How to apply products and scrunch curly hair

  • October 3, 2015
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how to apply styling products and scrunch curly hair

There was a time when I used to come out of the shower after washing & conditioning, tee dry my hair, stand straight and apply styling products(serums, leave ins) to my hair just like that. More than half the hair strands wouldn’t even get the product. Pooh. And the next morning, after my hair was dry, I would apply some more product because my curls didn’t look defined or hydrated. These are 2 bad practices that I stopped once I found out about scrunching.

What is scrunching?

Scrunching is the technique of taking your hair in your palms in sections and crumpling it like you crumple a paper into a ball. This encourages curl definition and adds bounce to curls. This should be done only to wet hair because touching dry hair will instantly induce frizz and fly-a-ways.

How I scrunch my hair

  • After washing my hair while it is still very very wet(extremely important point!), I take a lemon sized amount of the leave in conditioner or cream and rub it between my palms.  – List of curly hair products in India
  • I flip my hair over and I scrunch my hair in sections for 1 or 2 minutes while it is still wet. You should hear a squishy sound of the water in your hair mixing with the product.
  • Then I take a tiny amount of the product and apply it on my crown and the part of my head at the back till my neck.
  • Then I repeat this with a handful of gel (or a little less if it is a high hold gel). To apply curly hair gels, read this – Curly hair gels – Everything you need to know

How to Scrunch

Hold a small section of hair. Start crumpling this section of hair up towards your scalp. Continue this with all sections of your hair. You can already see how defined your curls look as you scrunch your hair.

How to apply products and scrunch curly hair - image curly-hair-scrunching on https://www.curlsandbeautydiary.com

Here’s how wet, defined and clumped curls should look after scrunching

Here’s a video showing how I scrunch my hair and apply products to it.

You can also use the super soaker method before scrunching for ultimate curl clumping.  Here is a post with my full curly hair care routine – My curly hair routine .

 

 

Blog Comments

Hey this is an excellent tip Anjana … I may sound dumb but I really don’t know what is curling product ? 🙁 🙁

Reply

Curls and Beauty Diary

Sheetal, curling product can be a serum, gel, mousse or leave in cream. Anything that helps curls retain their shape and moisture. I personally like serums.

ohhkkkk Thanks a lot Anjana … !!! You blog is motivating me to take care of my curly frizz hair 🙂 🙂 😀 Thanks 🙂

Hey Anjana!! Firstly I would like to tell you that ,the creation of this page is a great job!!**Kudos**
I too had a phase in my life , when I tried a lot taming my so much frizz prone hair and thinking why did it not be straight??!! But then, it was not long back that I finally surrendered to my curly-frizz-prone hair and started loving it the way it is, though I have not tried out anything to maintain it !!
And then suddenly one day I stumbled upon your page.And I must say, it has really motivated me to love my curly hair even more and many others too I believe.
The tips given by you are really excellent.

Sneha 🙂

Reply

Curls and Beauty Diary

Hi Sneha!
Thanks for the lovely and encouraging words! I am glad the posts are helpful to you 🙂

Hi,

What is the current curling product you use to scrunch your hair? To get curls like they do in the pink top picture and your photo dairies? I understand that a curling product can be a serum, gel, mousse or leave in cream – but which one do u use for your hair after using mythic oil in the method described above? I have used a serum and a leave in cream but the effects are not like this when my hair dries- will using a mousse make your curls become real stiff?

Anuja, in all my pics until now, I have only used mythic oil for scrunching. Nothing after that. I experimented with a curl mousse sometime ago, but it didn’t give me much hold. Mousses are great at providing hold for fine curly hair. What is your hair type? Some mousses may make your hair stiff. Look for alcohol free ones. Now though, for more hold, I am experimenting with a hair gel after the mythic oil application. I am quite liking the results. I will update it on the blog soon!

Okay… My hair is exactly like yours, except that it looks dry n frizzy with a lot of flyaways but the curls are exactly like yours- i guess i am 3a (based on your other article) :). I am gonna buy the mythic oil asap. Ya please post on the gel as well. Your blog is a saviour 🙂

Hi,

Your blog is an inspiration to all of us curly girls. Thanks for all your help !! I have a question to you about how you revive your curls on Day 2, day 3 etc. How often do you shampoo.?

Hi Preethi !
I will do a post on how to refresh curls soon 🙂 I shampoo once in 2 days usually. And if my hair isn’t that greasy or I haven’t hit the gym, I wash once in 3 or 4 days.

Hi. I followed curly penny on youtube and your articles on curly mane are quite similar to her. But I am happy to check your page as you have mentioned products that are found in India. This is much neeeded for Indian women. Pls tell me which brand antidandruff shampoo you use. I checked your post but there is no brand name. Thanks.

I like The Body Shop Ginger Anti Dandruff Shampoo but it can be a little drying. Head and Shoulders works really well too.

Hi Anjana,
Please do a post on 2nd or 3rd day hair revival. So much in need of this.
Gone through some of your posts. Good work.
Also, would like to see a post on hair types. I am still not able to find my hair type. I feel it is mix of 2b-2c or sometimes 2a-2c not sure though. It would be of great help.

Hey Manisha, I will do a post on refreshing curls soon! There’s already a post on hairtypes – https://www.curlsandbeautydiary.com/types-of-curly-hair/

I love your curly hair advice! My hair is fine and wavy. I add blonde highlights and I am still trying to figure out the best way to do this without losing my curl. You’re squished can dish message with handfuls of water have made a big difference for me.
Many products are too heavy for me.

Glad to hear that, Kris 🙂

Hi just came across ur blog. It’s really refreshing to read something for curly hair. Mine is curly with frizz. Can u plz help me how to control my frizz n maintain my curls at the same time. Thanks

Thanks Nafisa! Follow all the steps in the curly hair routine properly and you will be able to control frizz, define curls and give them bounce & hydration. If you have any specific doubts, feel free to comment 🙂

Hey dear..i am loving your blogs and also it is very helpful since i belong to curly hair family..Can you please do a post on what types of haircut would look good for curly hair beauties…

Thank you Renuka 🙂 There’s already a post on that – Haircuts for curly hair

Hi. Your blogs are really helpful and I was really happy to know I was doing some of those techniques by simply defying mom’s instructions😜
But these past 2 months my hairfall has started real bad. I didn’t face this problem before but now its so much that my hair is quarter of what I used to have. No my eating habits or hair wash pattern or water has not changed. I’m not alergic to anything and am not in stress so I really have no clue what’s causing it.
If u can help in any way with tricks to reduce hairfall or grow it back pleaseeeee tell me:)

Hi Simran! thank you 🙂 Hair fall – Causes and Remedies

I have been able to scrunch gels and serums into my hair. However, curling creams (Cantu Shea Butter Hair Lotion/Kinky Curls Custard ) and leave-in conditioners seem to be of thicker consistency. How do you scrunch them into your wet hair without raking your fingers through your curls? I believe we’re not supposed to rake our fingers through hair after conditioning as this would mess up the curl pattern. Am I missing something here? Also, any video links of good scrunching techniques would be really helpful

Hi Preeti, Raking through hair my disrupt 3a and below curl patterns. I scrunch creams onto DRIPPING WET hair and the water reduces the friction of the thick creams.

Hi Anjana! Your blog is amazing and you created it super well!! Your routine has been a literal life saver, but I’ve scoured the internet and I’m still sooo confused about when I use gels, creams, conditioners, oils, and all these other products + I don’t know what they each do

Hi Kira! Thanks a ton! Check this out – 10 types of curly hair products

Hi Anjana! First of all, you have absolutely gorgeous hair! I stumbled upon this blog today. After going through the whole blog I just couldn’t wait till the next to try it out. I followed ur instructions thoroughly. The top part of my hair seemed to be its usual frizzy self but the bottom part of hair had some defined curls. My question is, will the top part the hair get curly over the time period?
And combing hair is not allowed at all?
P. S – My hair type is between 2b and 2c.
P. P. S – Again, really gorgeous hair! *hair_goals

Thanks a ton Ashwini!! Yes it will get better with time 🙂 You can also have a look at this – 7 Ways to Make Your Crown Area Frizz Free + Tackle Baby Hair
Why do you want to comb your hair?

It’s just I usually comb my hair atleast 10 times a day 😅. So it’s kinda weird not to comb hair at all.

Hehe you will get used to it 🙂 You can comb before washing if you want to!

Thank you so much!

Hi,

Inspired by you and your gorgeous hair, I am finally about to start the CG method (using an sulfate containing shampoo). I have type 3A curls – the same length as yours but dry, frizzy, with no definition. I tend to wash my hair once a week during the weekend. I really could use your help in clearing my doubts.

The products i plan to use are:

1. Oiling 2-3 hours before wash – Aloe Veda Virgin Coconut Oil as a base and few drops of Shea Moisture Argan Oil and Shea Butter Oil from some random brand i picked up in Dubai but makes my hair very soft).
2. Shampoo and conditioner- I currently use the OGX coconut curls shampoo and butter but they are almost over. I plan to purchase either their Brazilian keratin therapy (since your other post on hair test says i need keratin) or either of kukui nut, awapuri ginger or the hydrating coconut water shampoo. Its confusing as to which one should i buy – any advise?. For conditioner one of my relatives have got the Pantene Pro-V 3 minute miracle conditioner which i plan to use
3. Leave- In conditioner- The diluted version of Pantene Pro-V 3 minute miracle conditioner
4. Leave on Treatment/Serum- Pantene Pro-V Leave on Treatment night Miracle Essence or the Infusium 23 repair and renew Leave in Serum
5. Few Drops of Hair Oil for Shine- Shea Moisture Argan Oil and/or Shea Butter Oil
6. Hair Gel- I need to purchase this one recommended by you Schwarzkopf Taft All Weather Looks Marathon Power Gel Long Lasting Hold

Doubts:

1. For oiling before shampooing is it recommended to heat the oil before application?
2. When is the best time to de-tangle the hair- my hair tends to get rough and tangled- Post oiling or while conditioning or while putting in the leave in conditioner?
3. I have purchased hair masks since my hairdresser advised me to use hair masks in place of conditioner – so now in which step should i use the mask- i know to use it once i 2-3 weeks – but should it replace both conditioner and leave in conditioner or just replace the conditioner ?
4. Some guest posts i read here say people use the patanjali aloe vera gel to style – so is it a replacement of an hair gel or to be used with it?
5. You tend to use the mythic oil for styling – is it your serum which is followed by hair gel or is it the only product you use for styling with no additional hair gel applied? For styling products is Hair Oil (Few drops for Shine), Serum and Hair Gel the correct order?
6. For the Silk Cap can you tell me what is the silk used – the cap seems to be expensive and its loose and i am sure i will be too lazy to use pins to tighten it each night. We tend to get a lot of varieties of silk materials where i stay so i can probably get it stitched if the material is available.
7. Is the method doable using the products i mentioned above , i.e. – Buy not buying anything new except for the hair gel- or is it advisable to start the method by purchasing new and specified products?

I know its a long long post but would really appreciate your response.

Best decision ever Anuja!
You can buy any shampoo
1. Heating improves oil penetration. But it’s not compulsory.
2. 2 ways to detangle curly hair – dry and wet detangling
3. It can replace the conditioner.
4. Aloe only provides moisture, no hold – 3 Benefits of Aloe Vera gel for Curly hair + 4 Ways to apply . Hence use it along with a gel.
5. I don’t use mythic oil anymore.
6. Get the purest silk possible
7. Yes, you can absolutely start with whatever products you have. Once you learn more and get to know your hair better, you will be able to judge what to buy 🙂

[…] The method: The gel should be applied in an upward motion with your hair tilted forward. If this does not make any sense, have a look at this really good article: https://www.curlsandbeautydiary.com/how-to-apply-products-and-scrunch-curly-hair/  […]

Hi,

Can I do this for my 8 year old daughter as well?? use the same products??

Yes Ash 🙂 You can also check this – Curly Hair Care for Kids

I am absolutely in love with your curly hair! So beautiful! Mine is like yours but just not to that point of hydration yet. Do you have any tips on growing hair quickly? My hair is slightly past my Shoulders but I want it to be longer. Also, do you use silicone in your products? Usually I do because silicone free is so expensive in the United States. Thank you so much! You really inspire me!

Thanks a ton Brooke 🙂 https://www.curlsandbeautydiary.com/7-ways-to-grow-healthy-hair/ I used to use silicones but recently stopped because I figured they weigh down my hair

Hi Anjana!

I loved watching this video I think it’s very informative and also a little bit different to others I’ve seen.
I’ve a question what do you do if the top of your head isn’t smooth? I’ve type 3c hair and I find that all my little hairs on the top keep sticking out! It’s very frustrating.
I’m going to try out your thecnic and compare to what I’ve been doing lately.
I think I’ve been a little afraid to using too much product on my hair but then I’ve been exactly happy with the results I’m getting.
Thanks!

Thanks Eilyn! I smooth over some aloe vera gel over the canopy without raking my fingers through.

Hi!
Scrunching is my favorite part of my curly hair routine. I love the spirals and helixes it gives my hair. I think once we curlies rinse out the conditioner in the shower, it’s all about scrunching. Scrunch scrunch scrunch, squish squish squish! The creator of the Squish to Condish technique, Melissa Stites, actually thinks of scrunching as ‘curly hair yoga’. Bend over forward, scrunch. Bend over sideways, scrunch. Tilt your head, scrunch. Love the crunch behind the scrunch. I scrunch religiously every wash day, for this technique is what imparts both beauty and hydration to our curly hair. It’s a total game-changer for us curlies.

Yes absolutely! I love scrunching too 🙂

Hi Anjana! So I got a quick question. I tried the squish to condish method, but I don’t know if I used too much or not enough conditioner because when I was squishing in the water, my hair kind of “frayed” out at the ends and was a little frizzy. Should I use less water and leave more conditioner in? Or try and rinse more of it out? It just seems that when the conditioner squeezes out my hair looks kind of frizzy. Thank you!

I think it needs more conditioner Ellie

Hi Anjana..I flip my hair and crunch upwards and apply gel. But when i take my hair back while drying it becomes very frizzy and knotted..
If I dont flip my hair over and scrunch as it is, i get proper curls below but crown part looks flat..
I think I am missing something here.. Please guide..

Have you seen how I flip after applying products in the video? Is that how you do it too?

Try root clipping after you put in your products. I have a Bob. I can’t do very much completely flipped over since I don’t have the weight of long hair to help the curl pattern. Root clipping gives me volume around the crown and front. My hair is fine and wavy.

Hi,
i can’t flip my head and srunch without destroying my curl. When I do so my hair becomes frizzy.

Leave more conditioner in before scrunching

Try root clipping

hi anjana, am using cantu curl cream i feel very sticky is this same in all case or am i applying in wrong way??

When do you apply? and how much? What’s your curl type, coarseness and length?

Your blog is really motivating me to enhance my curls. All my life I have been straightening, brushing and have been ignorant. After reading your blog I am trying to get my curls right but it is very frizzy after it’s dry. My hair growth is very slow and never gone beyond my shoulder. please help me out with some tips. I use tresemme botanic conditioner, cantu leave in and cantu gel.

Do you have heat damage? What’s your curl type, coarseness and length? How much of each product do you use?

Long post alert.
Thank you so much for the video and the tips.. I tried this today and I loved the results.
I have been trying to figure out how get get thicker clumps (maybe by finger coiling) but was getting no where. And that’s when I stumbled across your video.. tried it out today.. and I’m much much happier with the results. It’s still no where near yours (still have a lot of frizz and the clumps could have been thicker) but much better than what it was before this.

I didn’t use any leave in cream (run out of that).. I just used normal conditioner, STC,. Gel, STC, STC with t-shirt and then air dry..
I have never liked the feeling on gel on my hair… So maybe used a little less than what I should have ..
Any idea what I can do differently?

Thank you in advance…

And I was going through some of the previous comments.. so adding a little more information..
Conditioner – used about the size of a lemon..
Gel – used less than half the quantity not the Conditioner.

It will get better with each wash day, nevertheless you could try increasing the quantity of products

What kind of porosity does your hair have – how porous is it? And do you think this has an effect on what products are best for your hair?

Hey Stephanie! I have medium-high porosity hair. But I have wavy-cury hair, so I cannot use heavier products that work for high porosity. Hence I just experiment with many products without considering my hair texture/type.

Hi Anjana,

My hair becomes frizzy when I scrunch, what do you think can cause this? I use the CurlKeeper brush to ensure even distribution and curl clumping, which helps “push in” the frizzies, but as soon as when I scrunch after all products are applied (I’ve used my hands, t-shirt, microfiber towel), I start noticing that the same hairs are not clumped anymore. Any suggestions?

Thanks for all your help!!!

Yes, I’ve heard many say this. Your best bet then is to avoid scrunching and just use the brush. You could also try https://www.curlsandbeautydiary.com/scrunch-t-shirt-dry-curly-hair-faster/

Can this be used for 2b hair – my hair is quiet wavy

You mean the method? Yes, scrunching is a boon to wavy hair to enhance the waves further.

im in love with ur curly hair..i use to hate my hair for.being rough and short. its not growing ..is there any possibility to.make my hair grow😩?.. And to.become soft as urs???

Hey Anjana, do you still use the same products you used in the video or are there updates.. please share. Thanks!

Divya, I experiment with a lot of products and keep rotating between them (which means I come back to these too)

[…] are topping the game right now in curly hair products. They are the familiar, richer cousins to old-style mousses. Mousses were first introduced […]

Hi !
First of all I love your blog so keep coming back to read and reread it.
But and there is always a but, I live in Fiji islands so we have a high humidity and on top of it all we don’t even get cg approved products except the gel.
Have tried to use your method of scrunching the hair after applying the conditioner but am afraid to leave the conditioner in the hair as it’s not cg approved, but I have cantu curl activator cream but even after applying the cream on dripping wet hair my hair has wet freeze, after that I apply get but it remains the same.
So can you please explain how I go about doing it right. Thanks in advance.

Hi Sanjita, maybe you can skip the leave in as you live in a high humid area. Check this – https://www.curlsandbeautydiary.com/curly-hair-care-products-to-use-according-to-the-weather/

hi ….can i just use my regular loreal hair serum for the scrunching….i do not apply any hair creams ….so like after i apply my hair serum, i srunch my hair….would that work???

You could if you are not following a strict CG method

this is so helpful! so what do you do when you don’t wash it? do you put it up while you shower? i feel that makes my hair frizzy with the humidity of the shower.

Ya Macie, I put it up with a jaw clip

Hi,
I really hated my curly hair got my hair straightened. Now it’s almost gone and last month I had my hair cut to remove the straightened ends. Now i got back my old curly hair. I got inspired by your page and I would like to maintain my curly hair.
This page is really awesome and helpful for those who are trying to manage their curly hair.Keep going😊

So glad to hear that Nanditha 🙂

hi,
I have a 3a hair type and I have been following everything posted on this website for a month now but my curls are still not defined they keep getting frizzed up, and my hair ends keep sticking together. for my hair routine, I have been using:- shompoo, conditioner, hair cream, and gel. I stopped brushing my hair and the only time I run my hand throw my hair is when I have conditioner on in the shower. I apply my hair cream after I half dry my hair(it not completely dry, it’s still wet but not so wet) then I apply gel. should I use hair serums or leave-ins?? if yes then what product should I buy?? im in the US

There’s no need to buy serums. Keep at it patiently, try a few different products.

Please let me know good product for curly hair.

Chère Anjana,
Je t’ai laissé un autre (long 😉 commentaire hier sur le post “coco oil”. Ton blog est extraordinaire !! Merci Merci Merci !
Aujourd’hui j’essaie de faire ma question courte :
Ta vidéo dit qu’il faut mettre le conditionneur sur les cheveux ( l’équivalent d’un citron dis-tu ailleurs) puis méthode “squish & dish” (scrunch avec beaucoup d’eau)
Puis tu ajoutes le gel de la même façon.
Puis tu sèches au diffuseur.
Mais… tu ne rinces jamais ?
Si oui, à quel étape sur cette vidéo ?
Et le plopping (tee shirt ou autre), il n’est pas montré sur la vidéo mais il faut le faire avant le diffuseur, c’est bien ça ?
J’espère que tu voudras bien répondre à ces deux messages chère Anjana et je te remercie encore beaucoup ♥
(Bisous from Paris ;-)))

hi Anjana, this is amazing and it made my hair look better but hair around my roots in the crown area won’t curl properly compared to other parts of my hair. I tried following this article and the video but i don’t know what I’m doing wrong.

Sorry bad english

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