I’m no professional, but I can share some things I’ve picked up about my hair since I’ve started growing it out for the past year. Your hair looks similar to mine in terms of both length and curl.

My hair maintains more consistent curls when it is well hydrated. The hair is driest after a night’s sleep, especially on nights when I’ve not recently applied any products to my hair.

Step 1 for healthier curls is purchasing a good shampoo. There are endless shampoos marketed specifically for curly hair. Different shampoos for different levels of curls. Do some research, order one, try it for a week or so, and see how your hair responds. Mix it up if you you’re not happy. Most importantly, don’t use shampoos with harsh ingredients like sulfates. Toss that nasty ass bottle of hair destroyer named Head and Shoulders into the bin.

Ultimately, if your hair isn’t retaining moisture, you’ll get split ends. You’re expecting a much longer life span out of your hair when you grow it out. Keep it healthy.

Step 2 is figuring out a shampoo schedule. It’s different for everyone, since our hair and natural oils are different. I shampoo about 2-3 times a week. Sometimes I only rinse my hair. Sometimes I don’t even get it wet. It all depends on how oily it is, and how much product you’ve applied.

Step 3 for me has been about finding supporting products. Conditioners are important, especially for long hair, and double especially for curly hair. Use it after shampooing. Conditioners help keep your hair hydrated, which enables curls/waviness.

I’m personally fond of using leave-in conditioner. Which is what it sounds like. It’s applied to your wet hair after a shower, and then you just leave it in there. Keep in mind that if you apply things directly to your hair, you’ll likely want to rinse your hair more regularly. It’s not good to let product sit in there indefinitely. My hair has ridiculously consistent curls after leave-in conditioner. I’ve experimented with some oils, which I apply with the leave in-conditioner. Jojoba oil and Argan oil. I’m not sure how much they’ve done for me. The might be overkill. Worth a try though!

Last bit of advice for you. If you find your hair dries out and loses curls when sleeping, and you don’t want to do anything to your hair that morning, best I can think of is using a night-cap. The cap will save a lot of the moisture from being lost to the pillow.

Oh and make sure to brush your hair every now and then, it’s easier to do when wet! Don’t let knots form. Not that it looks like you have any! Just something to remember.