Please help me get to grips with the curly girl method

[ScienceRocks]

Hello wise MNers,

I have naturally curly hair, which I recently had cut to above my shoulders. It looked great for a week or so, but now, a few weeks on, looks rubbish because it is so incredibly frizzy, and I wondered if adopting the curly girl method would improve matters.

But I'm finding it a bit difficult to get my head round. Have I go this right:

1. do a final shampoo (with any shampoo) to get rid of product build up

2. use conditioner to wash - a thinner, cheaper one first (as if it was shampoo) and then a thicker one as conditioner. Both must be silicone-free. Suggestions that won't break the bank and can be easily obtained on the uk high street would be appreciated!

3. style using sulphate and silicone free products. I have the boots curl creme, but it makes my hair crispy, so suggestions of other products that I can use with this or on their own would be gratefully received.

I don't own a hair dryer, and instead just leave my hair wrapped in a towel then take it down and leave to air dry. Is that, and everything written above, ok? What do I do in between washes on non-wash days (I generally wash my hair twice a week)? Will I ever need shampoo?

Thanks in advance!

Hello Sciencerocks

I don't do the co-washing. I prefer to use a gentle, no nasties shampoo so I can't advise on that front. I started using only non silicone, non sulphate etc products 18 months ago and it's made a world of difference.

Normal towels and towel drying really make frizz worse. I wrap my hair in a curl ease towel (but you could use any large cotton tea towel) for ten minutes then apply a small amount of leave in conditioner.

I use Boots curl creme too - nice and cheap and better than products I've tried at ten times the price. If you run a small amount (aniseed ball size) between your hands then apply it and comb it through gently (Combs are seen as bad by a lot of curly girls but I do find products crunchy if I don't do this), it will be a bit crispy while it dries but within an hour or so you can scrunch out the crunch and I'm left with soft, non-frizzy curls.

I hope that's helpful. I know I haven't answered your co-washing question but someone will no doubt be along and answer that soon.

I believe Boots botanics hydrating products are CG friendly. I've just discovered a brand called Jason which I like and is half the price of others on the British Curlies emporium but I think you can only buy it online.

I use salt spray to get non crispy curls.

I use a silicon free conditioner for styling and that works really well.

Sign up to naturallycurly.com. They send out regular emails. The last one I got recommended scrunching hair with old t shirt and then scrunch in leave in conditioner and then plop. Before I was plopping with hair soaking wet. My curls look better using the naturally curly suggestion. It is all trial and error 5 months on I am still trying to find out what is right for me.

Ok, thank you for the suggestions. I don't really towel dry as such, more just wrap my hair in a turban type affair, then take it down and leave it to dry on its own (and this is definitely when it looks it's best). I'll look for a non-towel towel to see if that helps. I don't scrunch at all. Didn't realise that was still a thing!

Salt spray, you say? Sounds counter-intuitive, but I'll give it a try. Can I make my own?

I am still struggling a little with the products, as the websites say to avoid certain ingredients but then list products that contain the ingredients as CG-friendly! I've read that the naked range is supposed to be ok, as is the rainforest range by the body shop. Can anyone shed any light?

Also, does anyone do CG on their DCs? My two DDs have curly hair, which is glorious on washing day, but then - like mine - gets quite fluffy. I'm wondering if we should all become curly girls!

You can get Jason products in Holland and Barrett.

Ooh, thanks MumBoots. That's useful info!

Garnier Ultimate Blends do some silicone free conditioners, I think the pink and brown bottles. The pink is called something like 'silky smoother'. Tresemme naturals do one also.

Thank you.

Just check Jason doesn't contain silicones. I thought it did.

Look to make sure you avoid any ingredients that end in -cone, -conal, -xane UNLESS it is prefaced with PEG or PPG.

If they have PEG or PPG (ex. PEG-12 Dimethicone) they're water soluable and you can use them.

Dimethicone is definitely a cone and I thought I spotted that in the Jason Aloe Veda conditioner.

Just check Jason doesn't contain silicones. I thought it did.

Look to make sure you avoid any ingredients that end in -cone, -conal, -xane UNLESS it is prefaced with PEG or PPG.

If they have PEG or PPG (ex. PEG-12 Dimethicone) they're water soluable and you can use them.

Dimethicone is definitely a cone and I thought I spotted that in the Jason Aloe Veda conditioner.

1. use Fructis (if you can get it - Savers is good) or Tesco Coconut or Alberto Balsam to co wash. Tresemme Naturals is also good.

2. get some Boots curl creme and use this with a little serum when soaking wet. I use Argan oil serum which was £1.99 from Home Bargains. Be careful with the Argan products though - most of them seem to have dimethicone in them.

3. use a t shirt or something of a similar fabric to wrap your hair. I use an old baby blanket.

I would get a spray bottle with some water, mix with a dob of the gel and some conditioner and use to wet down on day 2-3.

Snatchoo, thank you. Exactly the kind of product suggestions I was after!