Embracing my curls

[Bumbolina]

I've got wavy/curly hair if I leave it to dry with a bit of mousse. I like it and would like to embrace my curls - what can I do to encourage them? I have days when they curl brilliantly and others where they barely kink!

I've been reading stuff online and a couple of websites have suggested not shampooing...?

A few things

I went to a hairdresser in Birmingham who specialises in curly hair, totally changed my hair!

He recommended not using shampoo with sulphates or conditioner / styling products with silicone. Said to only use Bodyshop Rainforest products.

Agree buying Curly Girl handbook, great book!

I've written about this hairdresser before. He's si good. He worked in New York for ten years with the author of the Curly Girl handbook. Took ages to analyse my hair, cut it dry so he could see how the curls/ waves fell and showed me how to dry it afterwards. He has clients from not only the UK but also Europe!!

I only have a kink really not much of a curl but I do have proper curls at nape of neck and side bits by my ears.

Would the curly girl method encourage curls?

Who is the hairdresser?

I have gone against Cg and found I don't need conditioner. I use a low poo shampoo with gel etc

Marking place!

This is the website for the hairdresser I mentioned.

www.matthewjameshair.com/Site/UKs_Curly_Hair_Specialist.html

The Curly Girl Handbook also talks about the different types of curly hair, from slightly wavy to full on rights curls and tells you how to care for/ manage them. It's v interesting. It's also got lots of stories from women who for years felt bad about their hair until they learnt how to embrace th curls! Including the author...

This is a good article about why silicone is bad for curly hair. Feel I've become a bit evangelical about this lately but it's made a big difference to my hair,it was dry, brittle and I spent a fortune on expensive hair products that actually were just adding to the problem and now I know why...

m.wikihow.com/Follow-the-Curly-Girl-Method-for-Curly-Hair

I have also been to Matthew James. He is good!

Then I found somebody excellent in my hometown, by asking a woman in a cafe with great curly hair where she got hers done.

Geek, in my experience, yes, it will encourage the curl. You don't use a hairbrush which helps. You might be surprised by how curly you actually are.

Thanks flirtingfail I find my current conditioner is weighing my hair down so no curl.

I'm definitely going to try it!

If I use the rainforest range can I still shampoo and condition?

Ooh intrigued by 'plopping' , I will have a go later . My hair is a natural loose curl but I struggle with frizz so this may be the answer . I will report back ...

Organix Moroccan Curl defining cream... I've been using this for the last week or so, and it's the best I've used. I know lots of people like the Boots pink curl cream, but I found it made mine a bit crunchy.

I wash mine with conditioner (lots), and rake it through while still in the shower, so the tangles are all gone while it's still absolutely dripping wet. That way you're not detangling as well as putting product on, and you don't lose the curls.

As soon as I'm dressed, I smooth the cream all over, slightly separating curls... then chuck head forward, rake through v gently, and leave.

I don't do 'plopping' or anything, and I really like my curls at the moment. I think they're coming back into fashion, as well!

SteamingNit does it resemble Macadamia/Moroccan oil?

Since when were curls not in fashion? I love my curls. I did the no poo method for a while but fell off the bandwagon. I think this has inspired me to start up again!

Does this method work on (seriously) coloured hair? My poor hair desperately wants to be grey & curly but I've been forcing it to be bright red & straight for years! The red is non-negotiable!

Mine is coloured and since discovering the CG method is naturally curly. Works well.

I have wavy hair, so I do a sort of curly girl routine. I am SLS and silicone free, but plopping just seemed to make my hair messy rather than curly.

My hair is really dry, so I use coconut oil on it plus a tiny bit of curl cream to control it. I spend so much less time on it and it looks better and feels healthier. I have been doing it about a year and I can see that the new hair growth is healthier. I only straighten my fringe now.

Curly girl method - no shampoo, silicone free conditioner (leave most in), hair oil or cream followed by gel (to seal in the moisture).

Watching with interest, the under layer of my hair has ringlets but the top layer barely waves. I spend a lot of time either with crap hair or straightening it. Would love to embrace the wave.

Slugs- I like the Tresemme Naturals shampoo, but just do one lather of it. I find I can't shampoo more than twice a week so if I have to wash more I use conditioner.

Something that made a huge difference when washing my hair is a Denman shampoo brush. It really helps loosen all the dirt so you get a great clean with less product. It has made a huge change to my previously itchy scalp.

I am going to go against the grain here, but I found that the curly girl method made my hair look horrible. It was quite frizzy and sort of "fluffy" looking with no shine.

I have very dry hair and find that silicones actually help me lock in the moisture, and keeps my hair shiny and tangle-free.

I use Frizz-ease shampoo and conditioner, then Moroccanoil, serum, and Frizz-ease mousse.

I then spray on Aussie Jojoba leave-in conditioner on dry hair to refresh in between shampoos, and I do an overnight oil mask the night before shampooing.