Curly Hair Care Routine: The Italian Method Step by Step

Curly hair is, by its very nature, the driest hair type there is. The reason is purely physical: sebum, the scalp's own moisturiser, travels easily down a straight hair shaft from root to tip. On a spiral, it gets stuck within the first few centimetres — every twist and turn is an obstacle it cannot cross. The result is hair that may feel normal at the roots but stays chronically dry, rough and frizz-prone along the lengths and ends. Look at a single curly strand under strong light and you can usually see why: the follicle itself is oval rather than round in cross-section, and that shape is exactly what forces the hair to grow in a spiral instead of straight down. The degree of that ovalness is also why curls vary so much from one head to the next — a slightly flattened oval gives a loose wave, a tightly compressed one gives a coil you can wrap around a pencil. The Italian school of professional hair care starts from a clear principle: curls are not something to be tamed or straightened into submission. They need to be fed, hydrated and allowed to be exactly what they are.

Why curls need special care

If sebum never reaches the ends, your routine has to do that job instead. This is why a curly routine is not simply a straight-hair routine with softer products — it is a different system, where every step has a specific purpose.

The structure of the hair itself is the second difference. At every bend of the curl, the cuticle scales lift slightly, so moisture escapes faster and the environment — sun, wind, dry indoor air, salt water — leaves a deeper mark. This is also why porosity matters so much for curls specifically. Hair with high porosity — cuticle scales sitting more open, often from colour, heat styling or plain age — absorbs water fast but loses it just as fast, so it always feels thirsty no matter how much product goes on. Low-porosity hair does the opposite: the cuticle stays tight, so product tends to sit on top instead of soaking in, and curls can end up coated but still dry underneath. Either way, the ends suffer most — they are the oldest part of the hair, the part that has been through the most washes, the most sun, the most friction.

The third factor is mechanical fragility. A spiral strand snaps more easily than a straight one, especially when brushed dry or rubbed roughly with a terry towel. Good curl care is therefore always a balance of three things: gentle cleansing, consistent hydration and as little mechanical stress as possible.

What's your curl type?

Before picking products, it helps to know what you are actually working with — curls in the same broad family can behave very differently depending on pattern, thickness and porosity.

• Wave (loose S-shape, falls close to the head): needs the lightest products of all. A heavy cream or butter will weigh a wave flat before it ever gets the chance to define it.
• Curl (springy spirals you can wrap around a finger): this is where most of the routine described here is aimed — mask, fluid, oil, diffuser.
• Coil (tight zig-zag or corkscrew pattern, shrinks a lot when dry): usually the driest of the three and often needs the most oil, the least frequent washing, and the gentlest detangling.
• Porosity check: drop a clean, dry strand into a glass of water. If it floats for a while, porosity is low — go light on product and add a little heat while masking to help it absorb. If it sinks quickly, porosity is high — you need richer, more frequent hydration, and a leave-in before any styling product goes on.
• Density and thickness: fine, densely packed curls hold styling product well but overload easily; coarse, sparser curls need noticeably more product to show any definition at all.

None of this needs to be exact science — a rough sense of where your hair sits on each of these three axes is enough to stop guessing and start adjusting quantities and frequency sensibly.

Cleansing without stripping

The first and most common mistake is washing too aggressively. A shampoo built on harsh sulfates strips away the little natural oil curls have, leaving them squeaky, tangled and parched. Curls want a mild, sulfate-free or gently formulated shampoo that cleans the scalp without scouring the lengths.

Frequency matters just as much. Curly hair does not need daily washing — for most people, two or three washes a week are enough. On the days in between, you can simply refresh the curls with water and reactivate their shape with a touch of leave-in product. A good starting point is a dedicated curl shampoo such as Gate Wash Ocean 3.2 Curls Shampoo, which cleanses softly and leaves the curl elastic rather than dry.

Wash the scalp, not the lengths: massage the shampoo into the roots with your fingertips and let the foam simply rinse through the rest. That is all the lengths need. Detangle before you wash, not after — running your fingers or a wide-tooth comb through dry, conditioner-coated hair before it goes anywhere near water means you are not fighting knots and shrinkage at the same time. And keep the water lukewarm rather than hot: hot water forces the cuticle open further and undoes half the work a good shampoo just did.

Hydration and curl definition

After cleansing, the real work of curl care begins: giving water and nutrients back. Once a week, treat the hair to a deep conditioning mask — for example the argan-based Argania Sahara Secrets Mask, left in for 5–10 minutes to fill the damaged spots in the cuticle and make the curl heavier, calmer and easier to shape. If you can, cover the hair with a warm towel or shower cap while the mask works — a little heat opens the cuticle just enough to let the mask in properly, especially useful if your porosity test gave you the floating, low-porosity result.

The order that follows the mask is worth remembering, because it is not random: liquid first, then cream, then oil. Water or a light leave-in goes on first to hydrate; the fluid or cream comes next to seal that hydration in and define the curl pattern; oil goes last, in the smallest amount, purely to smooth the surface and add shine. Get the order backwards — oil before a water-based product, say — and the curl mostly just slides apart instead of holding its shape.

Styling fluid

Definition means the curl holds together as a clear, springy spiral instead of dissolving into a cloud of stray frizz. To get there, apply a light fluid or gel-cream to damp — not dripping, not half-dry — hair; it encapsulates the curl and seals moisture inside. Gate 0.4 Ocean Definer Curls works exactly this way: it gives the curl bounce and shape without a sticky or rigid cast. Work it through in sections rather than all at once — dividing the hair into four or six parts and applying methodically means no strand gets skipped, which matters more than it sounds like it should: a handful of undefined pieces scattered through the head is usually what reads as "frizzy" from a distance.

Nourishing oil

Oil is the finishing touch of any curly routine. A few drops on dry or nearly dry hair smooth the surface, add shine and protect the ends. A classic choice is Argania Sahara Secrets Oil; if you prefer a lighter texture, try Beauty Experience Elisir Oil. The amount is everything: start with one or two drops, because too much oil weighs the curl down and turns definition into greasiness. Rub it between your palms first rather than dropping it straight onto the hair — that spreads it thin and even instead of leaving one oily patch wherever the bottle happened to tip.

The Italian styling method step by step

The drying logic taught in Italian salons is simple and perfectly repeatable at home:

1. Start with wet hair. After washing, remove excess water by gently pressing — with a microfibre towel or a cotton T-shirt, never by rubbing with terry cloth. The curl should stay properly damp.
2. Apply the product with the scrunch technique. Spread the fluid or cream between your palms and squeeze the hair in handfuls, working from the ends upwards towards the roots. That squeezing motion is what moulds the spiral. Done section by section, some stylists call this "praying hands" — cup the hair between flat palms and press upward rather than twisting or pulling.
3. Optionally, plop. Gather the hair into a microfibre towel or cotton T-shirt on top of the head and leave it wrapped for ten to twenty minutes. This holds the curl in its scrunched shape while excess water drains out, which makes the next step faster and the result more defined.
4. Dry with a diffuser or air-dry. Keep the diffuser on low or medium heat with gentle airflow, and cradle the curls upwards in its bowl, moving slowly from the ends toward the scalp rather than blasting one spot too long. If you have the time, letting the hair air-dry is the gentlest option of all.
5. Do not touch the curls until they are completely dry. This is the hardest and the most important rule of the method. Every touch in the half-dry phase breaks the curl pattern and creates frizz.
6. Once the hair is dry, you can gently shake the curls loose with your fingers and add a drop of oil for shine.

Men's curls: a short routine

The logic for short curls is the same — the routine is just shorter, and it needs to be, since short hair dries in a fraction of the time and has far less weight to hold a shape once the product goes on. Wash with a mild shampoo two or three times a week, pat dry with a towel and work a small amount of Man Curl Fluid Definer through damp hair with your fingers, finishing with a light scrunch. Let it air-dry or hit it briefly with a diffuser. The whole routine takes under two minutes and keeps curls in shape without the stiffness of gel or the stickiness of mousse. One rule applies at any length: never rub wet curls into a tangle with a towel.

What to avoid

• Harsh sulfates and daily washing — they strip the curl of what little natural moisture it has, and once that happens, no amount of leave-in product fully compensates for the day.
• Brushing dry curls — a brush tears the spiral apart and leaves nothing but frizz behind. Comb only wet hair, with conditioner in it, using a wide-tooth comb, and always start detangling from the ends rather than dragging from the roots down.
• Silicone overload — heavy layers of silicones build up into a film that makes curls limp and lifeless, and then demands even harsher washing to remove, which starts the whole dryness cycle over again.
• Hot styling without protection — high heat evaporates moisture precisely where there is too little of it already, and repeated heat exposure without protection is one of the fastest ways to turn springy curls into tired, permanently loose waves.
• Cotton pillowcases and towels — cotton fibres grab onto hair and pull moisture out overnight, which is why so many curls look their best right after styling and rough by morning.

Frequently asked questions

How often should I wash curly hair?

For most people, two to three times a week is right. If your scalp gets oily faster, wash the scalp more often, but do not lather the lengths every time. Between washes, refreshing the curls with water and a small amount of leave-in product is enough.

Can curly hair be combed at all?

Yes — but only when wet. The best moment is in the shower, with conditioner or a mask in the hair, when a wide-tooth comb glides through without snapping strands. Combing curls dry is the most reliable way to create frizz.

Diffuser or air-drying — which is better?

Both work; the choice depends on time and the result you want. Air-drying is the gentlest and gives the most natural curl. A diffuser on low settings adds root volume and a springier, more defined curl, and is far more practical in the cold season.

How do I refresh curls between wash days?

Mist the hair lightly with water rather than soaking it — the goal is to reactivate the product already sitting in the curl, not rinse it out. Scrunch gently as you go, add a small amount of fluid only if the curl looks genuinely flat, and let it air-dry. Overdoing the water on a refresh day usually just brings back the frizz you were trying to avoid.

How should I sleep to protect my curls?

Cotton is the enemy here — it absorbs moisture from the hair overnight and creates friction that undoes a good part of the previous day's styling. A satin or silk pillowcase solves most of the problem on its own. For extra protection, especially on longer curls, gather the hair loosely on top of the head into what is often called a "pineapple" before bed, so the curl pattern keeps its shape instead of getting crushed against the pillow. Browse the full curl care selection in our catalogue.