For Fractal Curls
CurlyWorld has developed daily routines for each curl type to help protect and enhance the natural beauty of your curls.
For Fractal Curls
1. Before getting in the shower, apply a shallow palmful of water soluble, sulfate-free cleanser over the canopy of your hair. Smooth the cleanser over the entire surface of the hair’s canopy, using a downward motion. This pre-cleanse acts as a wetting agent to make the cleansing and conditioning process more effective. (It saves water, too.)
2. Turn on the shower and stand under the water stream to wet your hair thoroughly. Take a generous palmful of your water soluble, sulfate-free cleanser, evenly distribute it between your hands, and graze it downward on the outer layer (aka the canopy) of your hair as if you were icing a cake. This will enable the product to soak into your hair for maximum hydration while you are cleansing your scalp.
3. To clean your scalp, apply the cleanser in a straight line along your fingertips the way you’d apply toothpaste to a toothbrush. Evenly distribute to the fingertips of the other hand and then apply directly to the scalp; be careful not to disturb your curls.
4. Starting at the temples, massage the scalp with circular motions, move down the sides and then to the top of your head and crown. Finally, massage the back of your head, finishing up at the nape. Use your fingers as a comb to gently detangle. Now let the water spray through your hair slowly, rinsing out whatever your fingers have loosened. This slow rinse method will help prevent tangles and allow for greater hydration.
For Fractal Curls
5. Take a generous palmful of your water soluble, silicone-free conditioner, evenly distribute it between your hands, and graze it downward on the outer layer (aka the canopy) of your hair as if you were icing a cake. For fractal hair, you will likely need more rather than less conditioner. Apply more conditioner through the hair at each side of your head, using your fingers as a comb to gently detangle. The point is to distribute the conditioner evenly through your hair’s landscape so no curl is left behind.
6. Apply a dollop of conditioner under the hair at the nape of your neck, the spot most prone to tangles and knots. The hair there breaks easily, so be patient and gentle when trying to release any tangles or knots with your fingers. (Ripping equals frays and frays equal more knots.) Then, using your fingers, comb through your hair from underneath, removing any loose hairs.
7. Do not rinse out the conditioner, or at the most, splash a handful or two of water on the surface of the hair to help disperse the conditioner through the landscape of the hair. Turn off the water, but stay in the shower. Tilt your head to one side and use your hands to squeeze quench your hair up toward the scalp so a milky residue seeps through your fingers. (Because of the density and dryness of this curl type, your hair may not drip at all.)
For Fractal Curls
8. After you step out of the shower, let the conditioner seep in for two to three minutes as you dry the rest of your body.
9. If you are not looking for more height or width, do not tilt your head forward. Instead, look up to the ceiling and sway your hair back and forth to allow it to fall into its natural place. Take a generous palmful of gel and rub it onto both hands. Tilt your head to the right, and evenly distribute gel into the hair as you scrunch-squeeze your hair gently up toward the scalp. Tilt your head to the left and do the same scrunch-squeeze motion.
10. Rub another shallow palmful of gel between your hands and lightly graze it downward over the entire canopy of the hair. We call this the “prayer hand” method for applying gel. Fractal curls will typically accept as much hydration as you can give them.
11. To give the curls on the top of your head a little volume, you need to lift the hair at the roots. Our Pik Me Up Volumizing Piks are designed specifically to support this step. This method releases the top layer of hair from its own weight, allowing it to dry faster and in an even curl pattern from roots to ends. Do not disturb your curls while they are drying.
12. It’s best to let your hair air dry, because your curls are fragile and heat will evaporate the gel. If you don’t have time to air-dry your hair, you can use a low temperature device like a diffuser, hooded dryer (they’re surprisingly inexpensive and portable), or, if you’re on the go, just put the heater on in your car. This creates the same kind of drying microclimate that you’d get from a hooded dryer.
