Here is another method to style and define your wavy and curly hair. This is called rake and shake method. Check out the video tutorial by Mariah. Please note that she has type 3c hair but it can be used for any hair type from type 2 to type 4. You can replace the products used in the video with any conditioning and styling product mentioned in my list. In the end, she separates the curls to get more volume. This step is optional if you feel you have enough volume after scrunching out (lifting you hair from tip to root using your palms and squeeze) the dried hair.

One more thing. The first question everybody asks me is, “Will it damage the hair to use a gel or styling product on regular basis?” The answer to this is, as long as you are using good products (avoid styling sprays containing short chain alcohols like alcohol denats, SD alcohol etc. More on ingredients in this post) it doesn’t harm your hair . I have been using gel and other styling products for the last 4-5 years on regular basis. I use these products every time I wash my hair and I have not seen any harmful effect on my hair. Instead, my hair is in much better condition than when I used to wash my hair only with shampoo. It is really really important to use a gel or styling product if you want well defined curls, otherwise it is impossible to keep your natural curl shape. Use generous amount of product to make sure that all parts of your hair is fully covered. You will feel crunchiness and stiffness in your hair once it gets dry and you will think that you might have used a lot of product. But once you scrunch out your dried hair then whole crunchiness just goes away and your will have well defined curls with its natural movement and bounce.

In my previous posts, I have explained many methods to style and define curly/wavy hair like Define curly hair post, Super soaker method, Icequeen method and twirling and skip curl method. Everybody’s hair is different so just try different methods or combination of these methods and find out what works for you.

For example, I have some shorter length hair on the top of my head which does not get clumped properly with other longer curls if I use method in  ‘Define curly hair’ post or ‘Ice queen method’. The reason being you scrunch in your gel or styling products in these two method from bottom to top, so the hair on the top of your head does not get properly covered with products and does not get wrapped up in curls. So, once my hair gets dry, these small hair strands stick out of my curls and look frizzy. To get rid of this problem I use ‘Rake and Shake method’ combined with method in ‘define curly hair’ post. I rake in products section by section and give a final scrunch keeping my head still upside down and leave my hair for air dry followed by SOTC (scrunch out the crunch). And if I really want long lasting curl definition with each clump defined then I use twirling or ‘skip curl method’.

So, it is really up to you which method you want to use according to your hair needs. It is very simple. As long as you are applying products in hair while it is soaking wet and not touching your hair during drying and after doing SOTC, nobody can stop you to become ‘The Curly GIRL!’.