How to Refresh Curly Hair Between Washes

Refresh a few curls, or wash the whole head?

Refresh when most of your style still looks how you want and only a few areas need reshaping. Wash when your roots need cleansing, most of your hair needs restyling, or you want to remove the products already on it.

A visible film, tackiness or repeated product flaking is a reason to look at buildup before adding more. Hair feel alone cannot tell you whether hard-water minerals or a scalp condition are involved.

Start with the curls that need it

Look at the front, crown, sides and ends. Leave the parts you like alone and separate one flat or misshapen section.

Try water first if you are unsure whether you need more product. Let that section dry before deciding what to do with the rest.

• Water only: lightly rewet one section, reshape it and let it dry.
• Leave-in: use one with directions for the wetness of your hair.
• Most of your hair needs work: plan a wash instead of repeatedly adding product.

Choose a leave-in that can go on dry hair

PATTERN says a small amount of its Leave-In Conditioner can be applied to dry hair midweek. Spread a little through one section, reshape it, then wait before adding more.

tgin Green Tea Super Moist Leave-In is applied to wet hair after shampoo and conditioner. Curlsmith Weightless Air Dry Cream goes on soaking-wet hair. Keep those products for their wet-hair steps rather than copying PATTERN’s dry-hair directions.

Refresh one section from start to finish

For a water-only refresh, lightly rewet the section and reshape it the way you did on wash day. If using PATTERN Leave-In on dry hair, spread a small amount through the section and reshape without adding enough to coat it heavily.

Let it dry. If you like the shape and it does not feel sticky or coated, repeat where needed. If it flakes, becomes tacky or keeps needing more product, stop adding layers and plan a wash.

Include refreshes in your product budget

Small midweek applications still use up the bottle. If you are tracking cost, measure the amount you actually add rather than treating a refresh as a full wash-day serving.

If you need more product over more sections each day, it may be time to wash and start again.

Keep what worked for your next refresh

If water alone reshapes your curls, skip the extra product next time. If a little leave-in helps without leaving residue, use that amount as your starting point.

When several sections will not hold their shape, your hair feels coated or your roots need cleansing, plan a wash. Get professional advice for persistent pain, sores, swelling or sudden shedding.

Questions before your next wash