I’ve given up on the curly girl routine - what now?

[Drinkandknowthings]

I’m going to stick with silicone free shampoo but I’m ok with using any products. So my question is what products are good for encouraging a wave in hair?

Boots curl crème any good for you? It makes my short wavy hair really curly.

Completely depends what type of hair you have. When you say you want to encourage a wave do you mean your hair is straight?

My hair had a natural curl - even without any product. It even forms ringlets sometimes.

I just want something I can put in my hair to encourage this. The CGM seemed really high maintenance with multiple products and, with 2 young children, I just didn’t have the time.

parrot just looked at that and it looks good. And my local boots had it.

Try Cantu Curl cream from Superdrug. You apply it to wet hair, scrunch your hair so it forms curl clumps and then let it dry / diffuse it. Easy peasy. If it's too frizzy you can add a gel over the top of the wet hair but you might not need that.

Also deep conditioning really helped my curls. Cantu (I don't work for them, I swear!) do a good Black castor oil deep conditioner or you can use coconut oil. It penetrates better if you put a shower cap on and wrap your head on a turban for an hour before washing it out.

yy Cantu is wonderful.

I had a curly cut this week (stylist trained by Lorraine Massey so religiously follows curly girl) - she told me to totally strip back the products I was using and use the bare minimum. She said people get caught up in the Facebook group and everyone sharing new products. She told me to use a conditioner and a gel...and that's it! My very slight wavy hair came out of the appointment in really tight curls because of the technique she used rather than a million products. I've since rewashed my hair using her techniques and got rid of the creams and custards she told me we're unnecessary and had great results.

See my other thing is my hair is quite greasy so I’m never sure about conditioning.

beansontoast what are you using on your hair now?

I couldn't be bothered doing the whole curly girl palaver after trying it for 2 days. I have however switched hair products to silicone/sulfate free and really love them. I use Maui Coconut or Shea Butter Shampoo and Conditioner and then Cantu Curl Custard in the tub. I wash then lightly towel dry my hair first, slap on some product (about a tablespoon?) then comb it through with a wide tooth comb, flip my head over and scrunch for a bit, flip my head back up and scrunch the front to make it lie the right way and that's it. It takes me about 3 minutes, no casting, no plopping or pinning. Some days it dries really nicely with proper ringlets and some days it does weird frizzy things but it's mostly good. I always have a hair tie with me just in case.
Life is too short!

Drink I wash my hair every other day. On off days I might use a bit of conditioner in the shower just to get the tangles out and then style as normal. Experiment with how often you shampoo every week that is really the only way to find out what's right for you.
I have a sulfate/silicone free detox shampoo that I use every couple of months that clears any of the build up of products which might work well on your hair if it's greasy.

I'm another massive fan of cantu, I have load of their products, my favourite is the curl custard but you have to be careful not to put to much on or you get crunchy hair.

I use the Cantu custard too and if you get crunchy hair you can break the cast by putting a t shirt over your hands and then scrunching your hair to break up the crispiness. It took me an embarrassing amount of time to figure this out, but it really makes your hair soft and doesn't make it frizz up.

I've given up full stop and gone back to straightening... 😱 At least for winter anyway, too cold to air dry for 4 hours!
But even when curly I used baby shampoo as low poo, and then a silicone free conditioner that I squished/rinsed out then pulled another 5p sized blob of the same through to leave in. No gel or anything, that simple little combo worked well for me. (3 b/c, bra strap length when wet).

My hair despises the CGM and revolts when I try it.

I’ve been using Cantu cream shampoo, Shea Moisture black castor deep conditioner, and when my hair is still soaking smoothing in some Garnier Hair Food. Results in lovely swishy, hydrated curls and more importantly: NO FRIZZ.

I sleep on a satin pillowcase and either brush my hair through with the GHD Glide on the 2nd day, or use Lee Stafford’s Coco Loco Coconut spritz. It’s just moisturising enough to take frizz out, but doesn’t leave my hair greasy and gross.

Look almost presentable some days!

Cantu, cantu, cantu!!!

My version of cgm is wash, condition liberally, scrunch in styling product, diffuse until no longer annoyingly wet then air dry. I wash at teatime so there is no hurry.

Not the least bit complicated.

Another shout for cantu, too.

CGM honestly doesn’t need to be complicated. I have a bottle of conditioner and a tub of gel. That’s it.

I’m a hairbrush addict, how do you guys cope without brushing?

I brush before I get in the shower to wash my hair Twickerhun It makes my hair puff up like a lion!

It’s the slow air drying that puts me off. It would be great to wash in the evening instead of morning, but what do you do to style it when you wake up? I can get that bit right!

Aveda Be Curly Curl Enhancer - light, can use it on wet hair and then leave to dry, or use a tiny bit through dry hair to reinvigorate the next day. Using with the matching shampoo and conditioner is great but bloody expensive!

I wash my hair with a protein shampoo (my hair is really weak from bleach which is growing out), I condition liberally, rinse out then tip my head upside down and work a small amount of condition through the ends.

I keep my head upside down, gently towel dry and then work some gel through with my fingers. Then I'll tip my head back to arrange a parting. I leave to dry naturally.

It's the cheapest hair care routine I've ever had and gives me good, non crunchy curls. I use Aldi conditioner because it's cheap and I'm not scared about using loads!

Ive been cgm for over 2 years now and i still don’t get how people say it’s complicated. I used to use cantu curl activator but got so much build up from it my hair didn’t feel like real hair anymore.

I co wash, condition, use gel as my styling product while still in the shower and that’s it. Sometimes I dry It naturally, sometimes I diffuse if I want. No styling, no extra products.

@MagicSeeker if you wash and air dry the night before and put your hair up in a satin bonnet to sleep in it generally looks pretty good the next morning.

You’d just need deep conditioner and water in a spray bottle to bring down any frizz and to help smooth in the morning and finger comb/scrunch depending on your hair type.