Your Hair Care Guide

You're in the right place. This is the guide that came with your Kira the Cat order.

Whatever you bought, the first two or three wash days are what decide whether it works for your hair. Below is the short version for each type of product, plus links to the longer guides if you want to go deeper.

Jump to what you bought

• A hair mask or deep treatment
• A leave-in, cream or gel
• A diffuser cap or heat cap
• A shampoo or conditioner

Your first wash day, in five steps

These steps work with every product on this page. If you only remember one, make it the last one.

1. Detangle before you wash. Put a little conditioner or leave-in on the ends and work through with your fingers or a wide-tooth comb, starting at the ends and moving up. Never detangle dry hair from the root down.
2. Shampoo your scalp, not your lengths. Massage the shampoo into your scalp and let the suds rinse down through the ends. The ends get clean on the way past.
3. Condition from the mid-lengths down. Leave it for a minute or two, then rinse with warm water rather than hot. Hot water is the quickest way to make hair strands look dry.
4. Style on damp hair, in sections. Four to six sections is plenty. Apply your product first, then scrunch upwards towards your scalp.
5. Don't touch it while it dries. Every touch while drying breaks the curl clumps you just made and brings the frizz back.

Want the full step-by-step? Read our Curly Hair Routine for Beginners

If you bought a Hair Mask or Deep Treatment

Masks are the easiest product to overuse. A small amount in the right place does more than a handful spread everywhere.

• Start on clean, damp hair. Shampoo first, then squeeze out the excess water so the mask isn't diluted by dripping hair.
• Use less than you think. Roughly a grape-sized amount for short hair, a little more for long or thick hair. You can always add another layer, but you can't take it out.
• Go for the mid-lengths and ends first. These are the oldest and driest parts of your hair. Keep the mask off your scalp unless the pack says otherwise, because it can weigh your roots down.
• Give it 5 to 15 minutes. Follow the time on your pack. Leaving it on longer doesn't add moisture, and over-masking can leave curls limp and heavy.
• Rinse thoroughly. Work through the lengths and the layers underneath. If your hair still feels coated once it's dry, rinse longer next time or use less.

How often? Once a week suits most waves, curls and coils. Go to twice a week if your hair is very dry, heat-styled or colour-treated, and don't worry about skipping a week when life gets busy.

Not sure whether your hair is asking for moisture or protein? Read Protein or Moisture? Choose a Hair Routine Using Porosity

If you bought a Leave-in, Cream or Gel

The order you use them in matters more than the products themselves. Go from thinnest to thickest.

1. Leave-in first, on damp hair, in small amounts through the mid-lengths and ends. This is your moisture layer.
2. Cream next, section by section, smoothed down the length and then scrunched. This is your definition layer.
3. Gel last, glazed over the outside of each section and scrunched in. This is your hold layer — it's what keeps the shape past day one.

Then leave it completely alone until it's dry. If your curls feel crunchy once dry, that's the gel cast doing its job: squeeze each section gently between your palms or a little oil to break it, and the softness comes back.

Using only one product? A leave-in or cream on its own gives soft, natural definition. A gel on its own gives the longest-lasting shape but less moisture, so it's best on hair that's already conditioned.

If you bought a Diffuser Cap or Sleeping Cap.

• Diffusing: use low heat and low speed. Hover the diffuser over your roots first, then cup sections and hold for a few seconds before moving on. Stop when your hair is about 90% dry and let the rest finish naturally.
• Use as Heat caps for Hair treatments: gentle warmth helps a mask sink in. Wear it over your mask for 15 to 20 minutes, then rinse as usual. Follow the instructions that came with your cap and don't go hotter or longer than they say.
• Sleeping in a cap: a satin cap reduces friction overnight, which is the simplest way to keep day-two curls intact.

Quick fixes

My curls are frizzy

Frizz usually means the hair is dry, or it was touched while drying. Add a little leave-in to damp hair, and keep your hands off it until it's completely dry.

My roots are flat

Apply your heavier products lower down and keep the roots light. Diffusing upside down, or clipping the roots while they dry, gives lift without extra product.

My curls feel crunchy

That's the gel cast, not damage. Once your hair is fully dry, scrunch each section gently until the crunch breaks and the softness comes back.

Day two looks a mess

Don't rewash. Dampen the section that's lost its shape, add a tiny amount of leave-in or cream, and scrunch. Most curls only need a refresh on the front and the crown.

Still not sure?

Email us at contact@kirathecat.com and tell us what you bought and what your hair is doing. A real person will answer, and your question might become the next guide we write.

These guides are written by the Kira the Cat team from product directions and general curl-care guidance. They aren't medical advice. If you have persistent scalp itching, pain, inflammation, or sudden hair loss, please see a doctor or dermatologist.

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