How to Refresh Curls with Little to No Water & Prevent Damage

Refreshing curls in between wash days can be such a pain. It’s also not good for our hair to be saturating it with water every day and restyling. This can lead to permanent damage such as hygral fatigue and breakage. So how can you refresh without causing damage?

In this video, I share 3-5 ways to refresh your curls using as little water as possible. I also include some methods that don’t use any water.

Wash Day Tips to Enable Easier Refreshing

The first step starts with wash day. The products you use on wash day and how you style have more of an impact on if you even need to refresh on day 2, 3, 4, etc.

• Use strong hold gels
• Use gels that can be reactivated with water
• Use gels with slip
• Do not scrunch out the crunch if styling at night

Protect your hair overnight and during workouts with a satin or silk bonnet, scarf, or scrunchie. Also sleep on a silk pillowcase.

Products I used on wash day:

Spot Refresh

Skip refreshing where possible, but to extend your curls, you can touch up specific curls that are frizzy. Spot refreshing or curl-by-curl refreshing uses very minimal water and avoids soaking all of your hair. Use this method when your curl clumps are still intact, but you have some frizzy pieces.

Pick up individual curl clumps, apply a small amount of water to your hands, and smooth over those curls to reactivate the gel. Finger coil to redefine.

If you did not get good hold from your wash day, you may need to use a little gel and smooth over frizzy curls. Add water to the gel to dilute it if it’s thick.

Diffuse if needed or air dry. Hair should dry very quickly since minimal water was used.

All-Over Refresh

An all-over refresh involves refreshing all of your hair, but should still use minimal water. Use this method when the curl clumps are still intact but your curls have dropped or are frizzy and undefined. Water reactivates the hydrogen bonds in our hair which forms the curl shape. Avoid doing an all-over refresh daily to prevent water damage. I skipped refreshing on day 3, and did an all-over refresh on day 4.

You can use a hair steamer or mister spray bottle to hydrate without soaking the hair. Add a little gel mixed with water if you need to add more hold. Use a little curl cream mixed with water if your hair is dry. If you have and tangly curl clumps, gently work through them with your fingers. Use a brush sparingly to redefine curl clumps after they’re detangled.

Finish with diffusing to set the curl shape back into place. Fluff and scrunch out any unwanted cast once dried.

Waterless Refreshing

There are options for refreshing without using any water. This is the healthiest option for your curls to prevent damage, but can be difficult to redefine curls if you need to.

Oil Refresh

Apply an oil to your palms and smooth over the surface of your hair and ends. Finger coil any curls to tuck away frizz. This will add shine, soften, and prevent brittleness.

Foam or Gel Refresh

Use a water-based foam or a gel to redefine curls. Use as little product as possible to avoid a sticky feeling, and scrunch it in or smooth over frizzy areas. Since the product contains some water, it will redefine the curls without having to add water.

Hairstyle

Instead of refreshing, wear a hairstyle to conceal frizz and tangles. I like wearing a headband or using little claw clips to keep my hair back and out of my face. Use a silk scrunchie for buns and ponytails to avoid breakage.

Scalp Refreshing

I typically advise just rewashing your hair once your scalp gets oily to prevent buildup. However, when you want to refresh your roots and scalp, you can use a dry shampoo or a scalp serum.

Water-based serums or foams are good options for dry scalps and to refine curls at the root.

Waterless options such as aerosol dry shampoos are great for oily scalps and when you need to absorb sweat.

How to Embrace “Messy” Curls

Remember, curly hair does not have to look perfect every day. Frizz and tangles are common and everyone gets them, especially after wash day. Dealing with frizz or some tangles is better than having hygral fatigue. You don’t necessarily have to remove tangles when refreshing, especially ones that are hidden within the inner layers of your hair. Instead, wait until wash day to safely remove tangles. As your hair gets healthier, refreshing will get easier and the hair will hold longer.

For more assistance with refreshing, check out my other posts here, including refreshing mistakes that cause frizz.