April 18, 2021

Damage Repair Curly Hair Routine ft. NEW Curlsmith Strength Products

This post is sponsored by Curlsmith. All opinion are my own.

Are you currently struggling transitioning away from heat or bleach damage and trying to repair damage? Today’s wash day routine is focused on damage repair, preventing breakage, strengthening the hair, and improving the curl pattern.

In this routine, I’m featuring a few new additions to the Curlsmith Strength Recipe line including shampoo, multipurpose conditioner, and gel that contain proteins. Protein ingredients are ideal for damaged, weak hair because they help strengthen hair and improve elasticity.

Curlmsith’s New Strength Recipe Products

I’ve been a huge fan of the Curlsmith Strength Recipe since I first tested out the Bond Curl Rehab Salve. These new additions contain the same natural ingredients such as hemp seed & rice protein, prickly pear, pumpkin seeds, kale, and guava. All of the ingredients are designed to provide strength, increase protein absorption, improve resilience, and encourages hair growth. The new products are not likely to cause a drying effect and protein overload because the protein ingredients are lower on the ingredients list and they contain moisturizing ingredients for proper protein/moisture balance.

Team Leave-In or Leave-Out?

One of the best parts of this wash day routine is the new Curlsmith Multi-Tasking Conditioner because it’s a 3-in-1 product. It can be used as rinse-out, deep conditioner, or leave-in which saves money when starting your curly hair journey and simplifies your routine.

For this routine, I used the Multi-Tasking Conditioner as both a rinse-out to detangle and a deep conditioner. Do you plan to use it as a rinse-out too or a leave-in? Comment below if you’re Team Leave-In, Team Leave-Out, or Team In & Out!

It’s important to know that you can never fully “repair” severe damage and split ends. Damage needs to be cut off, but using strengthening products can help protect the hair as you’re growing it out. When I was transitioning, I got frequent trims every 6-8 weeks as I gradually cut off the damage. I finally cut off the last bit of bleach damaged from old highlights back in the fall of 2020 and my hair drastically improved since then.

Watch this video to learn more about my transitioning journey, and what I do now, 4 years CGM.

Wash Day Steps

Start by detangling your curls dry to prevent breakage and snapping. Apply a little oil to your hair the night before you wash, or at least 30 minutes before you plan to shampoo so you can ensure it soaks in. The oil will also provide some slip for dry detangling. Hair is very fragile when it’s wet, so dry detangling prevents breakage. The pre-poo oil will also protect fragile hair when shampooing.
Wet hair and apply a little conditioner to further detangle. Once your hair gets wet, it can tangle up some more so this helps prevent matting and breakage when shampooing.
Apply shampoo and gently massage your scalp, focusing on the root. When you rinse, the shampoo will run down the ends to cleanse the lengths. Avoid scrubbing the lengths and ends of your hair as that can cause damage.
Apply conditioner or deep conditioner. When deep conditioning, I like to wring out the excess water, coat my hair in the deep conditioner, then put on a plastic cap and let it sit for 30 minutes before rinsing.
Apply a leave-in conditioner and/or curl cream to clean damp or wet hair. I went with a curl cream for this routine for added moisture. This will prevent your hair from drying out.
Evenly coat the hair in gel to tame frizz and hold the curls in place. Strong hold will better tame damaged areas.
Use a brush to create ringlets or finger coil to encourage shrinkage and definition. Avoid a brush if your hair is very fragile. Scrunch gently.
Scrunch out excess water with a cotton hair towel or T-shirt if needed. Apply a second light glaze of gel if frizz develops.
Diffuse on low heat or air dry. Avoid touching the diffuser to your ends too much. Check out my “plop diffuse” and hover method here.