Curly Hair Routine 3B/3C. Products, Tips & Tricks

Frequently Asked Questions About 3B/3C Curly Hair Care

Basic Care

Q: What’s the difference between 3B and 3C hair types?
A: Type 3B hair has spiral curls about the size of a marker or finger, while type 3C has denser and tighter spirals about the size of a pencil. Type 3C typically has more pronounced volume and a denser texture.

Q: How often should 3B/3C curly hair be washed?
A: It’s recommended to wash your hair 1-2 times per week. Curly hair tends to be dry, and washing too frequently can strip it of natural oils.

Q: What ingredients should be avoided in curly hair products?
A: It’s recommended to avoid sulfates, silicones, alcohols, mineral oils, and parabens, as they can dry out hair and disrupt curl formation.

Moisturizing and Conditioning

Q: How do you properly moisturize curly hair?
A: Use the LOC method (Liquid-Oil-Cream) or LCO method (Liquid-Cream-Oil). Apply leave-in conditioner to damp hair, then oil to seal in moisture, and finish with cream or gel for hold.

Q: Should conditioner be used with every wash?
A: Yes, curly hair needs constant moisturizing. Use conditioner with every wash, and it’s also recommended to deep condition regularly.

Q: How often should deep conditioning be done?
A: For 3B/3C hair types, deep conditioning 1-2 times a month is optimal. If you have increased dryness or after chemical treatments, do it weekly.

Styling and Arrangement

Q: How can I reduce hair frizziness?
A: Use anti-frizz products, don’t touch your hair while it’s drying, apply the “plopping” technique for drying, and finish with a light oil or serum.

Q: What drying methods work best for curly hair?
A: Air drying or using a diffuser on low heat gives the best results. The “plopping” method (wrapping wet hair in a microfiber t-shirt) helps form curls without frizziness.

Q: What styling products are best for defining curls?
A: For 3B/3C hair, light or medium-hold gels, mousses, curl creams, and leave-in conditioners work well. Choose products with anti-frizz effects and moisturizing components.

Care and Protection

Q: How do you protect curly hair at night?
A: Sleep on a silk or satin pillowcase or use a silk or satin bonnet/scarf. You can also gather your hair in a loose “pineapple” (high ponytail) to maintain curl shape.

Q: How often should curly hair be trimmed?
A: It’s recommended to trim ends every 3-4 months to remove split ends and maintain hair health.

Q: How do you deal with curly hair during high humidity?
A: Use anti-frizz products and products containing proteins. Strong-hold gels and oils help create a protective barrier against air moisture.

Curly Hair Routine 3B/3C. Products, Tips & Tricks

• Importance of wet hair during styling: Moon Azad emphasizes the need to apply styling products on very wet hair to ensure better distribution and curl formation.
• Quote: “First Step you need your hair to be extremely wet and when I say wet I mean it needs to make that sound listen to it you see I have lots of water in my hair so make sure you don’t wrap your hair with any towel when you get out of the shower or like you don’t wait until you style your hair if you do it’s okay just rewet it with a spray bottle.”
• Importance of product application for volume preservation: Special attention is given to how products (cream and gel) are applied, avoiding the roots to prevent weighing down the hair and maintain volume. Products are mainly applied to the ends and mid-lengths.
• Quote: “in this video you’re going to notice the way that I apply my products are kind of like I never get close to my roots and I always keep it to my ends because I don’t want to lose volume here and if you apply products to your roots it’s going to give that flat hair effect and I kind of hate that so do not apply products on your roots always rake it through your ends.”
• Sectioning hair for more thorough styling: The author divides the hair into sections, starting with the front strands (which are styled last) and horizontal partings at the back. Each section is then divided into three smaller parts.
• Quote: “It is time to section your hair the way that I section my hair I can probably make another full in-depth video on how I section my hair and the reasons why I do it the way I do it but to briefly put it if you have face framing bangs like I do or you have shorter layers you’re going to want to style the front of your hair last so that should be the first part you’re going to section.”
• Using the “tuck and pull” technique with a brush: To form curls, a brush is placed under the strand at the roots and pulled upward and away from the scalp.
• Quote: “I take my brush I’m using this bounce girl Edge lift brush and I tuck it under and I pull it up and away from my scalp and I let my curls form naturally I shake it at the roots a little bit then I scrunch.”
• Combining air drying and diffusing: The author first allows the hair to partially air dry naturally (about 30 minutes) before using a diffuser.
• Using clips for root volume: To add extra volume to short layers at the roots, small clips are used during air drying.
• Final volume enhancement with oil and afro pick: After the hair is completely dry, light oil and an afro pick (or fingers) are used to add additional volume at the roots and separate curls.
• Quote: “you can get even more volume without ruining your definition with a little bit of oil and a hairpick or your fingers if you don’t have a hairpick these are very cheap you can buy them from Dollar Store for like a dollar but if you don’t want to get a new product because I get it curly hair is expensive you always have your five Magic free fingers I don’t know why I said that but you always can use your hands.”
• Focus on styling longevity throughout the week: The author notes that with the techniques and products used, the styling can last 5-7 days.

Products that Moon Azad uses for 3b/3c hair care:

• FENTY HAIR COMEBACK KID
• FENTY HAIR HOMECURL CURL CREAM
• MARC ANTHONY STRICTLY CURLS FLEX GEL
• OLAPLEX N7 OIL

Hair tools used:

• BOUNCE CURL EDGE LIFT BRUSH
• DYSON HAIR DIFFUSER
• HAIR PICK (DOLLAR STORE FIND!)

• Styling on freshly washed and deeply conditioned hair: Jewel ivy begins her routine on clean hair after shampooing and deep conditioning.
• Sectioning to facilitate styling: Hair is divided into front and back sections, the back section is split into two, and then each of those is further divided into two. The crown area is also sectioned separately due to its dryness.
• Abundant moisture with water before applying products: The importance of fully saturating each hair section with water before applying styling products is emphasized, especially at the roots.
• Quote: “I’m going to take my spray bottle and make sure that the section of hair is fully saturated not soaking wet but saturated enough and I’m going to start detangling it before I apply my product and I’m really going to go in and spray the roots because that’s where my hair is the driest and the frizziest so I’m going to make sure my roots are wet so they take the product well.”
• Using the “praying hands” method for product application: Both styling products used (light cream-gel and gel) are applied using the “praying hands” method to smooth the hair, and then finger-combed for even distribution.
• Quote (method description): “I’m going to apply a generous amount of this I’m going to rub it in between both of my hands and then I’m going to use the praying hands method to smooth it all over my hair and then I’m just going to work it in and I’m going to rake my hands through to make sure that the product is evenly distributed through all of my strands.”
• Avoiding the Denman brush curl forming technique: The author notes that for her hair type, the Denman brush removes too much product, so she uses it only for gentle detangling.
• Quote: “I’m not going to do that little curl styling trick because my hair is Curly enough and I’ve noticed that the Denman brush takes off product when you do that trick and I need the product to stay on my hair so I’m just going to gently detangle my hair with the brush and only go over about.”
• Applying additional product to dry areas (crown): For the very dry crown area, the author applies extra water and products, including applying gel to the roots despite common advice to avoid this.
• Quote: “I swear I spray the water onto my hair and it just disappears Into Thin Air so I really take my time here and I make sure my roots are very saturated and I apply product to the shafts of my hair in the end and then I’m going to apply an extra amount to my roots and really smooth it onto the roots I know some people say keep the product away from your roots but you really want to get it on your roots if you don’t want them to be frizzy.”
• Air drying and maintaining the style for several days: The author demonstrates the condition of her hair over five days after washing, noting the increase in volume each day and performing a small “refresh” on the third day using water and a small amount of gel.
• Positive review of Camille Rose products used: The author expresses delight with the tested products and plans to try products from other brands.

Products that Jewel ivy uses for 3b/3c hair care:

• Camille Rose Fresh Curls Revitalizing Hair Smoother (light gel-cream, styling lotion and detangling product).
• Camille Rose Curl Maker Gel.
• Gel (brand not specified) (used for refreshing curls).

• Pre-detangling (pre-poo): Tyra-Alissa begins her care routine by finger detangling dry hair before shampooing.
• Quote: “first step prepoo before I even shampoo I always make sure to finger detangle my hair and to free my hair from all the knots you can also use a conditioner if you want to but personally I just let the water run through my hair and I think it detangle my hair this way.”
• Hair washing technique to prevent tangling: It’s recommended to hold the ends of the hair with one hand while massaging shampoo into the scalp with the other hand.
• Quote: “the best thing I can tell you for for an easy wash day is to hold your ends with one hand and then with the other one you shampooing the scalp with this trick you can avoid knots and just keep your hair tanglefree which makes conditioning then go easier.”
• Using conditioner by sections and applying it to the brush: Conditioner is applied to damp hair in sections, as well as to the brush for smoother detangling.
• Quote: “when it comes to conditioning your hair to keep it really easy and smoothly always work in sections and another trick I like to use when it comes to conditioning is to put the conditioner also onto the brush I feel like when I brush my hair after I appli the conditioner of course first on my hair feel like the tangling goes way smoother also a little bit easier and I can recommend for you to try this out and let me know in the comments what you think of that.”
• Styling in sections using cream and gel: For styling, a curly hair cream and gel are applied to the hair in sections.
• Quote: “when it comes to styling I also like to work in sections I feel like working in sections is such a major key in your entire cly hair routine just to keep everything smoothly and just to get great results.”
• Using the “praying hands” method for applying gel: Gel is applied using the “praying hands” method.
• Quote: “as for gel I’m using the inner sense I create whole gel and I’m using the breaking or praying hand method to style My Curls.”
• Blow drying with a diffuser and using heat protection: The author uses a blow dryer with a diffuser to dry her hair, always applying a heat protectant product. The main drying technique is “hovering” (directing airflow to the hair without direct contact between the diffuser and the curls), flipping the head, and shaking the hair for volume.
• Quote: “now the last step blow drying it’s so important to use a heap protectant in your routine just to protect your hair you know from heat damage but my blow dry routine basically is just to hover around back and forward flip my head and then I shake my hair and fluff it out and then I’m done.”
• Achieving balance between volume and curl definition: The author is satisfied with the result, noting a good combination of volume and curl definition with a relatively simple routine.

Products that Tyra-Alissa uses for 3b/3c hair care:

• Aveda be curly Advanced Shampoo
• Aveda be curly Advanced Contidioner 
• TréLuxe 4 in 1 Hydrating Cream
• Innersense I create Hold Gel
• Hairitage Heat Protectant Spray 

Hair tools used:

• Tangle Teezer Detangling Brush
• Flexible Detangling Brush from SariCurls