What are the 10 Biggest Curly Hair Mistakes & How to Fix Frizz, Damage, and Dryness?

The 10 Biggest Curly Mistakes you could be making which cause frizz, dryness and damage:

1. Using the Wrong Brush - which Means More Frizz.

2. Using a Normal/Terry Cloth Towel which is More Harsh on Curls

3. Using Products With Sulfates & Silicones

4. Using Heat Too Often

5. Not Deep Conditioning Often

6. Not Protecting Your Hair In the Night

7. Not Regularly Trimming Your Hair

8. Not Letting the Curls Clump

9. Over Cleansing & Shampooing Your Hair

10. Touching Your Curls Often

​Curly hair, with its unique texture and structure, is more fragile and needs proper care to remain healthy and frizz-free. If you're struggling with frizz, damage, or dryness, you might be making one of these 10 common curly hair mistakes. We’ve also included our best tips so you can keep your curls healthy, bouncy and defined.

Brushing your curls with a regular hairbrush can disrupt your natural curl pattern, causing unwanted frizz and breakage. Traditional brushes can pull and stretch curls, leading to damage, frizz, and loss of definition.

How to Fix It: Use a wide-tooth comb or a brush designed specifically for curly hair, such as a detangling brush with flexible bristles. Always detangle your curls when they're wet and coated with Conditioner to prevent unnecessary breakage. In between wash days, you can gently finger detangle or use a wide tooth comb. For more gentle detangling tips, see here.

Rubbing your hair with a regular cotton towel creates friction, which roughs up the hair cuticle and leads to frizz and breakage. Terry cloth towels can also absorb too much moisture, leaving curls dry and brittle.

How to Fix It: Swap your regular towel for a Microfibre Towel or a soft cotton T-shirt. Gently squeeze out excess water instead of rubbing to maintain your curl definition and reduce frizz.

There’s also a great drying technique for curls called Plopping. For more information, check out our tutorial here.

Sulfates are harsh detergents found in many shampoos that strip natural oils, leaving curls dry and frizzy. You then need silicones to add the moisture back in, but these create build-up on the hair, preventing moisture from actually penetrating the strands.

How to Fix It: Choose sulfate-free shampoos and silicone-free conditioners to keep your curls hydrated and bouncy, like our Curl Cleanser and Conditioner.

At Only Curls, we only use the best curl-friendly ingredients like aloe vera, shea butter, and glycerin to add moisture and prevent breakage. There are no sulfates or silicones in any of our products. If you’d like more information on our ingredients and why we use them, see here.

Excessive heat styling weakens the hair shaft, leading to dryness, breakage, and loss of curl definition. Blow drying, flat ironing, and curling wands can cause long-term damage if used too frequently.

How to Fix It: Avoid high heat when styling your curls and use gentler methods, like diffusing. Diffusing is usually best done on a low heat and the heat is dispersed over a wider area, meaning the heat is not as concentrated as blow drying to protect the hair. If using heat, you can protect your hair up to 200C with our Heat Protect Spray. Follow our easy diffusing how-to guide here.

Curly hair needs extra moisture to stay soft and defined. Skipping deep conditioning treatments can lead to dry, brittle curls that lack elasticity.

How to Fix It: If your hair is feeling dry or tangled, try incorporating a deep conditioning treatment into your routine at least once a week. Our Deep Hydration Hair Mask is designed to hydrate and strengthen your hair with nourishing ingredients like coconut, argan oil and shea butter, as well as protein to reduce damage.

Sleeping on a cotton pillowcase can cause friction, leading to frizz, tangles, and moisture loss overnight.

How to Fix It: Use one of our satin or silk pillowcases to reduce friction and help retain moisture. You can also try our Satin Sleep Turban to protect your curls and reduce frizz and tangles while you sleep. We have lots of gorgeous sleep accessories here.

Split ends and breakage can travel up the hair shaft, making curls look dry and frizzy. Many curlies avoid trims out of fear of losing length, but neglecting them can cause more harm than good.

How to Fix It: Get a trim every 8-12 weeks to keep your ends healthy and prevent split ends from getting worse. A curl specialist hairdresser can shape your curls while maintaining your length, and enhance curl definition. For your nearest Only Curls salon stockist, see our Salon Locator here.

Clumping is essential for well-defined, bouncy curls. Brushing, using the wrong products, or handling your hair too much while it's drying can break up curl clumps, leading to frizz.

How to Fix It: Apply your styling products to soaking wet hair and scrunch to encourage curl formation. Avoid stringy curls by combing through your Conditioner and applying the Hydrating Creme on soaking wet hair. You could also try the Bowl Method for even more hydration. Check out our best tips on how to avoid stringy curls here.

Washing your curls too frequently can strip natural oils, leading to dryness and frizz. Unlike straight hair, curly hair benefits from less frequent shampooing.

How to Fix It: If your hair is feeling more dry from frequent washing, try washing your hair less about 1-2 times per week to see if this helps. You can also alternate using our Cleansing Co-wash with the Cleanser to refresh your curls without stripping moisture. Our Co-wash is like a mix between shampoo and conditioner, as it gently cleans the hair but is more moisturising. Find out more on co-washing here.

Constantly playing with your curls or running your fingers through your hair can cause frizz and disrupt your curl pattern.

How to Fix It: Once you've styled your curls, resist the urge to touch them while they dry. Wait until your hair is 100% dry before scrunching out the crunch. If you need to fluff or separate your curls, use a bit of Hair Oil or serum on your hands to minimise frizz.

Avoiding these common curly hair mistakes will help you achieve healthier, more defined curls with less frizz, dryness, and damage. Remember to use gentle techniques, hydrating products, and protect your hair to keep your curls looking their best. Try these simple curl tips with our Mega Hold Bundle for the best salon-worthy results. You'll see a real difference with your curls in no time!