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Article Originally Written on: January 13th, 2016

The Power of Water in Curl Care: Modern Techniques for Hydrating and Defining 

In 2025, the role of water in curly hair care has evolved, with more emphasis on how water can be harnessed to maintain healthy, hydrated curls. While curly hair has always required moisture, the understanding of how water interacts with natural curls is now more advanced than ever. From water-based styling techniques to optimizing water temperature, today’s curly-haired community is learning how to use water as a strategic tool to keep their curls bouncy, defined, and frizz-free.

One of the biggest changes in curly hair care is the shift toward water-first products that prioritize hydration without weighing down the curls. Water-based leave-ins, gels, and mists are now a go-to for curly-haired individuals looking for lightweight yet effective hydration. These products, formulated with water as their key ingredient, penetrate deeply into the curls to lock in moisture and define the natural curl pattern without the heavy feel of traditional creams or oils. With many of these products now enriched with additional hydrating agents like glycerin or aloe vera, they’re designed to provide curls with the moisture they crave throughout the day.

We’re also seeing a resurgence in the importance of water temperature when it comes to curly hair care. Experts now recommend using warm water for rinsing out conditioners and deep treatments. This temperature helps open the hair cuticle, allowing moisturizers and nourishing ingredients to penetrate deeper, promoting softness and shine. Cold water, on the other hand, is now recognized as a key player for sealing the cuticle after rinsing, helping to lock in moisture and reduce frizz. This simple, two-step water routine can make a noticeable difference in the overall health and appearance of curls.

Another trend that has emerged in recent years is the use of water as a styling agent. Some curly-haired individuals have adopted the practice of dampening their hair with just water and applying a curl cream or gel to define their natural curl pattern. This water-only method reduces product buildup and helps enhance the curl’s natural shape, making it a quick and low-maintenance approach to achieving beautiful curls. The idea of using less product but more water aligns with the growing trend toward minimalistic beauty routines, where hydration and healthy curls take center stage.

Finally, water-infused scalp care has become a key part of curly hair routines. Treatments that combine water with essential oils or soothing herbs are gaining popularity for promoting scalp health. Regular scalp massages with hydrating water-based oils or sprays can improve circulation, alleviate dryness, and stimulate hair growth, all while maintaining the hydration levels of your curls.

As we look ahead to 2025, it’s clear that water continues to be a cornerstone of curly hair care. Whether it’s in the form of water-based products, the temperature you use for rinsing, or a streamlined water-only styling technique, water is an indispensable ally in the quest for healthy, hydrated curls.

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Moisture is the QUEEN of curl care. Without a balance of moisture and protein curls fall flat, but this balance isn't always easy to maintain. Despite the importance of 8 glasses a day, many curlies are under the impression that oils moisturize and hydrate hair.  Instead, oils simply seal moisture in, which is hard when there is no hydration to begin with!

What about Oils?

Many curl care products advertise hydration and moisture - yet have tons of silicones and oils without any H20. The most effective moisturizers are water-based and prioritize hydration. Calling all dry hair curlies, make sure water is a main component of your moisturizing regimen!  The hair on your head responds to water, moisture, and atmosphere really quickly.

For many reasons, we have learned to style our hair with heavy oils and waxes: these seem to control the shape of the hair, they add shine, and they make hair appear to be controlled and in place. This appearance, however, is cosmetic: it is common knowledge that oil and water don’t mix well together, so in high-moisture surroundings, oils and waxes do a worse job at controlling frizz. Hoping to control the frizz, people add more and more product to their curls, and the product builds up. This makes hair harder to style, and impossible to control.

How does healthy hair work with water?

Healthy hair has the ability to not only absorb water, but to also retain it.
One of the biggest misconceptions about curly hair is that it is dry and damaged. When focusing on flyaway ends, some will assume ALL of the hair is damaged.

When you look at un-styled curly hair, it looks frizzy because that is the nature of hair with open cuticles. Open cuticles cause frizz, and look like they’re flyaway pieces of hair – and if it’s everywhere, the hair looks dry and brittle. But once you close the cuticles, or (more likely) fill them with water when you wash your hair, your hair never looks frizzy or damaged. Wet hair is never means frizzy hair.

Water serves as the lightest, cleanest, and most effective moisturizer. It penetrates the curls, filling the cuticles, and makes your hair look fresh and clean. It’s only when the water dries that the hair starts to look frizzy again.

So how exactly does moisture affect the hair?

Weather and the atmosphere really affect our hair: proper hair style management really comes down to how well we are able to manage the moisture balance of our hair PLUS the balance of moisture in the air.

As a general rule, the more moisture there is in the air, the tighter and bouncier the curls become. For this reason, summer is the ultimate season for people with looser curls, as their curls get bouncier and more voluminous. Think of what happens to your curls when you’re at the beach! But for people with tight curls, winter is their best season – when it’s mostly dry outside, tight curls bounce much more easily.

In order to have complete style management all the time, for all seasons, and in all weather conditions, your products should work with moisture, and not against it. We like to avoid ingredients that block moisture, and add ingredients that embrace and work with natural moisture, both in the hair and in the atmosphere.

Water has become our biggest obsession: every ingredient that we use in our products has to be water soluble and is able to penetrate properly into the hair cuticle. Our ingredients strengthen broken hair, and have a positive reaction to the overall hair scalp in terms of health and shine.