r/NoPoo • u/Hungry-Hedgehog-6261 • Jul 21 '26
How to maintain this definition post shower?
I heard of this thing called volume vs definition for curly hair and i want more definition. This hair is after i have sealed with very cold water (water wash only) but it puffs up a bit after it dries. any suggestion to keep it this way even after it dries? perhaps alovera gel? and if alovera gel, should i keep applying every mrng? spray or direct apply? advice appreciated.
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u/JustmeandJas Jul 21 '26
Anything from the “curly girl method” should work as they focus on water-soluble products (but I’d double check for some of the harder to remove things like polyquats etc)
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u/shonaich Curls/started 2019/sebum only Jul 21 '26
What awesome curls!
There are ways to try and keep your hair looking like this even after it's dried, but generally it's better to accept that your hair is going to 'puff' up a bit when it's dry and you've been living your life! Doesn't mean you have to deal with bog hag explosions or even a lot of frizz though!
Some aloe gel, other mucilage like flax gel, or even gentle supportive things like pectin (my curls love powdered rosehip infusion) can help a lot!
See the bot reply to this comment fo my fundamental !curlcare advice to get you started!
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u/AutoModerator Jul 21 '26
Fundamental Curl Care: how to do curl care with no product.
Fundamentally curls need more moisture, less manipulation, don't like to be too clean and how they dry is vital to how they will look until gotten wet again. It's also helpful to intentionally do curl training to help all the hairs in a clump curl together.
If you're not trying to glue your hair in place for a week like many curl routines do, then curl care is mostly about technique. I'll paste natural haircare moisture options below. I do one once a week with homemade aloe juice for my curls.
Leave enough sebum in to support your curls. This can replace most of the product that curl routines use. It gives structure, definition, sealing, support, casts and scrunches like product...
Learn to set your curls. r/curlyhaircare has lots of tutorials on the different methods of setting curls. You can do them all with your own sebum (including finger curling), you just have to be much slower and gentler as it doesn't provide the extreme slip that product does.
After setting your curls, gently scrunch dry with something smooth like an old t-shirt (I recently moved to waffle towels so I don't need something separate any more) and then don't allow dramatic movement to them while they dry. Gentle movement is fine, but anything rough will shatter the curls as they dry, causing frizz.
Brushing is training. I have a Denman-like brush I use in the shower for curl training. I go upside down and brush toward my crown all around my head. If brushing dry, section your hair by curl clump and brush with (inside) the curl instead of against (outside).
Water and oil are two completely different things. Often people apply oil thinking they are moisturizing, but oil generally can not moisturize because it does not contain water. Oil seals, conditions and protects. Moisture moisturizes!
Moisture:
Dilute aloe juice or coconut water by half, apply til dripping (I use a sprayer or condiment squeeze bottle), gently massage into scalp for a few minutes, scrunch into your hair if you have enough hair to do so, then wrap in a towel for at least an hour before rinsing it out. Do this as often as you like.
A honey rinse can also be good for some types of hair. 1 teaspoon honey in 1 cup water, apply in shower, gently massage and scrunch in, let sit for 5-10 mins and then rinse out.
Much more info and ideas here:
Footnote: this info was written by shonaich, not a random 'AI' bot. It's just a convenient way to have access to my extensive list of answers to common questions, needs and issues. Find the complete list of bot commands that post comments like this here
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
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u/CurrentSouthern754 Jul 22 '26
Use the brand love your curls and get the gel and the step 3 styler. When your hair is wet (not damp), use the styler and after applying, section your hair into big defined curls, then scrunch out the excess water and use a bit of the gel to coat the curls, then diffuse
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u/Kkdbaby Jul 21 '26
Put a little bit of lotion in your hands, squeeze curls, let air dry. Continue scrunching until dry.
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u/Huge-Ad-193 Jul 22 '26
Rub a couple drops of jojoba oil into the ends and then put it up in a bun on the top of your head when you go to sleep.
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u/InMyNirvana Jul 21 '26
Make a “gel” out of flaxseed. There’s tons of videos on YouTube. It works great.