This has to be one of the most common curl struggles: getting your curls to look and behave consistently over time. That could mean trying to get the same results every day, or dealing with curls that form differently on the top or side of your head, compared to the bottom or other side.
Uneven curl patterns are completely normal, but when you’re trying to create more consistent curls, it usually comes down to how your hair is handled, styled, and maintained.
Here are a few things that can make a big difference.
1. Product Distribution Matters
If products aren’t distributed evenly through your hair, your curls won’t form or hold evenly either. That’s often where inconsistency starts and one of the easiest things to change in your routine.
Instead of scrunching product through all your hair at once, try parting it into four to six sections while it’s still soaking wet and working product through each one intentionally.
This helps ensure every part of your hair gets the same level of attention, not just the areas your hands naturally reach first.
2. Use a Brush to Style Your Curls
Brush styling is where the magic really is, and it doesn’t take much time once you figure it out.
Start with freshly washed, detangled hair that’s been prepped with your leave-in or curl cream. At this point, you just want the hair evenly coated with your primer and ready to work with. This helps keep your hair slippery and easy to brush.
Then you need to pick the right brush. The tool you use can slightly change how your curls turn out. A Denman Original 9 Row Styling Brush usually gives more defined, clumped curls because of the tension it creates as it smooths and pulls the hair through. A Bounce Curl Define EdgeLift Brush also encourages strong curl clumping, but with a bit more flexibility, so you still get definition with some natural movement and bounce. It's also great for smoothing flyaways and baby hairs.
From there, work in sections and gently brush through the hair from root to tip. As you do, the curls will naturally start grouping into smooth, ribbon-like clumps, which is where definition really begins to form. You can adjust the tension based on what is comfortable for you - don't pull hair so taut it hurts your scalp! - and the direction of your brushing for more volume (up) or a looser result (down).
You can do brush styling before or after adding your hold product, like a gel or a mousse, provided the product is slippery enough to allow your brush to glide through. If you're applying your styler last, use the glazing or praying hands technique so you don’t disturb the clumps you’ve created with your brush. If you’re unfamiliar with these styling techniques, we’ve got you covered here.
3. Finger Coil for Consistency
Finger coiling is one of the most effective techniques you can try because it helps each curl form individually instead of your hair just doing its own thing at random. It can take a bit of time depending on your hair density, but the definition you get from it usually makes it worth it.
The process is pretty simple. Take a small section of hair and smooth it between your fingers from root to tip so the strands sit together and feel evenly coated with product, not frizzy or separated.
Then wrap it around your finger with light tension and twirl in one direction until it starts to coil naturally toward the scalp. Once it’s set, release it and move on.
Smaller sections tend to work better for tighter curl patterns, while looser curls can handle slightly larger ones.
4. Plop Your Curls to Reduce Frizz
Plopping is a drying technique where you wrap your wet curls in a cotton t-shirt or a microfiber towel like the Tee-Owel T-Shirt Towels, or something like the Soulta Beauty Net Plopping Cap, The Hair Plop from MoonstoneSeven, or the Bounce Curl Turban Towel to absorb excess water instead of letting wet hair hang downward and stretch out under its own weight.
What plopping really does is keep the curls supported closer to the scalp as they dry, helping them set more evenly. That can make a big difference, especially if some sections tend to fall flat or dry differently from others, or your hair develops frizz as it dries.
There isn’t just one “right” way to do it. Standard plopping is the most common method. You flip your hair forward onto the centre of a T-shirt or microfiber towel, then secure it by tucking, tying, or clipping the ends in place. If you’re using The Hair Plop, you simply wrap the arms around your head and tie them together on top of your forehead.
We do not recommend plopping your hair overnight. Not only can this give you some wonky results, it is not good for your scalp and can lead to bacteria or irritation.
5. Strong Hold Styling Products Help Curls Last All Day
A lot of the time, the issue isn’t how your curls form - it’s how well they hold. Your curls might form properly on wash day, but without enough support to keep that shape in place, they start dropping, separating, or frizzing up.
That’s where gel comes in.
Gels provide the strongest hold because they form a cast around the hair as it dries, helping curls last much longer instead of losing definition too quickly. Mousses and foams can also help, especially if your hair gets weighed down easily but still needs structure.
So if you’re not already using a stronger hold gel, it might be the missing piece in your routine.
A few faves are:
6. Diffuse Curls to Set Your Gel Cast Evenly
Diffusing is, at its core, just a way of speeding up drying while helping your curls hold their shape because the cast from your gel forms faster and more evenly. But it does a bit more than that. It also gives you more control over how the curl pattern sets.
With air drying, a common issue is that the roots and ends of your hair will dry at different speeds, which often leads to uneven results.
We always recommend diffusing for consistent curls. Using a tool like the Curl Warehouse Great Big Diffuser helps reduce flat roots by lifting the hair as it dries and encouraging a more even set from root to tip.
It’s also best to avoid touching your hair too much while it’s drying, as constant movement can disrupt the curl pattern before it fully sets. If your hair takes hours to dry when you air dry, this can be difficult to impossible as you go about your day! It might be beneficial to start with plopping before you move on to diffusing, to keep your hair from moving too much while it begins drying.
And if you’re worried about heat damage, apply a heat protectant first or explore gentler alternatives for drying without a diffuser. No one says you have to dry your hair to 100% with a diffuser either - go to 60% or 80% and then let the rest air dry if you're in a hurry or don't want to use too much heat on your hair.
7. Don’t Skip Clarifying Your Curls
Sometimes the reason your curls aren’t behaving the way they used to has nothing to do with your technique or the products you’re using. There may simply be too much buildup sitting on the hair. When that happens, even your favourite products can stop giving you the results you’re used to because they can't penetrate into the strand the way they should.
That’s why clarifying regularly is important. It helps remove product buildup, excess oils, hard water minerals, and other residue that can accumulate over time.
A few clarifying shampoos we love are:
If you have hard water, the Malibu C Hard Water Wellness Treatment is also worth looking into, as it’s specifically designed to remove mineral buildup.
Need help getting consistent results? Try our Curl Tracker for noting what works and what doesn't as you experiment with your curls.
