Curly Hair Care Tips: How to get the Best Curls
Having worked with Larry King, London-based stylist, salon owner and co-creator of the incredible Larry King Hair care brand for 3 years, we know that his head and heart is full of curls.
Larry’s beautiful wife Laura, his mother, his two beautiful daughters and his brother are all full blown curlies, so getting his curly hair products pitch perfect was always going to be a priority for this talented Londoner.
Larry’s top tips for glossy, defined curls
"Get out of the shower— hair should be soaking wet. Gently squeeze it between your hands to get a little bit of that water out, but it still should be properly sopping wet hair. No rubbing with a towel at all. Comb it through with a wide tooth comb if you need to, or massage it so it separates.
That’s when you apply your curl cream, your finishing cream, and maybe a really soft mousse. Everything has to be scrunched in with the hair. No dragging with the fingers—that only creates frizz and separation. Twist some random pieces for definition.
Then get your phone and put on your favourite show. Place your phone on the floor. Get your diffuser, tip your head upside down, put your left hand in your pocket—so you don’t touch your hair—and diffuse it by lifting the diffuser up into your hair. It will feel like it’s taking forever because you’re not doing anything—but it’s not.
Do that until your hair is 95-percent dry, if that, and scrunch again to soften the mousse. Maybe massage the scalp.Tip your head back up. And that’s how you get the best curls."
The best care and styling products for curly hair, according to our Larry
A nourishing serum or cream.
Look for curly hair products packed with naturally nutritive ingredients like avocado oil, mango butter, jojoba and coconut oils. These lipid-replenishing oils offer lightweight but deeply conditioning benefits that enhance curls, fight frizz, provide heat protection and help hair remain soft, shiny and flexible.
A soft, airy mousse
We’re talking about the new generation of mousses that are lightweight and flexible, not the ones that leave hair sticky and crunchy! A well formulated mousse preps curly hair for blow drying, giving it soft bounce, and a natural, hydrated looking bounciness. Larry uses his own version, My Nanna’s Mousse (inspired by his nanna Dolly, of course) as a priming product on every single client, curly ones included.
A luxuriously silky finishing cream
What curl wouldn’t love a satiny, super-charged slick of finishing cream to add shine, texture or definition? Use it to tame a full head of type 3 curls, or smooth a silky wave. A finishing cream like Larry King’s A Social Life for Your Hair, is your everyday hero - the ultimate curly hair product. Peep the INCI list for goodies like argan oil, hydrolyzed silk proteins, prickly pear oil and shirk from any curly hair product that touts silicone as one of its top 4 ingredients.
Our product must-haves for your curl type:
For Waves
If you have bendable Type 2 waves, fine to coarse in texture, and with a distinct S pattern that sits close to your head, these lighter formulas will gently cleanse, define and add volume at the roots without weighing down your curls.
Type 2 girls: Salma Hayek, Emma Stone (pictured)
A weekly scalp detox will keep Type 2 hair looking light and glossy and feeling fresh. We can’t go past Christophe Robin’s Cleansing Purifying scrub with sea salt with its soothing almond oil and bisabolol base and ASMR worthy crunchy sea salt crystals for a satisfyingly refreshing scalp and root treatment for wavy hair. Larry’s City Life shampoo is also a curly hair hero, lifting away pollution, heavy metals and product build-up without drying out your waves.
With its impressive array of superfood ingredients, Christophe Robin Luscious Curl Defining Cream with chia seed oil won’t disappoint those with waves. This sleek conditioning cream instantly defines curls, leaving hair feeling soft, supple and shiny, thanks to protein rich flaxseed milk, chia and nigella seeds. Massage into damp hair after shampooing, and leave to air dry naturally or gently diffuse dry.
For Curly (Type 3A-C)
Type 3 curly hair can range from bouncy, loose loops to dense, springy corkscrew curls with some shine. Try not to touch your curls unless you want to achieve that brushed soft frizz halo finish.
T3 Girls: Zendaya (pictured), Julia Garner
Larry King Curl Enhancing Cream AKA Larry’s non negotiable product for all curly hair types. A curl defining cream featuring all the tick-box ingredients like mango butter, jojoba, avocado and wheat proteins, this beauty will enhance curls, add volume, fight frizz, protect from heat and offer up humidity-resistant style retention. Check out Larry’s TikTok tips on how to apply it here.
Christophe Robin Regenerating Serum is a multi-purpose, silicone elixir based on prickly pear seed oil, castor oil and tucuma butter. This curly hair product locks in moisture, protects hair from heat up to 230 degrees and will improve the appearance of split ends and frizz.
For Coily (Type 4A - C)
Naturally very dry and spongy textured, Type 4 hair can be coarse and wiry or fine and soft. Tight and small zig-zags curls right from the scalp.
Type 4 Girls: Solange (pictured), Lupita Nyong'o
Christophe Robin Luscious Curl Defining Butter with kokum butter. A thick luscious cream that drenches super curly and coily hair with moisture and nutrition, gliding through very dry, brittle lengths to replenish. Love the velvety finish that kokum butter gives to this buttery cream. Use it after Christophe Robin’s Luscious Curl Cleansing balm, a gentle, low foam, sulfate-free shampoo that won’t strip hair of its natural oils. This cleansing shampoo is suitable for the most brittle and dry curls.
Pro Tip: Use Christophe Robin’s Luscious Curl Reactivating mist as a primer before styling will instantly hydrate super curly and coily hair before styling.
For all curl types
The award-winning Larry King My Nanna’s Mousse acts like a primer for all curly hair types. Use it to prep your curls before diffuse drying or leaving it to air dry naturally.
Larry King A Social Life for Your Hair finishing cream. Apply to damp hair throughout lengths and ends to hydrate and protect your curls. Use it on dry curls to add definition, shine and smooth any frizz between washes. This satiny cream is lightweight enough for finer hair types and won’t leave it feeling excessively oily or heavy (start with a pea size amount, and build from there)
Christophe Robin Luscious Curl Reactivating Mist. We love this innovative new mist from our favourite Parisian colourist, designed as an inbetween drink for curly hair to refresh, energise, condition and defrizz curls. We like to look at it like a leave-in conditioning treatment that locks in moisture for glossy, defined curls, 24/7.
Meet MCM’s newest curly hair products
Larry King’s The Curl Edit. As usual, Larry’s done all the hard yards for us. The Curl Edit combines his best selling curly hair duo, his Curl Enhancing Cream and A Social LIfe for your Hair in one irresistible package. In his words, “This is the perfect duo to define and nourish your curls.” Give it a go (and remember to follow his curl hair method!)
H3: Curly hair trends for any girl worth her curl. We asked Larry and his team what curly looks the London girls are rocking this season, and this is what they shared.
Brushed out curls
Less defined curls, and more of a fluffy texture. Whatever your curl, it’s getting bigger this season! Twist all of the hair to help define the curl, using Larry King curl cream to your hands while wrapping the sections around. Then diffuse the hair using the Dyson Supersonic diffuser, let hair set and then pull out the curl to give it that big bounce with A Social Life for your Hair to finish.
Biscuit Brunette:
“We are loving this in-between brunette, blonde, coppery colour. It works perfectly on hair that is naturally dark and wants to try and go lighter without jeopardising the hair condition. We love this colour on curly hair! The Pantone Colour is Autumn Bark”
Amy Fish, colourist - Larry King London
The Take-Homes for healthy, happy curls.
In Larry’s words,
“you want to think of your hair like it's your favourite silk dress. You wouldn’t put a dress you love through a boil wash, then use a really hot iron on it, would you? Or even a cashmere jumper - you wouldn’t brush this five times a day. Make sure you’re using the right product and a gentle touch to look after your curly hair.”
- Avoid using harsh shampoos which can strip moisture, leaving curls dry and frizzy. Look for sulphate free shampoos instead.
- If you diffuse-dry your curls, use an oil to bring out the brightness, nourish and add definition.
- Famously part of the viral ‘Curly Girl Method’, a weekly apple cider vinegar rinse can really help bring out shine in your curls as well as soothe any itchiness. Click this link to learn how to do an ACV treatment.
