A step-by-step routine for guys with curly, wavy, or coily hair — from someone who's been teaching this since 2014.
I started writing about curly hair in 2014, before there was not a single Indian curly hair brand on the market.
In the years since, I've taught thousands of people how to look after their curls — through the Right Ringlets blog, through Indian Curl Pride (the Facebook community I started in 2015), and through Ashba — the brand I launched in 2019 because Indian curly hair products simply didn't exist.
What I noticed early on, and what I've seen consistently in the years since: men with curly hair were almost never asking questions in our community.
Not because they didn't have curly hair. India has plenty of men with curly, wavy, and coily hair. But because:
- They were embarrassed to be in a "girls' beauty space" (the curly hair world, until recently, was very feminine-coded).
- They'd never been taught a routine for their hair, because mainstream men's grooming assumed everyone had straight hair.
- They'd given up. Many had been told for years to "just keep it very short," "use a lot of oil," or "comb it down" — all of which made the problem worse.
This guide is for you. It's the simplest curly hair routine I can write, with the smallest number of steps that still works.
Why Curly Hair Needs Different Products (Not Different Genders)
The curly hair shaft is a spiral. The natural oils from your scalp can't easily travel down a spiral the way they can down a straight shaft. This is true whether you're a man, a woman, or anyone else — it's about hair pattern, not gender.
The result: curly hair is drier, frizzier, and needs more moisture than straight hair. Period.
Most "men's hair products" are formulated for straight hair — drying alcohols, strong-hold waxes, sulphate-heavy shampoos. They strip moisture, or very hard to remove from hair exactly the opposite of what curls need.
The solution isn't a "men's curly product line." It's just using curl-appropriate products, full stop. Same ones I'd recommend to a woman with the same curl pattern.
The Routine (3 Products, 4 Steps)
Step 1: Wash with a sulphate-free shampoo (2-3x per week)
How often you wash depends on your scalp:
- Oily scalp: Every other day or 3x/week
- Normal: 2x/week
- Dry: 1-2x/week max
Don't wash daily — curly hair is too dry for it.
What to use:
- Ashba Hydrating Shampoo — your regular wash
- Ashba Clarifying Shampoo — once a month, especially if you live in a hard-water area (Bangalore, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad)
How to wash: Massage shampoo into your scalp and on hair. Use lukewarm water — hot water dries hair out.
Step 2: Condition (every wash)
This isn't optional for curly hair. Conditioner is what keeps the ends from snapping.
Use the Ashba Nourishing Conditioner on the lengths and ends, not the scalp. Leave for 2-3 minutes, rinse with cool water (helps seal the cuticle).
Step 3: Apply Curl Moisture Milk to soaking wet hair (every wash)
This is the step most curly-haired men skip — and it's the most important one.
After your shower, don't towel-dry. Your hair should still be dripping wet. Apply a generous amount of Ashba Curl Moisture Milk and rake it through with your fingers from roots to tips.
Why soaking wet? Curls form properly in water. The moment hair dries, the pattern is locked in. Apply leave-in to dripping wet hair, and you keep the curl shape — apply to damp hair, and you'll get a frizzy, undefined finish.
For short hair (under 2 inches): use a small pea-sized amount. For medium hair (2-4 inches): a generous palm-full. For longer hair: don't be stingy, your curls will drink it.
Step 4: Style with styler of your choice (optional, but recommended)
After leave-in, apply your styler.
Ashba Curl Styling Serum — for medium-to-thick curls, humid weather, or anyone who wants the curl to hold its shape all day.
Ashba Curl Volumizing Foam — for finer curls, shorter hair, or men who don't want any "product feel" in their hair.
Apply by raking through, then scrunching upward toward the scalp. Air dry — don't disturb until fully dry.
Once dry, scrunch the hair gently. This breaks the "gel cast" (the slight stiffness from the styler) and reveals soft, defined curls.
What You Don't Need
The world of curly hair products can feel overwhelming. Here's what you can skip:
- Hair oils — Unless your hair is very coarse and dry. Most curlies don't need them.
- Multiple stylers layered — One styler over leave-in is enough.
- Combs and brushes — Do not comb or brush hair once it is completely dry as it would open up the defined curls and make hair frizzy again.
Common Issues for Curly-Haired Men in India
"My curls go flat by the end of the day"
Usually means too much product (try less milk) or the wrong styler (try curl defining gel instead of serum for more hold).
"I get crunchy hair from gel"
That's the gel cast. It's supposed to be slightly stiff while drying. Once fully dry, scrunch gently with your hands — it breaks the cast and the hair softens. If it's still crunchy after scrunching, you're using too much gel.
"My beard is curly too — what do I use?"
The same moisture milk works for curly beards. Apply a small amount after washing, scrunch upward, let air dry. Avoid beard oils that contain mineral oils or silicones.
"How do I refresh my curls between washes?"
Refresh with moisture milk - Mix a tiny bit of leave-in with water in a small spray bottle. Mist your hair, scrunch upward, and your curls revive. This is called "second-day refreshing" and works well for 1-2 days between proper washes.
Refresh with curl volumizing foam - spray some water on hair and then use small amount of foam to revive curls.
The Mindset Shift
Most men I've helped with curly hair tell me the same thing: "I wish someone had told me this 10 years ago."
The reason mainstream advice doesn't work for you isn't a failing of yours. It's that the entire grooming industry was built assuming straight hair was the default. Curly-haired men in India have been making do for decades with products designed for the wrong hair type.
A real routine — one designed for curls — produces dramatically different results. Most people who try it for the first time are shocked that their hair could behave this way at all.
Start Here
If you're going to try one product, it's the Ashba Curl Moisture Milk. It's the single product that produces the most visible difference, the fastest. Pair it with whatever shampoo you currently use (as long as it doesn't have sulphates), and you'll see the change within one wash.
If you want the full routine, shop the men's curly hair collection.
— Asha Barrak Founder, Ashba Botanics
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