Curly girl method for 18 months and I've still not cracked it!!!

[Dairymilkfordinner]

I can see that it works, my hair has phases of being much curlier. But it also - like now - can go very limp, straight almost stringy.

For a while, an As I Am co wash with a light Giovanni leave in and Umberto Giannini curl jelly worked pretty well and I had some nice bouncy curls. But it never lasts. And my curls really don't hold well.

Thought the limpness could be build up but clarifying shampoo also makes it limp. I've wondered if it's dry (although stupid as it sounds, I really can't tell if my hair is dry or not) but anything too moisturising and deep conditioner makes it limp too.

Tried different styling products.

Tried rice water rinse and ACV rinse - looked no different.

Tried airdrying vs hairdryer.

The only definites with my hair are a) I can never get a crunchy cast b) it LOVES steam, it always goes curly in a steamy shower but the curls soon drop and b) rainwater makes it go curly too.

Feel so disheartened as I know there's a transition period where your hair looks crap for a bit but most people have made huge progress by the time they've done it as long as I have.

What the bloody hell does my hair want???!!

How curly is your hair?
I’m not sure on what you’re saying. Is it predominantly a hold problem that you have at the minute?
What’s your current routine? Have you tried plopping it?
I use a lot of the Shea moisture products and love them but I have very thick and very curly hair and they might be too heavy for you. I also rely on kinky curly curling custard to keep the frizz away. Have you tried that?

Which diffuser do you use ? I have a massive one from amazon that makes a difference to my hair .. I then flip it up and dry woth the normal diffuser against my head to flatten it back down .

I have very curly hair but I find that some of the things recommended for curly hair actually make it took shit.

Firstly, how long is your hair? What kind of shape is it? Longer curly hair really looks better with layers. If it's too long, the weight holds it down.

I wash my hair every three days. I don't agree with what people recommend about co-washing especially if you're using lots of products. I also don't use loads of conditioner or leave in conditioners etc because it makes my hair greasy and yucky.

I need to diffuse my hair for it to curl nicely. Especially on the just washed days and always at the roots.

I never bothered using sulphate free shampoo but now I have I can notice the difference. I have also always used boots essentials curl cream for my hair for almost 20 years now. It's the absolute best product for styling curly hair. I love it because you can use it on dry hair to smooth and scrunch it if it goes a bit fluffy.

Is your hair really that curly or is it more kind of wavy?

I think we are hair twins. I have had the very odd good hair day but currently same in terms starting the day not too bad then I'll catch myself in the mirror half way through the day and am horrified at the straw like frizzy not very curly mess.
A protein mask - shea black castor one - seems to work for maybe a day or so. Gel dries my hair but I can't seem to find anything else to replace it.
If my hair hadn't thinned so much through being menopausal I'd go back to the straighteners but there's just not enough of it now!

I agree with fatted about the Boots curl Creme, smells lovely and does a better job than a lot of things. But I’m struggling with mine too right now - it just looks fluffy, fuzzy. Like coppery candy floss

Aaaaaaarggggggghhhhhhh. I fantasise about waking up with long smooth silky locks!

Join the club!
My hair hates UG curl jelly. It likes cantu custard but that flakes on me
I do find a protein treatment (matrix kick up protein) works and no leave in
I'm on ecoslay orange marmalade gel at the minute which gives a rock solid cast but is pricey
Have you tried adding lemon to your co wash? My hair seems to really like that

Try a gelatin treatment treatment. That makes my curls hold better. And flaxseed gel was a game changer for me.

I'm going to look out for that Curl creme from Boots, not sure I'm any help OP. My curls are wild and get wilder as the day goes along.
I can't even dry them as my hair gets bigger until I look like I'm going for a bad afro style.
I use Fantasia frizz buster after a shower, I pull it through my hair (tiny bit the size a bit bigger than 5p) Then smooth out using the prayer hands method before scrunching it back up to dry naturally.
I've also been doing the co wash followed by conditioning and last thing a dab of conditioner I leave in. All done daily for the last 20 years.

How hard is your water? I've discovered that the curly girl method only works for me in soft water areas. If the water's hard my hair rebels! 🤭

Should add that I like jessicurl stuff, and I have bounce curl gel on the way product junkie
The most hold I have found is definitely the ecoslay though

This is the curl creme. It's only £1.99 and usually on multi buy offers.

@Howdidthathappen1
This is like a gel but doesn't dry my hair out like mousse or gel does. It's also not sticky if you use it on dry hair. I use it on my hair wet, then diffuse it. If I have fluffy patches (usually at the back) I then rub some of this on my hands and smooth it over the fluffy bits to tame them.

Placemarking to try out some of these

I second Shea moisture and cantu range. Also never ever use drying tools on my hair. Wash and plait till it dries naturally. Sleep on silk pillow or use a silk bonnet.

To answer some Qs- my hair when it behaves is quite curly, especially at the front where I get quite a lot of ringlets, back is more wavy. I have a fairly thick head of hair but the strands are quite fine.

Water is quite hard but I've lived in the same area for years.

My main issues are when my hair curls well it doesn't hold throughout the day or it just doesn't go very curly to start with. Also I have to wash/cowash every other day or the roots go greasy and the rest of it starts to look dull and dry.

I've used the boots curl creme. Its pretty good but I can't get a cast with it and it doesn't hold that well.

My routine is cowash, v light leave-in squished in, then usually a gel product. I only use one styling product, and never a mousse as it makes my hair dull. I then plop for a bit and either air dry or diffuse but not till it's completely dry as that just blasts the curls out.

Oh and my hair is shoulder length, and last cut was about 10 days ago.

I never leave any conditioner in, it makes my hair sticky .

When you wash, leave it as wet as possible. The damper it is when it starts to dry naturally, the curlier it will dry.

Personal experience here, and professional

@gubbsywubbsy there's a name visible on your photos

Thanks.. I realised and have reported .. not that I'm over my worried .. but probably prudent .

Thanks all. Am going to try some of your suggestions - but a wee update: thought I'd try a lo poo shampoo instead of a co wash as that's something I've not really tried properly. Went for the Noughty Wave Hello and used my usual leave in and UG jelly so that I wasn't changing more than one thing at a time - and I got really good results! Much more life, curl and bounce in my hair ( please don't let me be jinxing this).

But I did find that towards the end of the day after washing it, my roots were greasy as usual. Do I just need to accept I am just never going to be one of those people who can get away with one/ v few washes a week??

I tried CG for 6 months. Spent hours diffusing etc........Hair looked various degrees of shite from Jan 19 - June 19, threw the 'plopping' towel in last month - hairs looks much better!