Our Favorite Curl Styles Step by Step to Recreate

Anna, Nadine and Nana from the Afrolocke team show you their favourite curl styling looks and how they created them in just a few steps.

The best thing about curls is clearly that you can wear them in so many different ways. And all without damaging heat styling or straighteners. To start, here are a few tips on what to keep in mind when you want to style your curls.

What you need for curl styling

Depending on the style you want, the most important tools are a spray bottle with water, hair clips and, from Afrolocke, the leave-in, the curl gel and the hair oil. Certain soft brushes, such as a boar bristle brush, afro combs, headwraps or microfibre towels can also be useful. But you can also make use of tools you already have at home (e.g. a toothbrush, a kebab skewer, an old T-shirt).

The order of our products 

With hair products, the order in which you use them matters: first the Afrolocke leave-in for moisture, then the Afrolocke styling gel if you want extra hold, and finally the Afrolocke hair oil to seal. 

"What I love about this sleek look is that it is glamorous, but you can still see my natural curl pattern shining through."

Step 1: Dampen your hair until damp to wet (my curls have a lot of volume, so I make them almost completely wet). 

Step 2: Work in some leave-in while smoothing your hair back flat against your head with your hands. 

Step 3: Work in plenty of curl gel and gently comb it back with a brush or an old toothbrush, without combing out the curl pattern too much. 

Step 4: Finally, seal with oil and use hair clips to invisibly fix any strands that fall forward. 

"I am a fan of our new curl gel because I also like to wear my hair down and defined. It gives me lovely bouncy curls."

Step 1: On wash day I use Afrolocke shampoo and conditioner, then work leave-in into very damp hair with my hands, section by section. 

Step 2: Straight afterwards, I work the curl gel into the same section. 

Step 3: Then I wrap the section around my finger once

Step 4: and seal the same section with oil right away. Then I continue with step 1 on the next section.  

Step 1: First I dampen my hair with a little warm water to make it more receptive to the next product, as I have low porosity hair. I massage the water in so that my hair is not soaked but nicely damp.

Step 2: I part my hair into two equal sections with a rat-tail comb.

Step 3: I apply the hair gel to my damp hair with flat palms in a downward motion.

Step 4: I use a soft-bristle hairbrush to brush my hair down, starting from the centre parting, and tie it back with a metal-free hair tie. Then I give my baby hairs at the front (edges) a wavy look with a toothbrush. 

Step 5: I wrap a silk scarf around my hair for about 5 to 10 minutes for a smoother, shinier look.

As you can see, contrary to many clichés, there really are countless hairstyles for curls, from twist outs and Bantu knots to sleek looks. 

Of course, simply wearing your curls down "as they are" is already a look. But if you fancy a change or want to get creative, there are lots of options. 

And do not forget: curls are magical, and you can create new styles without any heat at all. Simply make use of the advantages of your natural curl pattern and avoid trying to force it into a completely different shape.