I need a spruce - curly girl, skin, C25K advice please!

[BendydickCuminsnatch]

Right. I need to get a handle on things for my own mental health. I wanna look nice :) luckily for me I have a lot of self esteem but this also means I can think I look brilliant when really I don’t notice I am getting a bit slobby.

1. Curly Girl - I have always coveted curly hair. I’ve done a tiny bit of research and it seems some people do the curly girl method on wavy hair. Pics attached - does it look like I have a chance at getting some lovely bouncy hair? Before I buy any special products I want to know if I have a chance 😄 I currently use head & shoulders shampoo and the cheapest conditioner I can find (cut my own hair too)

2. Skin. I think, touch wood, I am finally out of the horrible teenage skin phase (probably jinxed that now!). My skin is clear-ish and soft but some lines starting to appear. My current ‘routine’ is wash face with St Ives apricot exfoliator every couple of days. I own La Roche Posay Effeclar Duo and another LRP but don’t use them unless breaking out. I also own a Ponds Cold Cream following a MN thread, which i do like but I’m not sure what it does, and i also own but don’t use a The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid. I don’t wear makeup day to day. So I think I need to wear sunscreen at the very least? And then what to clean it off at the end of the day?

3. C25K. Just something I’m going to do really. I know there are threads here to join so I might do that. Just need to keep dedicated. Any tips for doing it around the kids when husband is often home late - I hear some people do it in the living room somehow? I had been working up to 5k this time last year but ended up giving myself terrible foot pain which is just going away now so I need to be careful with that.

Basically I’m turning 30 this year, DS1 is starting school, various other things make me feel I’m sort of moving into a new phase of life and I just want a lift.

Also I’m dabbling in overeaters anonymous but that’s for another thread!

Thanks for any advice! Once I’ve got on top of this i’ll Probably be back for some wardrobe advice 😄

Your hair seems to have a bit of a wave so I think you'd definitely be able to do Curly Girl. You can start off cheaply and then add other steps or products if you get the results you want.

I'd recommend using a cheap sulfate shampoo (or Fairy liquid!) to do a cleansing wash, then use a silicone and sulfate free conditioner. Really squish the conditioner into your wet hair for a few minutes. Rinse out 90% of the conditioner, turn your head upside down, scrunch the water out with your hands and then use a curling cream (I use Cantu Curl Custard but other creams are available).

Squish your hair some more then squish with a microfibre towel or T shirt. Plop hair in a dry T shirt for 15 minutes, then let it air dry, or diffuse on low heat and low power. The main thing is not to scrub or rub hair, don't use a normal towel on it, and never to brush it unless you're in the shower. HiF3licia on YouTube has some great videos about how to wash and treat curly hair.

Re:skin. What is your skin type? It is dry, oily, dehydrated? Neutrogena hydro boost cleanser is a good, mild, all-rounder to add hydration to your skin. Wash your skin with that, apply your hyaluronic acid to damp skin, apply a serum, then top off with a moisturiser / night cream. Superdrug have a range called Simply Pure that is really budget friendly but effective.

An SPF is always useful too! You'd need to wash that off with an oil based cleanser before doing the rest of your routine. Probably it's best to make sure your skin is moisturised and hydrated before introducing any exfoliators or acids.

I can't help with the C25K but I think there's an ongoing C25K thread in the exercise section where you can get tips and support from running veterans.

Good luck!

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply! I really appreciate all that curly girl info, I was just reading up and getting a bit boggled with all the terms 😄 I’ll start off doing what you mentioned, thanks!

Did my first couch to 5k run this morning, woo!

Yes, Curly Girl is really confusing at first, and you have to do lots of trial and error to figure out what works for your hair. Some things might make you look like a poodle or a mad scientist, it's a learning process!

C25K is really fun and well done for getting started with it again! 😃 I find time in the early morning around 5am or late at night and go in the garden for runs- this could be useful for you too.

Daily suncream is good but don't have any advice for a good one, I'm trying to find a new one myself.

Try Vaseline at night time- it's something I do and recommend!

I have just been doing a thread on the Curly Girl method for wavy hair, as I definitely thought my hair was straight until a couple of weeks ago ... I do basically like @PippiDeLena said except I've been using gel instead of a curl cream. What I have picked up from researching it, is don't use too much product or heavy products if you've got waves rather than stronger curls, as it will weigh the hair down. Good luck with yours!

For skin, I can't really bothered with anything complex, so I have a Clarins Anti-Wrinkle sun cream that I use in the morning, I wash make-up and everything off with Savon de Marseille (which I love so much, makes my skin feel amazing and has really helped cut down the break-outs) and then use some Nivea night cream.

C25K is brilliant - some days are harder than others, but you'll be hooked by the end

First curly girl wash has made my hair the same as it already was just a bit less voluminous and a bit more slippery :-/ are you meant to rinse the custard out or not?? I didn’t. I want to persevere but not if I’m going to look greasy for weeks ha

Thank you crumpets! For hair I’ve bought Noughty products (wave hello shampoo and conditioner and a leave on one) and cantu curling custard but think I might swap to a gel once I’ve given the custard a proper go too to see what’s best.

I don’t know about the hair but the c25k is a great idea and I’ve done park run as well.

Skin - have heard that the st Ives scrub is really not good - think it was caroline hirons - as it is apricot kernel it is very rough edges which is too abrasive for most skin types so I would get rid of that. Then definitely sunscreen eg ultrasun 30 and a retinol serum plus a nice rich night cream. I am using a lovely Elemis cleanser right now and I don’t think I need an exfoliater this n my face with using the retinol and vitamin c stuff. I might be wrong though!