Anyone else starting curly girl method during lockdown?

[MoonBabysMagicalKalimba]

I started a few days ago, I figured if my hair looks crap at least no one has to see it. Got all my products, all silicone and sulphate free, and a silk bonnet to sleep in. Curls are looking ok but quite rats tail like. There’s still a little bit of frizz too.

I’m an every day hair washer, currently trying to get my hair to adapt to every other day but the on the second day it definitely looks greasy and limp. Very glad I don’t have to go anywhere or look presentable!

Is anyone else giving this a go, or done it in the past? How long does it take for the lovely curls to appear and stop looking like I’ve been dragged backwards through a hedge?!

Sorry to abandon you @justtakeatowel, I have been off Mumsnet for a while.

How did you get on with the Boots pink curl cream? I find it sticky, but as with so many other Curly Girl products, one woman's trash is another woman's treasure!

The front of your hair is acting like it's really dry, does it feel dry? Exactly which shampoo and conditioner are you using now? You don't have to do 100% curly girl, you can just take the things that work for you. As long as you do a clarifying wash regularly you won't get a silicone build up.

The best deep conditioner I've ever used is
this Shea Moisture Castor Oil Mask and do curl training like in

When you condition your hair (every time, not just deep conditioning) really squish the watery conditioner mix into your hair, concentrating on the front. Squish for a full 60 seconds or more to force the product inside your hair. Rinse the conditioner out, but not so much that your hair is squeaking.

Since the front of your hair isn't curling, when you're adding your styling products, then try to curl your hair manually by twisting small sections around your fingers, then squishing each twist up with your hand from the end towards the scalp, to encourage it to start living to its full potential. Or you can use a . I love mine, it makes my hair a lot more uniform instead of every section going it's own way.

To refresh the front of your hair, mix a little conditioner with water in your hands and squish into your hair, then carefully twist the damp hair into curls manually to force them into submission.

I hope this works, I wrote 'squish' so many times in this post the word lost all meaning.

@BemidjiMinnesota thank you!

I had been researching the denman brush and wondered if it would help me.

I'm still using AB raspberry, cantu activator and then Tesco gel as the best days I've had have been with that combo. Today I used the papaya conditioner as a deep conditioning treatment too.

I don't think I'm squishing enough really so that might help.

I'm just getting fed up of looking at Facebook curly girl groups and seeing great hair whilst mine is still bad!

I'll try a good condition and see if that helps.

Thanks again

Well .... last Sunday, I decided to use my solid shampoo bar before co-washing, mostly because I'm not sure just conditioner is getting all the gel out when I wash it. Anyway, although I wasn't that pleased with the results, next day I refreshed with water and a little of the new gel (Eco something) that was delivered. I had almost a whole week of liking my hair.

Have co-washed and used the Eco Style gel (just looked it up) and it's not looking too good. Am hoping that it'll be OK tomorrow. The gel is a lot stickier than the Cantu custard. I also noticed that when I washed it this morning, I had to use three lots of conditioner before it felt right. Normally, I squish through one lot, rinse and then apply some more and comb through with a wide toothed comb. Needed extra application to get comb through.

I have a Denman brush and have been using it to brush through styling product - have since read that they are more suited to curly hair rather than wavy.

@Cynderella glad you’ve found something that is working.

It’s been interesting doing this as it’s shown me that I have no patience and how much I hate how I look! I remember someone once saying I was vain straightening my hair everyday, no not vain just desperate to get enough confidence to leave the house. If you are pretty then mad hair doesn’t matter, the person who told me this was stunning. I think curly hair is currently ageing me a lot, I also think my glasses don’t go with my curly hair. With everything going on I know hair should be the least of my worries but it consumes most of my day worrying about leaving the house looking hideous!

I’m definitely going to get a denman brush, think it’ll be interesting to see if that helps at all

I hear you, @justtakeatowel and I think I'll be back to straightening when I get to normal life. I'm loathe to give up in case things get better, but I am missing the security of knowing that if I wash my hair and take time to blow dry it, it'll look OK.

You don't look hideous at all and you are obviously a clever and fun person. Hair is just hair: it grows, it curls, it looks like a bottle brush sometimes, please don't tie your self worth up with what it looks like. Even if your hair looked like a Planet of the Apes character you'd still deserve to leave the house and live your life. Embrace the chaos of curly hair!

This curly hairdresser in Bristol has some amazing curl transformations on her page. That video is a 'how to wash your hair' guide, but she posts a lot of different hair styles and how much they've changed too.

Good luck with the denman brush! I advise to split your hair into 3 sections to Denman it: brush each side down and brush the top forward. If you brush it upside down your hair will look like Jon Bon Jovi, if you brush it down to each side your hair will be flatter than a pancake, the 3 way split is the best way.

@BemidjiMinnesota thank you for your kind words, it just shows how when you aren't confident with your looks it doesn't take much to knock you. I remember at uni a man telling new that I wasn't the prettiest but I had the best figure out of all my friends! Nice eh.

Anyway I have decided to leave my hair as I was washing nearly every day to try and make it presentable. I washed it on Sunday, managed to wear it down on Monday, put it up on Tuesday. I'd planned to wash today and try the boots curl cream now I've got it but as the weather is so awful and I'm not going anywhere I'm leaving it until tomorrow! Hopefully a break will help.

I feel as you do, @justtakeatowel - I've never mastered grooming, so having what my granddaughter calls 'crazy hair' isn't something that I can carry off.

I've noticed that most mornings, I look like a scarecrow, but after spraying it and leaving it to dry, it's not too bad. It's a bit like Hermione Grainger on a bad hair day rather than waves and curls though.

I think I'm going to persevere because I've got used to it and I'm only washing it about once a week. Next wash, I'm going to brush gel through, scrunch and dry. I'm not convinced that 'plopping' is that helpful.

@Cynderella yes I think I always feel a bit scruffy at the moment!

Today I used xhc banana and the boots curl Crème and got ok results. It's a bit wild but there are curls! I'm going to persevere whilst I'm seeing fewer people but not sure if it'll last all the time!

I feel it really ages me too which doesn't help matters!

I'd be happy with that @justtakeatowel - I don't even know what the back of my hair looks like. The front and sides are stressful enough.

I'm hoping that i can grow out some of the frizziness once my hair has adjusted to the lack of heat and brushing, so that it'll just need a quick wash and some gel scrunched through.

I miss brushing my hair.

@Cynderella the front still needs work. I have to get my daughter to take a picture of the back to give me hope! Like you I miss giving it a brush too!

I need to start the training that @BemidjiMinnesota shared.

I haven't bought my denman brush yet but will press yes in a bit as I want to see if that helps too.

I definitely think my hair likes protein.

@justtakeatowel I really can't see what's so special about the Denman brush, and so not convinced it makes a difference.

Can anyone give me a quick idiot guide to protein? Do I need it? If I do, what's a cheap readily available product, and how should I use it, please?

@Cynderella my hair was a huge frizzy mess, It doesn't fully come across in the photo. I look odd when I pin the front up which doesn't help.

I'm a bit sceptical about the brush but it was £7, cheaper than a gin and I'm not spending money on that now so I'm going to risk it!

From what I gather from Facebook groups your hair needs the correct balance. There are tests but I've not managed to understand what my hair needs so I'm going got trial and error. The xhc conditioner is only £1 so it's a good cheap way and @BemidjiMinnesota has put a link to a protein mask further up which I need to try too. I think because I dye my hair it needs the protein. Hopefully someone who knows more can answer!

Hair wash day today and I did it a bit differently. Co-washed and combed through as before, but then I dried it a bit with a T shirt and applied Cantu custard. Brushed through with Denman brush. Then scrunched through Ecostyle gel and dried with diffuser.

I think I have some curls!

@Cynderella wow that looks fab! I used the denman brush today and I am so much happier with the look. I think it's because I don't want a lot of volume. It's helped the front too as I've not yet mastered finger coiling!!

I just need the front to grow down a bit!

I also think I need root clips as although I don't want loads of volume I need a bit more height on top. I haven't used the diffuser today just air dried.

@justtakeatowel I think we're both making progress! I feel that mine will be better tomorrow after dampening and a bit of gel. It's fluffed up a bit today.

I've not bothered with deep conditioning or hot oil treatments for years, but am tempted to try one. Meanwhile, it's a bonus only washing my hair once a week.

My back isn't too bad today but the front looks like a greasy mess, it's weird it's lank but also frizzy, not sure what that's about. I just want consistency!!!!!!

@Justtakeatowel - that's the look I'm waiting for! Slapped some colour on my roots earlier, co-washed and dried with a little mousse and gel. I'm trying to use less in the way of products because I don't think caking my sopping wet hair in gel, drying and scrunching it out is any better than just a little scrunched through when it's half dry.

Mine is desperate for a cut! This is wash day so pic is from last wash day if that makes sense. CG for a fairly long time now (4 years ish)

@QueenCT looks good!

@Cynderella mine is awful today yet again. My front is so short and thin, considering it's not been cut since January you'd have thought it would grow but I think I'm destined to have really short bits of hair there! Some must be new hair but it's frustrating as I put it up at the beach and it looked a right sight.

I can't get away with headbands as I don't have enough hair so it looks really weird and thin. Back to wanting to give up today

How is everyone getting on?

I'm still really struggling to be honest. I've had a cut and getting rid of the dead ends has helped but it has a look of my gran's shampoo and set about it.

Going to the beach is an absolute nightmare as my hair just goes into a frizzy ball so I did straighten it the other week and oh my goodness the relief and ease was fantastic! I need to make a decision I think as if I'm going to straighten again my hair needs to be shorter, if I'm going curly if needs to be longer.

My fringe just doesn't grow so sticks up bizarrely all the time.

I'm wondering if I need to try new products. I'm still using cantu custard and activator but I used VO5 gel on my last wash. Not successful as I had such a cast I couldn't scrunch it out and the 2nd day when most of it was scrunched I then looked like I had straw on my head.

Hope people are having a more successful time than me!