If your curly routine feels like it’s taking forever—and you’re still not getting the results you want—you might be doing way too much. Here I’ll break down the biggest time-wasters in curly hair routines while showing you an easy, quick refresh that actually works.

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Assessment Before Refreshing

I always recommend assessing your hair to determine if you even need to refresh, and if so, how to proceed. In the before photo below, I’m on day 2, and would not typically refresh this. I tend to do a few touch-ups, but very minimal, which I will show you.

Products Used on Wash Day

• ​Curlsmith Fragrance-Free Leave-In (formerly Shine Cream)​
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• ​Curlsmith Fragrance-Free Strong Hold Gel (formerly Shine Gel)​
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• ​Tangle Teezer Naturally Curly Detangling Brush​
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• ​Curlsmith Defrizzion Hair Dryer & XXL Diffuser​
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Simple Hairstyles to Avoid Refreshing

I’m a big fan of “hiding” any problems. If you have a little bit of frizz in the front, or if your hair falling in your face bothers you and tempts you to touch it, pin it back. Below are 2 of my go-to simple styles to keep my hair out of my face. I wear one of these most days in between wash days. Both of these will not dent or stretch out your curls if you place them the way I show in the video.

• ​Set of 2 Zig Zag Black Plastic Sharks Tooth Hair Comb Headband​
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• ​Mini Grip Octopus Clip Spider Jaw Hair Claw Clips 24 Pack 3 cm​
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❌ Soaking & Restyling Daily​
​✅ Touch-Up Refreshing or Hairstyles

If you have to completely soak and restyle your hair every single day, you’re not just wasting time—you’re likely creating a vicious cycle of damage.

Over-manipulating your hair daily stresses the cuticle and weakens the structure, making it harder for your curls to last. When your hair doesn’t hold up throughout the day, you may feel the need to redo it the next morning, keeping the cycle going.

The solution? Work backward and figure out what’s going wrong on wash day. This is something I focus on a lot in my coaching sessions—helping my clients reach a point where day 2 hair barely needs touching up. By day 3 and beyond, some refreshing and styling adjustments are normal. But as your hair gets healthier, it will last longer—you just have to break the cycle first.

❌ Using Too Many Products at Once​
​✅ Stick to 1-2 Styling Products

So many of us pile on products, trying to tackle every issue. And honestly, it’s not our fault—brands push 10-step routines with leave-in, curl cream, gel, mousse, and oil, making us think we need them all.

But in reality? Most of us only need one to three styling products max. Start with just one, like a moisturizing gel, and see if you actually need anything underneath. You won’t know how a styling product performs unless you use it by itself.

Using too many products can lead to buildup, weighed-down hair, and difficulty troubleshooting issues.This is one of the first things I help my curl coaching clients with—simplifying their routine. So, on your next wash day, try using just your gel by itself and let me know how it goes!

❌ Brush Styling When Not Needed​
​✅ Praying Hands & Scrunch

I know, I know—me, an avid brush styler, telling you not to brush style? But hear me out. Brush styling is not for everyone. If you have minimal frizz and your hair is more on the wavy to loose curly side, using a brush can actually stretch out your curls instead of enhancing them.

Now, brush styling does have benefits:
✔ Smooths frizz
✔ Clumps curls together
✔ Enhances ringlets and spirals

But for some, it can do the opposite—over-clumping and straightening out the curls. And sometimes, it’s just about technique—if you’re not brushing in the right direction, you won’t get the definition you’re looking for. If brush styling hasn’t worked for you, try praying hands to smooth and clump the curls, then scrunch to encourage curl formation. You can still brush through for product distribution, but you don’t need to spend an hour meticulously coiling every curl.

❌ Overcomplicating Wash Day​
​✅ Pair Down to the Essential Steps

How many steps does your wash day have? And how long does it take? Let me know in the comments.

We already talked about using fewer products, but what about the actual steps? For example, plopping with your hair wrapped up in a towel for 20+ minutes? Total time-waster. It just prolongs your wash day and can press wet product onto your scalp, leading to buildup.

Instead, gently scrunch excess water with a microfiber towel, then go straight into diffusing or air drying. The longer you wait before diffusing, the harder it is to get good results.

Another step that might not be worth your time? Root clipping. If you have naturally straight roots, getting lift to stay is tricky, and sometimes clips just don’t make a real difference. The bottom line? Simplify your process and focus on what actually helps your curls thrive.

❌ Striving for Unattainable Results​
​✅ Adjust Your Expectations

If you’ve noticed a theme in all these tips, it’s this: stop doing things that aren’t suited to YOUR hair.

Knowing your unique hair type saves you time and frustration. Striving for unattainable results will only leave you feeling overwhelmed and discouraged.

For example:​
💡 If your hair is naturally low-density or has thinned over time, you can’t force thick, voluminous curls. Instead, focus on enhancing what you have.

💡 If your hair frizzes up on day 3, that doesn’t mean it’s “bad” or that you failed—curls evolve between wash days, and that’s normal!

💡 The weather, your hair’s health, and even the day you’re on all impact your results. So instead of fighting it, embrace your hair’s full potential in its current state.

One of the best ways to stop wasting time on the wrong techniques and products is by understanding your hair type. If you’re not sure about your hair’s density, porosity, or curl pattern, take my free Curl Type Quiz! It’ll help you get a clearer picture of what your hair needs so you can build a routine that actually works for you.

This is something I recently covered in my group coaching program, where we did a live, real-time guided refresh session. I always start refresh routines with this mindset shift:

💬 Ask yourself: Is this my hair’s full potential for today? Given the weather? Given my hair’s health?When you adjust your expectations, you’ll stop wasting time chasing unrealistic results and start appreciating your curls for what they truly are.

Final Results

Let me know in the comments—which of these time-wasters have YOU been guilty of? And what’s one thing you can cut out of your curly routine starting today? If you’re ready to simplify your routine and get longer-lasting curls, I’d love to help! You can check out my curl coaching options for personalized support.

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