Skip to main content

What is Clumping?

A clump happens when your individual hairs and curls form and flow together into one big curl.

They look like thick, juicy ropes.

There are many benefits to creating clumps, especially for Type 2 (Wavy) and Type 3 (Curly) curls.

Clumps give you thicker curls, and less frizz.

Clumped curls look healthier and shinier. Plus, it stays more still while drying.

Unclumpped curls can look stringy or frizzy. Think angel hair pasta versus fusili.








How to Create Clumps

  • After you have washed and conditioned your hair, keep it flipped over your head. Make sure it's soaking wet.
  • Use your fingers, a wide toothed comb, a Curl Keeper Flexy Brush or a Denman Brush to separate your hair into sections (I aim for 5-10)
  • While your hair is still wet, put your product (gel/cream/mousse) in the palm of your hand. Rub your hands together and coat each clump from root to tip. Kind of like milking a cow.
  • Squeeze and squish each clump (we will talk about these techniques in future posts) with your hands, and then with a tshirt or microfiber towel. This gets the excess water out without disturbing the clump.
  • Air dry or diffuse.
  • If your clumps harden while drying, don't panic. When your hair is completely dry, use your hands or a clean, dry tshirt to break up the "cast" (also known as Scrunch out the Crunch)

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is Wet Plopping?

The difference between wet plopping and regular plopping is with wet plopping, you plop your wet hair on top of your head in a shower cap instead of a cotton t-shirt, leggings, or micro fiber towel. Why wet plop? It encourages hair hydration It defines curls It reduces frizz ... and more. How do I do it? After you wash and condition, apply your leave in, curl cream and/or stylers to soaking wet hair with praying hands and rope each clump Squish out excess water with your hands Dip your clumps into a shower cap Wrap a towel around your head and the shower cap to keep water from dripping all over you, OR just keep a towel around your shoulders, OR wrap a headband around the shower cap Plop for 10-20 minutes Remove the shower cap, remove excess moisture by squishing with your hands, a microfiber towel or a cotton tshirt (some prefer to regular plop at this stage) I learned about this method from @powerdomi on Instagram - she is the queen of hydration for wavy hair,...
2 comments
Read more

What are Praying Hands?

Praying hands is a good way to apply product to your hair. You know what it looks like when you pray and your palms touch each other? Now, put your hair between those hands! Apply your conditioner (and afterwards, styler) into one palm, rub your hands together and hang your hair over your head, or to each side. Now, place your hands together with your hair between them, and rub the product on, from the root to the tip. Then you can finger come to detangle, STC, etc. Why praying hands? It helps apply product more evenly across your entire hair, it smooths your hair and reduces frizz. VIDEO HERE.
Post a Comment
Read more

What are Itchy Ms?

Itchy... What? These refer to preservatives, usually listed near the end of an ingredient list, that are long and start with the letter "M." The common ones are Methylchlorioisothiaolinone and Methylisothiazolinone. Basically... if it begins with Meth  and ends with One , it's an Itchy M. What do they do? They are preservatives that keep your products from going bad. They are anti-fungal and anti-bacterial, so they keep your conditioner and other bath products safe in a hot and humid climate. But, they can seriously irritate your skin . Many people get scalp itch, irritation and pain from using products with Itchy Ms. If you have skin allergies, it can be quite serious. So, what should I do? It's generally a good idea to avoid co-washing with Itchy M ingredients. I don't use them as a co-wash, as I have psoriasis. But, I do occasionally use them as a conditioner (Suave Essentials and Beauty & Planet, for example). If you use them as a condition...
Post a Comment
Read more