average hair loss. By detangling your hair, you immediately ensure that the product is well distributed over your curls.
5. Scrunch products in your hair, with that you help your curls to regain their shape.
6. You can twist strands of hair that need a little extra help to regain their curl around your finger.
7. She divides the hair into two parts: first curl the bottom layer, securing your top layer, then curling your top layer (same ritual).
8. Then rub a small amount of gel on the top layer of your curls.

TheCortReport’s curl refresh routine

TheCortReport vlogs about beauty, hair, motherhood, health… in short, lifestyle in general. You can find her on her YouTube channel (223,000 subscribers) where she shares very easy and useful Curly Girl tips.

1. Spray your hair with a spray bottle until you see that your curls come back a bit (your hair does not have to be soaking wet for this, slightly damp hair is usually sufficient).
2. TheCortReport then uses Aussie Curl Refresher to spray through the hair.
   Note: this product contains parabens. If you prefer not to use this product, you could also use DevaCurl Mist-er Right Dream Curl Refresher. DevaCurl is the brand of Lorraine Massey so you can assume that this product is CG proof. The only drawback is the price of the product, a bottle will cost you EUR 50.
3. Stroke gel over your curls (Cort does not use the praying hands technique). You don’t need to get a full gel cast, so use gel in moderation. If you have a lot of frizz, you can apply a little bit of gel to your roots!
4. Then squeeze out the excess moisture with a microfiber towel or cotton T-shirt.
5. Once your hair is dry, scrunch out the crunch. You can do that with your hands or the microfiber towel.
6. Finally, shake out your curls at the roots for extra volume.

Curly Suzie’s curl refresh routine

Curly Susie is a Canadian former fitness model and now vlogs about health and hair. This brunette reaches more than 140,000 followers on YouTube with her gorgeous curl pattern.

1. Divide your hair into an upper and lower layer.
2. Make your hair wet with a spray bottle (filled with tap water and a little bit of conditioner).
3. Then put a very small amount of cream and gel on your hands, which you mix together.
4. Apply the product to your hair. Squeeze out excess moisture with a T-shirt.
5. You repeat this with the next part of your hair, until you have treated all your hair strands in this way.
6. Flip your hair to the side so that it dries that way and when it’s dry you can flip your curls the other way and create volume that way.
7. Let your hair air dry or use a diffuser on a cold setting.

Jayme Jo’s curl refresh routine

Jayme Jo is an Australian multi-talent (think: dancing, singing, acting, fantastic hair management) and a true curly beauty. She is now entertaining hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram and YouTube with her hair and dance tutorials.

1. Divide your hair into left and right sections.
2. Fill a spray bottle with water, without adding product, and spray your hair wet. Your curls don’t need to be soaked, but just make sure every strand of hair is wet.
3. Jayme Jo then removes her curls with a Denman Brush . You can also do that with your fingers.
4. Apply SheaMoisture’s Curl Enhancing Smoothie, running your fingers through your hair to distribute the product.
5. Then you scrunch your CG gel into your hair to ensure a nice definition of your curls. You should see your curls come back slowly.
6. Let your hair air dry or use a diffuser on a cold setting.

The Kurlify refresh method

As you can see, most bloggers use similar routines to refresh curly hair. Broadly speaking, you refresh your curls as follows:

1. Fill a spray bottle with water and possibly mix a little hair product in it.
2. Divide your hair into sections (top and bottom or left and right) and secure the part of your hair that you are not going to refresh yet.
3. Spray your hair with the bottle of water, making sure your hair does not get soaking wet, but wet enough to wet all hair strands. the small amount of product you apply will be absorbed best by slightly damp hair.
4. Squeeze the excess moisture from your hair.
5. Gently scrunch your hair, with a touch of gel if needed, to boost curl formation and bring out your natural pattern.
6. Let your hair air dry or use a diffuser on a cool setting.
7. Shake out your curls!

What to avoid when refreshing curls

• Overusing products: Too much mousse or gel can cause build-up, make curls feel heavy, and make your hair fall flat.
• Using too much water: We cant say this enough. Don’t get your hair completly soaking wet.
• Skipping protection overnight: Using a satin or silk pillowcase helps maintain curls. and will avoid frizzy hair. Grab a hair tie and use the pineapple method to maintain curl definition.
• Not washing: You can only refresh your curls so often. sooner or later there comes a point when your curls need a proper wash. Product buildup can prevent your curls from looking their best. A gentle wash will remove this buildup, restore your natural curl pattern and restore definition.
  
  Check out our complete guide to washing curly hair – we’ll walk you through every method, from final wash to clarifying!

While refreshing is great for maintaining curls between wash days, sometimes your hair needs a full wash. Consider washing when:

• Your scalp feels itchy or oily
• Products have built up significantly
• Refreshing isn’t giving you the results you want

If you feel like your curls need an extra boost check out our article on co wash.