What product to scrunch into wet curly hair please?

[Purplerainbow]

My hair is naturally wavy/curly (read that as uneven curly and frizzy!) I Straighten it most of the time as I STILL can't find a product that I can scrunch into it wet and it define curls and reduce the frizz. I know lots say the boots pink curl but that isn't available anymore for some reason.

Please can anyone recommend a product? I don't want to do the whole 'curly girl' thing, just need a product that actually works!

Tia

justkeeponsmiling me too. My hair hates oil of any kind, and it's not keen on protein either.

TheBusThatCouldntSlowDown google "curly girl pineapple method" to get a second day out of your curls.

I love Boots Curl Creme and UG Flirty Curls (or whatever it is now). I do full on CG method, which makes such a difference.

Never heard of this curl girl thing. Off to google!!

If anyone is trying the whole curly girl routine, there's now a couple of Deva curl salons. I think that one is in Marlow, Bucks and the other is central London - Lindsey Hughes - who calls herself the curl whisperer. I'm just starting the routine so haven't been to either salon yet, so can't recommend either.

I have just bought some Boucleme products (recommended by Lindsey Hughes). Only tried the curl gel and curl creme this morning, but so far so good. Lots of definition and shine, but my hair feels really soft.

Lusters control gel and shining jam. Really cheap, and conditioners and oils, well everything. It's for Afro carribean hair, its amazing, for Caucasian hair just use the gel and pomade on wet/ damp hair. I use the shinin jam in small amount when straightening. I don't know how to do links. Use the gels on wet hair and pomade on damp hair, in small amounts and it doesn't crunch or flake, adds shine, but not greasy if you don't overdo it. But the conditioners just brush through and should do alone for 2/3 days. It's so good.

Lurking for ideas

My hair was frizzy, until I started using conditioner instead of gel to scrunch it.

I'd be wary of anyone recommending a CG routine that only uses specific brands (especially expensive ones).

Getting used to CG can be a bit of a learning curve, while you figure out what products your hair likes. Start cheap and work up, then you aren't wasting a ton of money on things that don't work. A lot of people give up quite quickly, because the £20 bottle of magic doesn't give the promised results.

The main things you need are:
*clarifying shampoo, any brand will do, baby shampoo is cheap and works. This is to wash out product build up before you start.
*sls free shampoo, start cheap and work up if necessary
*silicone and other -cone free conditioner
*wide tooth comb
*curl cream/gel/custard
*old, soft t-shirt - don't bother with expensive microfibre towels
*water spray bottle
*soft scrunchie

Wash hair in clarifying shampoo to get rid of all the old product build-up. You only need to do this at the beginning of your CG experiment.

After that: was hair in SLS free shampoo, rinse, apply conditioner (not too much, it weighs curls down), comb through with wide tooth comb, rinse.

While hair is soaking wet, take a small blob of product and work it between your hands until it begins to emulsify. Squish it into your hair. Keep squishing until you feel your hair is coated in product. If necessary add more and repeat. Don't rub, comb, or run your hands through. The idea is to get your curls to start "clumping".

Your hair should still be dripping wet, so squeeze excess water out. Spread the t-shirt on a flat surface, bend from the waist and "plop" your hair onto it. Gather the t-shirt into a turban round your hair without twisting the hair into it IYSWIM.

Leave it say half an hour, then air dry. When it's dry, scrunch the curls in your hands to get rid of the crispy feel if you need to. Use a finishing product if you like.

To get extra days curls, before bed put your hair in a pineapple and fasten with a soft scrunchie. Take it down in the morning and spritz with water with a tiny bit of conditioner shaken up in it.

Never ever go near your hair with a brush or comb, except in the shower to distribute conditioner. Google "UK curly girl high street brands" to find cheap products. I'm a bit of a CG evangelist (as you can tell ). I spent years fighting the frizzies with all the wrong products.

I'm clearly very old, surely you either have curls you wish to manage or get a perm or curlers to create curls. Why is there a program over months with

Really expensively products?.

I have wavy/big loose curls if my hair dries naturally.

I love the curls but I've tried CG and I can't get on with it. My scalp hates being air-dried (goes all odd smelling) and if I use product for the plop stage it just makes my fine hair go really greasy/overwhelmed with cakey crap. Product and I don't really get on. I've tried using less, using different products, using cheaper or too end. All the same result. It just looks crap and my hair doesn't look clean. I've got the sort of hair that looks best when freshly washed. I can't 'do' day old+ hair, even though people always say it looks best and responds best to styling (not in me it doesn't - stringy, greasy and itchy).

Several - I don't use expensive products but curly girl changes your hair
I've always been curly but I've gone from this to this

Oh and tshirt plopping takes forever to dry. I don't have time for that. My hair is fine (top of tits length) and takes ages in a plop. How on earth do people with thicker hair manage to dry their hair and leave the house?

*olivander, the change in your hair is amazing! It looks beautiful

I diffuse dry. Probably only plop with a satin cap for about 15 mins, just until it stops dripping!

I really think people are missing out by not using Lusters pink, curl creams or shampoos and conditioners most products are suited to all hair types. More for me, cheap, widely available and fantastic, not time consuming multi step systems. I love their products cannot reccomend highly enough.

I've just posted that I don't use expensive products. Generally I use cantu, available in boots. No multi step system here. And I don't use shampoo

Thanks for the drying info, olivander.

Also if you're following CG method then lusters isn't safe as it has mineral oil, beeswax and lanolin in

If your not following cg method, is reccomend lusters perfectly safe products depending on your ethical needs for product ingredients. TBH ollivander I was offering a general this is great try it in response to a thread, I'm not specifically telling anyone what to use. So can't see why hair care has become a divisive issue, or why I'm defending a multinational brands products as safe. I'm quite new to mumsnet and it just seems a place to argue, posture, pedant or outdo at any opportunity, even bloody hair product reccomendations. Ive got a telly to entertain me thanks all the same.

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I bought boots curl creme, a scrunchie (pink velvet, very attractive...) And spray bottle today so I can start properly curly girling. I already use silicone free shampoo and conditioner. Exciting! I hope this thread keeps running, there are some great recommendations on here.

I don't curl my hair but I can maximize the curl I get out of it a lot -

curl creme when soaking wet + gel
run fingers through hair, no combing
twirl bits in my fingers to add a bit of curl

Then do not touch it until it is dry! Mine is fine so dries v fast naturally, if I diffuse it then I alsways stop before it is bone dry.

Not touching it stops me breaking up the curls. I've also found that I need stronger hold products like gel to keep the curl in - I used to think because I had fine hair I needed lighter hold and this was totally wrong.

I then just scrunch up any curls that have dried in a cast with the gel to break it up and I have masses of curl.

Before I did this, all I used to have was a slight wave. I don't even use a wide tooth comb on my hair anymore, only ever fingers.

Quite envious of people who can let their hair air dry. I feel housebound whenever I try it as it takes so long.

Mine takes forever to air dry too as it's long. If you can't comb... how do you part your hair? I can never get it rid without a comb?

Wow, sorry my post was completely wrong I was only saying what worked for me. I don't see wash, dry, product as any more "multi-step" than anything else, and I don't use expensive products either. £3 shampoo, £1 conditioner, £2 curl creme.

We get you are advertising for like Lusters Severalusernameslater after four posts about it, but it's not CG friendly so I'll skip it thanks.

Grr, wash, condition, product not dry.