I posted the below in another thread:
I have done bits of the CGM over the years and properly (ie actually correct ingredient products) embraced it the last year. Difference is amazing.
It can seem confusing as different products suit different hair. As a brief example:
Conditioner
Dyed hair needs a conditioner/co-wash with protein.
"Virgin"/Undyed hair tends to not like protein based conditioners etc as it can be drying.
Fine hair needs lighter hair products and conditioners than thick hair.
When you condition you need squish the conditioner in.
Some people need to add leave-in (just their normal conditioner) but if your hair is conditioned enough and/or fine this may weigh it down.
Coconut in a product can mimic protein - so some hair loves it, other (like mine) hate coconut - it goes super frizzy and dry.
So in essence, what one person loves, another person hates.
Product
After co-washing or conditioner washing you do need some kind of product to "set" the curl. Either a mousse or gel. This will set in a "cast" which is crunchy and a bit grim but as soon as it is dry you gently scrunch your hair the crunch disappears and you get soft bouncy curls.
Drying
Airdrying is great. You can diffuse too. Google Manes By Mel method of drying - her video shows you how to dry for deffinition. Or the Pixie method to dry for volume. You can also half diffuse/half air dry.
"Refresh" and/or second day hair
I thought this was impossible. For 40-odd years I wet/washed my hair every day as I woke up to a frizz ball with all the curls flattened. Now I wear it in a high, very loose pony tail overnight, use a silk pillow case and have bouncy/strong enough curls that I wake up, dab a bit of conditioner to calm any flyways and can get day 2/3/4 hair. Often better than wash day hair. I never thought this would happen.
Product help - When I started properly I trawled the "Official CGM" Facebook page. Hugely, amusingly struct and rigid and SOOOO much information. But I worked out the most universally like products to start with. So many products would have a chalk/cheese response (loved it/hated it) so I avoided them. And I had some experience with this (see coconut above). I found that Faith In Nature (except the Rooiboo one) conditioners were never in the "hate" pile. Dragon Fruit particularly liked. Umberto Giannini Curl Jelly also a good all-rounder.
So that is what I started with. Worked beautifully. I strayed and tried a couple of other bits - but am now back with these too, plus a bit of Pantene No 5 Curly Mousse.
I co-wash/condition/bit of leave-in-on-the-ends with Faith in Nature Dragon Fruit.
I comb through (wide tooth comb) the UG Jelly - combing "outwards" so I am not plastering my hair to my head.
I then squish (upwards, curl forming motion) a blob of Pantene mousse in.
Squish (gently, upwards) a bit with a t-shirt to take some wetness out and leave to either air dry or diffuse. Or a bit of both.
My hair is very fine and not dyed, so the above works for me. I did have problems at one stage as the curls dropped out by day 2 - it was over-moisturised - so I didn't use leave in conditioner for a few washes and it balanced out again (you get to know the feeling of your hair as you wash it after a while so you can tell what to add/not add).
Also what I lot to add about technique
- Squish - squish your conditioner in quite a bit - you need to make sure it penetrates the hair shaft. Add extra water as you squish as well
- Rinse upside down - otherwise if you rinse standing up tin the shower you can end up with too much water on the top canopy of your head =dry/flat top curls
3)Product application - you can rake through, praying hands or squish in. I tend to do a mix of stuff - just with the aim to get all of my hair coated. The preying hands method is just a way of getting all the hair aligned to get rid of frizz and get curls clumping together. I find a wide toothed comb (or probably a denman brush) does the same. Comb out/sideways not down - otherwise you will flatten your hair against your hair and not be as curly. Then you gently squish the curls back up to your hair to make it curl.