Defining curls?

[NumptyMum]

I'm having a bad hair phase, not sure if it's just the haircut or my hair. I've got short, thick, wavy, coarse (auburn) hair and sometimes use coconut oil to help get it to separate and curl, but can't take this with me to work to 'rescue' it as every pot I've ever put the coconut oil in, it leaks out . Plus the coconut oil has a tendency to make my hair greasy if I'm not careful.

Does anyone have suggestions for what can rescue hair that is perhaps a bit dry/frizzy once I'm at work? I would need to apply it to dry hair, and the aim would be to get it to separate into better curls or perhaps have more texture...

Plus I am going to find out more about Curly Girl method, once I've got my head around all the terminology! How would this work with using 'product'??

Thank you for anyone who thinks they can help, I'm just TIRED of my hair...

just about to go to bed but had to respond...have you visited this website? for all your curl related questions......

www.britishcurlies.co.uk/

Yes, I found it tonight but it seems to have curled my brain! Can't think straight, will have to take a while to understand how it all works. Also I'm not sure if there are products on there for application to dry hair, once at work...? Thanks for taking the time to reply before going to bed!

My hair's like yours. Well, it's having an identity crisis atm as I've subjecting it to frequent bleach baths (long story) but, obviously, it's still in need of tlc.

I don't think you can beat oil. Inecto do a nice coconut oil spray, have you tried that? I've also got Toni & Guy curling cream, which works pretty well for defining curls. It does make my hair feel 'product-y' though, so I tend to use it just where I want curly bits.

After coconut/almond oil, my all-time favourite hair tamer is Bed Head After Party. That stuff works wonders. It seems to be made entirely of plastic, though (I'm an ingredients reader) and my hair looks ghastly the next day ... requiring a further application of magic product!

I'd say try the Inecto spray before you do anything else.

I love the frizz ease secret agent creme. I have tried many many things, but always come back to this one as it just seems to do the trick for my hair.

I also love macadamia oil. It comes in a tiny bottle (perfect for carrying around) but you only need a drop so it lasts ages. On, and it smells glorious too.

I used to use the Frizz Ease Secret Agent creme all the time but it's not CG friendly so I don't use it anymore. And I don't really need it either as my hair is in better condition so less likley to frizz when dry. However, I do sometimes use Naked leave in conditioner on dry hair, and Vitapointe (old fashioned leave in conditioner) is good, and CG friendly too.

I'm not sure what you mean by how would CG work using product, but for me, it means not using any products with silicone ever and avoiding shampoo with SLS (although I do use a bit of SLS every one in a while, if I feel my hair needs a thorough clean).

So, I wash daily with conditioner (Tresemme Naturals), then use a conditioner as normal (Inecto Coconut stuff). I scrunch dry and add a bit of Boots Pink Curl Creme, then some Umberto Giannini gel and let my hair dry naturally as much as possible, then a quick blast with the hairdryer to finish.

The British Curlies website is great, and I browse it sometimes to get reviews of products but it can get very confusing and complicated! The key to the CG method is to cut out silicone, then you don't need to use harsh shampoo to get out styling product and your hair will be in better condition all round.

Better you take suggestion of professional hair expert.

Thanks for the reminder about Vitapointe, BTF! I keep a tube in the bathroom and one in my bag - must have forgotten it as it's 'always there'. Good old-fashioned lanolin :)

Thanks for all the replies! Re talking to a professional hair expert, unfortunately I don't want to pay the PRICE to talk to a professional hair expert (I've had to 'downsize' to a home hairdresser) and in my experience, people are usually selling products that benefit them, not you. Having said that, I've always stuck with the own-brand product from my former (too expensive) hairdresser.

Re CG, I'm a little wary of my hair going too soft and therefore being annoying - I actually put a bit of oil on it the other day because I got fed up with it but now it's flopping around all over my face, not greasy, just too soft. Would I get that problem with the CG method? At the mo I use Aveda Shampure (not often, and small amount) followed by hairdresser-brand leave in conditioner on ends, plus styling mousse (a pink one, can't remember the brand, chose it primarily because it did not look awful!) plus a bit of coconut oil (superdrug hard coconut oil). First day of wash it always looks terrible - it holds out so much promise when it is drying, then goes fluffy/crispy as soon as it dries totally (and I NEVER blow dry, don't have time). Day 2 and 3 look good (sometimes I add a little more of the coconut oil but there is the risk of it going more greasy). Day 4 is when I start to reach for the Shampure...

I guess I could try a different type of leave-in conditioner. What I don't want is to have fluffy/too soft hair, what I would like is to have more defined waves/curls and possibly texture. Perhaps I should try gel again...

Another one for finishing creme by John Frieda. He also does a curl defining cream that you can scrunch into dry or wet hair. Mousse can also be used for this. I find any serum or oil is just too heavy and leaves my hair greasy and oily.

I have very long curly hair. When I wash it and diffuse dry it and want lots of curls and volume I put mouse in it when wet and then also quite a strong curling gel, although any gel would do. It does make my hair really curly but also quite product dense so do have to wash it again usually the next day.....

Funny you should say that, Numpty, I've just gone back to gel. I'm using it for the exact purpose of giving some structure here and there - I twist a few sections with gel, then (on my hair) those sections flip out in a gratifying fashion. I do the same with the curling cream, but use the cream while my hair's still a bit damp.

Inspired by your thread, I retrieved my curling tongs from a dusty box this evening and curled all my hair. It looks BONKERS! I get through a kilo of coconut oil a month - some cooking and skincare, but nearly all goes in my very thirsty hair. It's gonna need it after tonight

The Curly Girl system shouldn't make your hair unduly floppy. It's just a low-product, low-stress regime really. It sounds as though you're more or less doing it anyway.

garlicbrain - perhaps we'll out-80's each other then! Mind you I'll have to look into what kind of gel, I do have some in the house but it's the cheap-as-chips-probably-DID-come-from-the-80's kind of gel...

I have long curly hair and have just tried the Boots cheapo curl cream that so many rave about.

Have to say I am impressed, although I need to work on my dosage. Today I had one half of my hair in perfect, loose ringlets and one half in a wavy frizz.

I am now very tempted to try the cg method.

Bartle, pray tell the name of the cheapo boots stuff...

Numpty, I never blow dry either - in fact, I don't even own a hair dryer. It takes too long, and I never have time. But my hair is great on wash day - I shampoo and condition (currently using Aussie moisture stuff), towel dry then smoothe on some serum (currently frizz ease dark blue). When it's more or less dry (many hours later) I put on some finishing creme. The next day, I use an Afro comb so I don't break up the curls too much, then tame the frizz with finishing creme. Repeat until day four or five when I wash again.

I bought some coconut oil and love it for my skin, but it doesn't seem to do much for my hair. It either does nothing, or it makes it feel a bit icky.

My favourite thing in the world is lush jasmin and henna fluff ease. It leaves my hair feeling and smelling glorious

Ooh, sorry op, I appear to have hijacked your thread. Sorry.

Science, it's this.

Boots pink curl creme is the business I may have to get back into being properly CG again.

Can you not make up a spray bottle of water and oil, like a DIY hair mist? That could be a good way of transporting the oil to work and giving your hair a little refresh without over-doing it. Maybe the british curlies forum might have a recipe, or you could google.

Lush Fluff Ease as mentioned above is amazing but sadly I think it's not CG friendly.

Well I'm here to report hair success! After Garlicbrain said about using gel, this morning when I washed I thought - what the hell, I'll give it a go, using my cheap-as-chips-80's ASDA gel. I had tried it before without success but this time I mixed it with my usual leave-in conditioner, and my hair was MUCH better. Then, on the way home, I got the Boots Essentials curl creme, which I've just tried on the ends and it's brilliant! OK, I'll have to see how it works once it dries, and the next day and all that. But I'm one happy bunny

Oooh - and thanks OneMoreGo for the oil and water hair spritz idea, I'll maybe give that a try. I'm pretty sure Boots sell empty spritzer bottles for travel...

Apart from anything else, I love how all the stuff I'm doing that is working so well (for hair, and also with the oil cleansing method) is also so cheap, and on the whole has less environmental impact .

Hurrah!! I've just bought the Boots cream as well.

Silicone free styling products suitable to use on dry hair:

Gels
Boots Essential approx £1
Umberto Giannini Curl Friends Scrunching Jelly (200ml) £4.50
L?oreal Paris Studio Line Mineral Control Invisi?Gel (150ml) £3.50
Kinky-Curly Curling Custard £24 - Curly Emporium
Eco Styler Krystal - lge tub 473 ml - approx £2.00
Dr Organics Aloe Vera Gel - approx £4.99 (Holland and Barrett - in store and online - can get cheaper deals when they run promotions)
Tara smith rock hard gel about £2 for 100ml but prices vary
Garnier Fructus Endurance gel £2-3 (not the invisible one)
Garnier Camouflage Gel £2-3
Superdrug Styling Gel Strong £1-£2
John Frieda Frizz Ease Gel around £5

Mousses
Giovanni Natural Mousse Air Turbocharged approx £7-8
Naked Curl Tamer ? curl styling mousse 150ml approx £4
John Frieda Frizz Ease Mousse around £5

Also thought you might be interested in these:

Curl Creams
Boots pink approx £1.30
Body Shop Cottonseed curl boost approx £8
Naked curl cream approx £3.99

Serums
James Brown serum (50ml) £6
Naked Frizz Fighter (50ml) £5

All silicone free so CG friendly

I disagree about the Lush Jasmine and Henna Fluff Eaze not being CG friendly. It doesn't contain silicones which are the main problem ingredient. It does have SLS, which is avoided in CG shampoos, but it's hydrating powers are so good that a bit of SLS isn't going to be a problem. I use it in conjunction with CG friendly shampoo and conditioner and it is brilliant. Very strong smell though, try before you buy.

Do these products cause curls to go crispy? That's my pet hate! I need to re-think my curl approach but am a bit paranoid about the crisp.

NumptyMum I wear my hair up in a pineapple style bun on the top of my head while I sleep, as it helps stop curls getting squashed and flattened :)

Another recommendation for the Boots curl cream. Lasts ages, dirt cheap (cheap enough to buy a pot just to keep at work) and it's silicone free. What's not to like?