CRUNCHY CURLS ARE BACK IN TREND: HERE'S HOW YOU CAN USE CAST TO MAKE YOUR CURLS LAST LONGER
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I LOVE CRUNCHY CURLS!. Yes, you heard that right! On every wash day, I pray to the curly gods to bless me with some crunchy curls after diffusing. Why? Because it's a sign that my products are working and that my curls will last longer.
But what makes your curls crunchy? How does that happen? That crunchy feeling on your hair is called a "cast." It's a thin layer that is formed by using styling products like strong hold gels, mousses and foams. Although not all styling products will give you a cast, the way you use them matters more than you think.
And just so you know, cast doesn't look the same on everyone. If you have wavy hair, your cast might be subtle and your waves will feel more stiff than crunchy. If you have curly or coily hair, the cast tends to be more noticeable and satisfying to scrunch out. Either way, it's a good sign!
How does one achieve crunchy curls?
START WITH A CLEAN SLATE
You need to make sure that your hair is free from product buildup. You can do this by using a clarifying shampoo (I even prefer ones that have sulfates in it) so I know for sure that my scalp and hair are free from all the dirt and nastiness that has been accumulating. You don't have to use sulfates every wash day, just whenever you think your hair and scalp need that extra cleansing.
I mostly use this shampoo because I occassionally suffer from itchy scalp. It works wonders for me!
USE THE RIGHT PRODUCTS
Using a curl cream alone won't give you any cast! It's important to use styling products that provide hold, like strong hold gels, mousses and foams. Here are some of my favorites:
Tootilab All Soft Leave-In Cream
Tootilab AllWeather Styling Gel
Giovanni LA Strong Hold Gel
Curly Secret Define+ Styling Foam
APPLY ON WET HAIR, NOT SOAKING WET
I know you've always been told to apply your products on soaking wet hair, but guess what. If you have fine wavy or curly hair, it might not be the best way to apply your products. Why? Because water weighs down your hair, and the products will just be diluted when you apply them on soaking wet hair. Try applying on wet hair, not soaking or dripping wet.
THE SMASTERS METHOD
This basically means applying a gel, mousse or foam on damp hair. You can do this after plopping your hair, or my favorite, when your hair is 60–70% dry. Just glaze and scrunch, without disturbing the curl patterns too much.
The reason this works so well is that when your hair is drier, the products are less diluted and they can actually grip your hair properly to form a stronger cast. Less water equals more crunch!
And if you're new here, plopping is when you wrap your freshly washed hair in a cotton t-shirt or towel to gently absorb excess water before styling. It helps reduce frizz and speeds up drying time!
DIFFUSE THE RIGHT WAY
When drying, don't scrunch with the diffuser too early. Instead, hover diffuse the roots first, then the lengths a little, and after that move on to cup diffusing. Cup diffusing is when you cup your hand and scrunch upwards, then diffuse.
DON'T SOTC (SCRUNCH OUT THE CRUNCH) RIGHT AWAY
If you love crunchy curls as much as I do, you don't need to scrunch out the crunch right away. Instead, let them be just a little longer so that your curls have this extra layer of protection and can stay frizz-free longer too.
For example, if you are going outside, you can just leave them be. Or if you're too embarrassed, scrunch them just a little bit with a silk scarf (to avoid frizz) or a lightweight oil, but not completely. Then when you arrive at your destination, scrunch out fully. My personal go-to is scrunching with a silk scarf first to break the cast gently, and then finishing with a few drops of the Curly Secret Scrunching Oil for that soft, shiny finish without losing the definition.
You can also do this when you are short on time. Wash and style your hair at night, and then scrunch out the crunch the next morning.
ONE MORE THING: HUMIDITY MATTERS!
If you live somewhere humid, you might notice your cast doesn't hold as long, or your scrunch-out looks frizzier than expected. High humidity makes it harder for products to set properly, so on humid days it's worth reaching for a stronger hold product or layering a light hairspray over your cast before it fully dries. On the flip side, if you're somewhere very dry, your cast might feel extra crispy and that's totally normal too!
MY FAVORITE PRODUCT COMBINATIONS TO ACHIEVE A GOOD CRUNCH
✅ Cleanse with the Vichy Laboratoire Dercoss Anti Dandruff Shampoo
✅ Skip conditioner (I do this because I want maximum hold and no extra slip. Conditioner softens the hair which is great most of the time, but in this routine it can get in the way of a good cast!)
✅ Prep with Tootilab Soft Leave-In Cream
✅ Style using the mousse-gel-mousse product combination. In this case I use foam. First, apply the Curly Secret Define+ Styling Foam and the Tootilab All Weather Styling Gel on wet hair by raking them in with your fingers.
✅ Then apply more Curly Secret Define+ Styling Foammid-diffusing (Smasters method).
✅ Scrunch out with the Curly Secret Scrunching Oil when needed.
Are you also a fan of crunchy curls? Let me know below!
