Full Refresh Routine for Major Tangles, Frizz, Dryness | Damaged Hair Refresh

We all struggle with refreshing…unless you just have perfect curls. I’ve noticed refreshing gets easier as your curls get healthier, but I still struggle with tangles, frizz, and dryness because I have high porosity hair. I stretched my hair to DAY 5 just to walk y’all through a full refresh routine where I restyle my hair without washing it. I include tips and techniques for minimizing damage and breakage, and how to get volume at your roots when refreshing.

Some may think, why wouldn’t I just wash my hair instead of going through all this to refresh. It’s true that this “full refresh” technique does take longer than a quick refresh, but I still save time by not shampooing and deep conditioning my hair. It also doesn’t take as long to dry my hair when I refresh as opposed to when I wash my hair because my hair is just damp versus soaked to the roots.

When your hair is still damaged and you’re in the middle of transitioning, you may have to do a full refresh and won’t be able to just smooth water and product on your hair and call it a day. I’ve never really been able to do that with my hair because I like to get rid of tangles when I re-style.

One of the biggest improvements to my hair, when I was finally through transitioning, is I noticed my refresh routines became easier. Another thing that makes a HUGE difference with tangles is getting a trim. Whenever I’m overdue for a trim, my hair tangles and sticks together more.

Keys to Longer-Lasting Curls & Easier Refreshes

• Get a trim. Damaged, split ends will tangle more.
• Sleep in a satin bonnet and on a satin pillowcase. More on that here.
• On wash day, use products that are not super heavy and contain natural ingredients. More natural brands tend to hold up better, don’t dry out your hair, and don’t feel sticky or “producty” on next-day hair.
• Use a strong hold gel on wash day, especially if your curls are looser or more wavy so the curls don’t fall out.
• Use products on wash day that have a lot of slip like liquidy gels, and reactivate well with water.
• Section your hair to easier detangle dry. Detangling when your hair is wet leads to more breakage.
• Use a continuous spray bottle to avoid drenching your hair in water.
• Apply as little additional product as possible and dilute them with water in your hands before re-applying.
• Diffusing will help shrink the curls back up and give root lift.

Step-by-Step Full Refresh Routine

1. Section your hair and gently detangle using your hands to separate curls. Use a detangling brush if needed (avoid a brush for very damaged, fragile hair).
2. Spritz the section of hair until its evenly damp but not dripping
3. Apply a little leave-in or curl cream and finger detangle again. I like using the same products I used on wash day.
4. Apply a little gel and smooth over the section. Mixed the gel with water if it’s a thick gel formula.
5. Use a Behairful or Denman brush if needed to re-clump and define curls. Avoid this for very damaged hair.
6. Scrunch out excess water and product if needed with a HairRepear Towel.
7. Diffuse on low fan speed and medium to low heat. Hover until the cast begins to form, then using the diffuser to scrunch curls. Use the diffuser teeth at the root to create volume.

Products Used

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• Curlsmith Hold Me Softly Style Balm
• Curlsmith Aqua Gel
• Behairful Brush, 10% off with code GENAMARIE
• Minha Detangling Brush, 10% off with code GENAMARIE
• HairRepear Towel, 10% off with code GLAMMEUP
• Infiniti PRO by Conair 1875 Watt Texture Styling Hair Dryer
• Flairisol Stylist Spray Bottle