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Original poster

Mixed race curly hair, help

91 replies

Thed0gs · 24/12/2015 20:42

Hi, I've had decades of battling my curly hair (resulting in relaxing for 10 years). I've been natural now for at least five but just cannot find products or a hairdresser that can deal with my hair!! It needs lots of moisture and no product seems to even touch it (although it's much better than it used to be). It also gets so knotty and tangled within hours. I'd like to keep it long too.

Please help!!

OP posts:
maygirl · 27/12/2015 17:34

Yes, Whatabout. She uses shampoo as gets spots if she doesn't .I usually skip the shampoo step . After brushing through the conditioner you are leaving in you have to define the curls by running fingers through to separate the ringlets . Only specific conditioners work for this brush and leave-in step . Once hair is dry it feels crunchy, but put into a couple of plaits for few mins and it softens up into grease free ringlets . Plait overnight and refresh in morning with a bit of water and small blob of the same conditioner, smoothed over, no combing or brushing until next wash.

Original poster
Thed0gs · 27/12/2015 18:45

Ah! It was the Tightly Curly method I had tried before but sadly didn't work for me... But as you said, I might have used the wrong conditioner Hmm

OP posts:
whataboutbob · 27/12/2015 19:06

Thanks for clarifying Maygirl. It's intriguing but obviously works well, it's so good to find a method that works for one's hair!

Katymac · 27/12/2015 19:26

DD finds you can use something for ages then all of a sudden it doesn't work; they have either changed the recipe or her hair changes - it's a nightmare of half finished bottles (and stock you have bought when on special offer & is no longer useful Sad)

maygirl · 27/12/2015 20:07

Yeah, I've found that too, the website used to update on conditioners no longer suitable but don't think it does anymore . It's so annoying waiting all day for your hair to dry before realising its not a good one. I've never found anything as good as the old recipe blue bottle herbal essences that was around when I first tried this method . It just doesn't work anymore . I use any unsuitable ones for the rinse stage or the expensive ones on my DC, who have loose curls needing no special treatment, so I don't mind risking buying promising looking new conditioners . I do spend ages checking ingredients at the shops though! I had tons of hair products before I found this method, now just a few big bottles of conditioner .

Katymac · 27/12/2015 20:11

The old fashioned bottle pink is pretty good but the yellow & red aren't ideal

maygirl · 27/12/2015 20:18

Is that herbal essences Katymac? Yeah I've tried the pink, not sure why I didn't get it again. My favourite is Aussie Moist but the bottle is so tiny! Luckily often have offers on for it.

Katymac · 27/12/2015 20:19

Yes this one

Mixed race curly hair, help
BrandNewAndImproved · 27/12/2015 20:27

The leave in conditioner way with the denman brush only works for my dds hair when I also put loads of gel and jam in or its just a ball of frizz but haven't tried the curly girl method for her.

It's slightly put me off with warnings of it getting worse before it gets better as the hair has to learn how to be without silicone conditioner Hmm

Katymac · 27/12/2015 20:30

Which conditioner are you using?

BrandNewAndImproved · 27/12/2015 20:33

I've either used the aussie one for blonde hair or an avalon one from a Caribbean hair shop. Also the conditioner shows up white in her hair which she doesn't like.

Katymac · 27/12/2015 20:39

Hmm - is her hair similar to my DD's (photos on profile.....far too many!)

BrandNewAndImproved · 27/12/2015 20:46

If you can make that out, her hairs frizzy but her curls aren't tight.

I'm also reluctant to stop combing it as her grandma cainrows it fairly frequently but the amount of hair that comes out of the comb or hairdryer pik is ridiculous. Her dad wants to take her to get it permed but I haven't let him as I'm sure that will make it worse.

Mixed race curly hair, help
Katymac · 27/12/2015 20:54

we used this when DD was that little - but it's quite heavy

BrandNewAndImproved · 27/12/2015 20:56

Thanks Katy.

Katymac · 27/12/2015 20:57

I wouldn't be brushing or combing dry hair - it make it very brittle

When wet it's better but not ideal - I would encourage her to love her curls not try to straighten them (hard tho' that is)

maygirl · 27/12/2015 21:00

I brush and define until any whiteness from conditioner is gone, as I usually have to go out and about with it wet as takes hours to dry fully. If I don't let it dry completely without touching it/sleeping on it it will frizz. Once it's bone dry and crunchy the curls are pretty set, I usually then do two plaits and sleep on it, though if going out for the night five minutes in two plaits is fine to uncrunch it.

BrandNewAndImproved · 27/12/2015 21:08

The amount of conditioner it takes for dds hair to be able to define a curl means no matter how many times I define it the conditioner doesn't come out. It also then shrinks up or am I doing something wrong. It also shrinks right up once it's dry.

When I comb her hair I use soft and free lotion, or a coconut oil based moisturiser gel sort of thing but to get it up I blow dry her hair with a pik otherwise it looks messy especially the edges. Or maybe it's just her hair!

Katymac · 27/12/2015 21:11

Drying her hair may make it frizz

DD doesn't use any heat at all, and very little shampoo

BrandNewAndImproved · 27/12/2015 21:15

I didn't dry her hair when doing the leaving in conditioner method. Atm I wash dry and put her hair up either in two bunches and leave out or 3/4/5/6 bunches and plait with beads at the end which ocean leave for a week before it gets to messy or her grandma does it.

She however wants her hair down and curly but I can't work out how to do that where it looks nice, doesn't shrink or have white bits.

maygirl · 27/12/2015 21:35

Brandnew, I get what you mean. Some conditioners are worse than others for staying white. I add a bit of water to white bits, then have to add back a bit of conditioner to define it. If there's any white once its dry I just add a tiny bit water .If it's really white its the wrong type of conditioner. It shrinks right up when drying .Once totally dry plaiting it, prob in 4 for your DDs length of hair, until it's time to wear it loose will stretch it back out again .

BrandNewAndImproved · 27/12/2015 22:32

Thanks may, I did plait it into 4 when she went to sleep and it would still be wet so had to sleep with a towel on her pillow but in the morning the top of her head would be frizzy and I'd spend ages defining the curls with a mix of water and conditioner again.

Sorry I know I sound really awkward with all your suggestions and the threads not about my dd so I'll shut up now instead of taking over the thread! I'll try the curly girl method instead of the denman brush leaving it in method and see what happens.

Notfootball · 27/12/2015 22:49

Very glad to see this thread. I was wondering why I wasn't getting the same results with working blue herbal essences through DD's washed hair and now I see that it's because the recipe has changed. I'm still trying to find a new conditioner that works for her.

Katymac · 28/12/2015 00:30

The rules DD applies are:
Infrequent washing - no sulphates or silicones or any other '-ones'
Condition twice leaving the second one in
Never a hairdryer or a tong or a straightener (bad experience with a straightener)
Protect from the sun/wind/rain
Ideally sleep on a silky pillowcase
No hairspray or gel or mousse

& it's 'OK' tbh it could be better but it's as good as we have ever had it

Original poster
Thed0gs · 28/12/2015 10:51

So I've just tried the tightly curly method (as I haven't bought any gel yet), it's currently air drying. The front right is going well, curls are defined etc, but the back left has all separated and gone fluffy! I don't know what I've done wrong! Haven't touched it or anything :(

OP posts: