Your curls are stringy and staying too crunchy

I had a client in the salon recently who said something I hear quite often:

She hates having “crunch” in her curls because when she uses enough product to create a cast, her hair can stay crunchy for a couple of days.

But if she uses less product, her curls look great initially… and by the next day they’ve gone fluffy.

And there’s a really simple reason this can happen:

There may not be enough water locked into the hair.

The goal isn't actually the crunch

When we style curly hair, the purpose of gel or another strong-hold product isn't to leave your hair hard and crunchy for days.

That crunchy feeling is simply the cast forming around the curl while the hair dries.

Underneath that cast, we want something very different happening.

We want the hair to be properly hydrated and holding onto water.

Once the hair is completely dry, that cast can be gently scrunched out, leaving the curls soft and touchable — while still giving them structure and protection.

But if there isn't enough water inside the hair in the first place, the curls can be stringy and stay crunchy.

The curl doesn't have enough hydration to maintain that beautiful, juicy curl formation.

So it starts expanding.

Separating.

Losing definition.

And becoming fluffy.

Curly hair needs water — not just moisturising products

This is one of the biggest things I teach my curly clients.

Water is hydration.

Conditioner, leave-ins and styling products can help the hair hold onto that water, soften the hair, reduce friction and create definition — but they don't replace water itself.

Think about what happens when you're styling your curls.

If your hair is already starting to dry before you apply your products, or you've squeezed most of the water out first, you may be trying to create hydrated curls without actually giving the hair enough water to hold onto.

Instead, I want the hair beautifully hydrated before we seal and style it.

That's why, in the salon, you'll often see us adding water back into the hair while we're working.

We're not trying to get rid of all that water before styling.

We're trying to get the hair to accept it and retain it.

So why does the crunch seem to stop the fluff?

Because a strong cast can temporarily hold everything together.

If you leave that cast sitting on the hair, ( always shake out your roots so you’re not walking around looking like you still have wet hair) curls will stay more controlled for longer if you leave a bit of the crunch in and let it scrunch out naturally with life.

If the hair underneath isn't holding enough water, once that cast breaks down — whether you scrunch it out or simply sleep on it for a night or two — the hair can start looking dry and fluffy again.

That's why simply adding more and more gel isn't always the answer.

You can have plenty of product sitting on the outside of the hair while still not having enough water retained within it.

Your curls should be soft AND last - this can take time though for your hair to get healthy and absorb the water easily.

This is the bit I really want curly-haired people to understand:

You shouldn't have to choose between crunchy curls that last and soft curls that turn fluffy tomorrow.

The aim is to create a curl that is hydrated first, then supported with the right styling products.

For many of my clients, that means:

Water → hydration → styling product → lock it in → completely dry → scrunch out the cast.

And the amount of water you need isn't the same for every head of curls.

Fine hair, coarse hair, high-density hair, damaged hair and different porosities can all behave differently. Even Cairns humidity can change what your curls need.

That's why copying somebody else's exact product routine doesn't always work.

Before you blame your gel…

If your curls look gorgeous on wash day but become fluffy very quickly, don't automatically assume you need a stronger gel or more product.

Have a look at what you're doing before the gel ever touches your hair.

Are your curls genuinely hydrated?

Are you styling with enough water?

Are you working that water into the hair rather than squeezing it all out?

Are you using products that help your particular hair hold onto that hydration?

And are you allowing your cast to dry completely before you break it?

Because sometimes the difference between curls that are fluffy tomorrow and curls that stay soft, hydrated and defined for days isn't another styling product.

It's water — and knowing how to keep it in your hair.