A year ago I finally decided to embrace my curls. It’s been a year of learning and experimenting (where were you, internet, when I was a teenager?) as I’ve jumped in with both feet, and I love it.
I only shampoo after I work out, but I condition every day. I switch back and forth between L’Oreal Everpure and Whole Blends Coconut Water & Vanilla Milk. For after the shower, I use the Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine line, the leave-in conditioner always, and sometimes a dab of the anti-frizz serum.
I use old t-shirts to dry my hair, as I read somewhere that terry-cloth frizzes up the hair shaft, and my life hasn’t been the same since I discovered [url=<a href=“https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mInPt4-_Dyc%5DThe”>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mInPt4-_Dyc]The Plop/url. Not only does it set the curls in place while they dry, but it adds a lot of volume. It also keeps the wet hair out of my face and off my shoulders.
My big challenge is the hair that grows out of the very top of my head. It’s quite a bit straighter than the rest of it, but the main problem is a couple of heavy-duty cowlicks which insistently flatten against my head (not swirls, but straight-ish parts which my stylist calls a “split”) and send hair in all the wrong directions. For now, I use claw-style clips to pick up the roots right along the cowlick.
Share your experiences with your curls, products, tips and tricks, and what you love/hate about them.
I have been using the Deva Curl products for about 4 years and love them. I use the No Poo conditioning cleanser (it doesn’t lather, but cleans without drying), the One Condition conditioner, the styling creme, the Mist-er Right spray, and the anti-frizz stuff (I forget the name). I only wash on the days I swim, and sometimes just rinse and condition.
I think the key to avoiding frizz and dried out hair is to not wash too often. If my hair is stinky or sweaty, I just mist it with the Mist-er Right, which has a mild lavender scent. You can also just mix lavender oil and water in a spray bottle.
I have thick, curly, wavy hair. One of D’s is VERY curly. Over the years she/we had tried lots of products. My opinion is that one product isn’t the answer for everyone with curly hair - and even individuals don’t need to stick with the same product forever.
I do find my hair is “less” frizzy if I don’t vigorously dry it with a towel after washing. I wash my hair probably at least 4 times a week and sometimes more - but that’s necessary because I exercise frequently.
I sometimes use a conditioner in the shower and sometimes not. Almost always use a little leave in conditioner. I’ll try and check my current product names, but again, I’m not sold on using the same product all the time.
My D with the long VERY curly hair recently went to a salon that truly is for curly hair only - and all the stylists have curly hair! She said it was an awesome experience and she feels like she truly got a great cut.
I embraced my curls (actually more frizz then curls) about 10 years ago. I went to a Ouidad salon for my cuts and used their products. Lasted about 6 months. I just always felt messy.
My hair is extremely dry and I never wash it more then once a week. I also do the t-shirt thing but I don’t rub. I just wrap it around my head. After about an hour I take it off, use John Freida Frizz-Ease Hair Serum, then blow dry and iron.
I don’t get what the “conditioning only” does. Doesn’t it make it “Greasy” feeling??? So you wet it and put in conditioner and rinse out or wet it, lightly dry and add leave in conditioner?
If your hair is dry you really shouldn’t be washing it even every other day. Your hair needs a chance to produce essential oils. I actually run a hair oil through my hair every day. Also, the longer I go between washes the better my hair looks. It sounds counter intuitive to not wash so much, but for dry hair it’s better.
I shampooed every day of my life for decades, so it took me a while to wrap my brain around conditioning-only. And then it took me another while to get the right weight of conditioner; my hair is somewhat fine, and the richer conditioners made it look completely dead. The two I’m using now seem to hit the right note.
In the shower, I apply a generous amount of conditioner and then basically pretend it’s shampoo; I scrub my scalp then “lather” it through the rest (though, of course, it doesn’t actually lather). Then finger-comb it to make sure it’s evenly distributed. I let it sit, then rinse it out at the end of the shower, or most of it; apply the leave-in while it’s still dripping wet, then scrunch. Only after all of that do I do the t-shirt wrap.
Mine is fine too, I just have a lot of it and I’ve had the same conditioner problem. I can’t do any leave in conditioner though. I use a John Freida conditioner.
It also depends on the type of water. When I’m visiting my mom in Florida I can rinse for hours and it still feels like there is conditioner on it and my hair is more limp. I think her water is soft.
Soft water will need less shampoo or conditioner; your usual amounts may require a LOT more rinsing. You probably also felt your hair was limp because of the high humidity that is typical for Florida. Living in Florida with softened water I feel my hair is in better shape- but not “squeaky” clean like with harder water (as when the softener needed repairs).
I’m a lurker for this thread- I finally embraced my perfectly straight, fine hair that wouldn’t hold any kind of barrette/ties/whatevers. After trying to get some curl (sleeping on rollers of various kinds in HS) I can’t believe that now so many people are straightening their hair. My sister and others complained about frizz- not me.
D and I have super-straight hair that won’t hold curls or hair accessories. Only a perm would put curl into my hair and I didn’t like the chemicals so I’ve stopped having those after a few years.
I tried soft perms with shorter hair for a short time in my early 30’s. My wedding photos had some curl but never again because of chemicals.
I guess we all want what we don’t have. My current vanity (now over 60) is to have my short hair cut with the top layer at the temples longer than the underneath hair so the gray/white doesn’t show (natural blonde- so much darker than when in my 20’s). So practical then and even more so now. Pert 2 in1 dandruff control works for me, best on day one (wash every 3 days usually) after blow drying for volume.
Anyone trying to have the boring long hair look that seems ubiquitous now? that was fine back in college in the '70’s, but not everyone looks good with hair dragging them down. Plus- bleached blondes are trashy (I can name a certain prominent lawyer from Florida that would do better to have real color and styling).
I bought a turbie twist towel recently and it has helped me get the dampness out without causing frizz like my usual towels. I use redken shampoo and conditioner (color-treated hair) and also Paul Mitchell the conditioner to leave in the bottom half. I only wash it twice a week. I use Pantene curl defining mousse liberally and scrunch. I only use a hair dryer on my bangs and air dry the rest.
On the rare day I want straight hair, I use a straightening brush (after spraying heat protectant all over).It’s easier for me than a flat iron, although my flat iron works great. The brush lets me do more hair at a time and I have lots of hair.
I think I might do a version of the youtube video (thanks, that was a good watch!).
I condition the heck out of my hair in the shower, wrap it in a turbie twist for a bit and then put some kind of anti-frizz stuff on it and comb through. Then I leave it alone. Like, I don’t even look at it until it’s dry. When it’s dry, I flip my head over and gently work through the curls a bit to loosen them up. I might spritz with some light hair spray. When I had a 40 minute commute I would leave the house with wet hair and then style it in the bathroom at work, lol.
For my curly hair, the more I touch it the worse it gets. Also length helps to create long, relaxed curls. So I finally made peace with my “yes, I know people pay for it but it’s a pain” hair.
Until it’s windy out. Sigh. There’s no help there.
I’ve also got thick and wavy, now shoulder length. Sometimes, when I’ve mostly blown it dry, that first pass without much brush, it sticks out in all directions and I wish I had the artsy nerve to go out in public like that. Yeah.
The Frizz Ease drove me nuts, thick and sticky . I love Paul Mitchell Smoothing Serum (Super Skinny.) Try a small bottle (Amazon.) It’s light and effective. Helps in humidity. Doesn’t leave me with that greasy hair feeling.
I’ve ben told that for curly or hard to manage hair, more product isn’t the solution.
I have curly hair which I hated in high school when everyone had shiny flips. I grew to love it and have a very short pixie cut. I’ve tried growing it a few times and it was NOT a good look. It goes Bozo on me. Biggest challenge is getting a great cut. My stylist is moving away, so I’m about to try a new one. Wash every other day and put a tiny bit of leave in conditioner in. Dries on its own in minutes.
It’s a hard sell to NOT shampoo your hair after you come back from a sweaty workout - which is anywhere from 4-6 times a week for me.
My curly hair behaves much better this time of year. In the summer it’s sort of a lost cause. The combo of curly and really thick and coarse = summer BIG hair!
I just moved, and tried a couple different stylists. Found someone who makes my hair look great on the second try, especially that top cowlick area described above. Don’t be afraid to try different stylists – I think curly hair is hard to cut well.
