MEN / WASH DAY
If your current hair routine is shampoo, towel-dry and hope for the best, start here. A basic curly-hair wash day only needs a few steps.
You do not need ten products to take care of curly hair.
For a beginner, the basic routine is simple: clean your scalp, condition your hair, detangle gently, add a styler and let your curls dry without roughing them up.
Once you know what your hair responds to, you can adjust from there.
1. Shampoo your scalp.
2. Condition your curls.
3. Detangle while the conditioner is in.
4. Apply styling product to wet or damp hair.
5. Let it dry with as little touching as possible.
How often should men with curly hair wash it?
Not necessarily every day.
Curly and coily hair tends to be more prone to dryness, and frequent shampooing can leave it feeling even drier or harder to manage.
The American Academy of Dermatology recommends washing curly and textured hair based on how dirty or oily it becomes rather than following one universal schedule.
If you work out frequently, use a lot of styling product or have an oily scalp, you may need to wash more often. If your scalp stays comfortable and your hair becomes dry easily, you may be able to go longer between washes.
Your scalp is a better guide than somebody else’s wash-day schedule.
Step 1: Where should you put the shampoo?
Focus it on your scalp.
Wet your hair thoroughly, then massage shampoo around the scalp with your fingertips. This is where you are trying to remove sweat, oil, dead skin and product buildup.
You do not need to aggressively scrub shampoo through every curl from root to tip. When you rinse, the cleanser will travel through the lengths.
If you use gels, creams, oils or pomades regularly and your hair starts feeling coated even after washing, consider occasionally using a clarifying shampoo to remove buildup.
Step 2: Yes, you should use conditioner
Shampoo and conditioner do different jobs.
After rinsing your shampoo, apply conditioner through the hair. For curly hair, dermatologists recommend conditioning the full length rather than only the ends.
This helps add slip, makes detangling easier and can reduce the rough, dry feeling that curly hair is especially prone to.
If your hair is short, you obviously will not need the same amount of conditioner as someone with shoulder-length curls. Start with a small amount and add more if the hair still feels difficult to move through.
Step 3: When should you comb curly hair?
While it is wet and slippery with conditioner.
Use your fingers or a wide-tooth comb and gently work through tangles.
If your hair is longer, start at the ends and gradually work upward. If it is thick, dividing it into a few sections can make detangling much easier.
Avoid repeatedly brushing dry curls if your goal is definition. It separates the curl clumps and can create a much fluffier finish.
You may not need a full detangling session at all.
If your fingers can move comfortably through your conditioned hair without catching, that may be enough.
Step 4: What should you put in your hair after the shower?
This depends on what you want your hair to look like.
Leave-in conditioner can add conditioning and make dry curls easier to manage.
Curl cream can add softness and help with shape, but richer formulas may feel heavy on finer or shorter hair.
Mousse or foam is useful when you want lighter hold and volume.
Gel generally gives more hold and can help curls keep their definition for longer.
You do not automatically need all four.
For your first routine, try one conditioning product if needed and one product with hold. That makes it much easier to figure out what your hair actually likes.
How do you actually apply curl products?
Apply them while your hair is still wet or damp.
Spread a small amount between your hands, then work it through the hair rather than dropping one large blob onto the top of your head.
For longer curls, you can smooth the product through sections and scrunch upward toward the scalp.
For shorter curls, use your fingers to distribute the product throughout the hair and encourage the curls into the shape you want.
Start with less product than you think you need. You can add more.
Fixing hair that is completely coated in curl cream is considerably more annoying.
How much product should you use?
There is no universal quarter-sized amount that works for every head of hair.
The amount depends on your hair length, density, strand thickness and the product itself.
A better test is how the hair behaves.
If it feels greasy, sticky or weighed down once dry, try less next time.
If the curls lose their shape quickly, you may need a little more product—or a styler with stronger hold.
If the hair feels dry, adding more gel may not solve the problem. You may need more conditioning instead.
Step 5: How should you dry curly hair?
The easiest option is to let it air-dry.
If you use a hair dryer, attach a diffuser. It spreads the airflow so you can dry curls without blasting them around as much as a standard dryer nozzle.
Use lower heat when possible. Dermatologists recommend limiting excessive heat because repeated high-temperature styling can damage hair.
And while the hair is drying, try not to keep running your hands through it.
The less you disturb your curls while they dry, the easier it is for them to keep their shape.
Why does gel make curly hair feel crunchy?
That can actually be intentional.
Some gels form a firm coating around the curl as they dry, often called a gel cast. It helps hold the curl in place while the hair dries.
Wait until your hair is completely dry, then gently scrunch the curls with your hands to soften that cast.
If the hair still feels unpleasantly sticky, flaky or excessively hard afterward, you may be using too much product or the formula may simply not work well for your hair.
Do you need products specifically made for men?
No.
Choose products based on your hair and scalp, not the gender printed on the bottle.
A man with fine, loose curls may prefer something completely different from a man with dense, tightly curled hair.
Look for what you actually need: moisture, hold, volume, scalp cleansing or buildup removal.
What if your scalp has flakes?
Do not automatically solve that problem by piling oil onto your scalp.
Flaking can have several causes, including dandruff, and the treatment depends on what is causing it.
If you are using an anti-dandruff shampoo, follow the directions on the product. Some need to sit on the scalp for several minutes before rinsing.
If itching, flaking, redness or irritation persists, see a dermatologist rather than endlessly switching hair products.
What should you do between wash days?
You usually do not need to repeat the entire routine every morning.
If a few curls are flattened, try lightly dampening those sections and reshaping them with your fingers. Add a tiny amount of your styling product only if needed.
If everything still looks good, leave it alone.
Once your scalp becomes dirty, oily, uncomfortable or noticeably built up, wash again and restart the routine.
Buy less. Learn more.
Start with a shampoo, conditioner and one styling product with hold. Use them consistently for a few wash days before deciding you need an entirely new shelf of products.
The bottom line
A beginner’s curly-hair routine does not need to be complicated.
Shampoo the scalp. Condition the curls. Detangle gently. Style while damp or wet. Then let the hair dry.
Once you have those basics down, choosing products becomes much easier because you actually know what problem you are trying to solve.
Disclaimer: This article provides general hair-care information and is not a substitute for advice from a dermatologist or other qualified healthcare professional. Persistent breakage, scalp changes or sudden hair loss should be evaluated by a healthcare professional.