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?!

@Juicyfrooty do you mean products which have silicones in? I've aveda damage repair which my hair loved but it's not CG approved. I'm wondering whether to use it

Yeah just been using conditioners and leave in products that I have always liked, realistically I am never going to stick to just co washing, my hair just didnt feel nice. So I dont see the harm in using silicones since they are going to get washed out when I use a shampoo every second wash.

I decided to go back to silicone and shampoo after watching this video.

A couple of years ago, I started using shampoo bars instead of plastic bottles of shampoo - took a good couple of months for my hair to adjust. I gave up on silicone/sulphate free and used Lush bars for a little while, but now I can use ones that would be CG approved.

I've been fine with co-washing, but i wonder if I do need something more every now and again to wash out products thoroughly. It took me 40mins to wash and dry my hair this morning. That's OK, but when I'm at work, I do all that in the evening, so I can be up and out quickly. Refreshing isn't doing much for me unless I use more gel, and even then, it's not looking work-ready.

I'm wondering about a hairbrush - I've seen Denman D3s recommended. Apparently, brushing wet hair helps curls. Anyone able to confirm? Can it be any brush of that style? I miss combing and brushing more than shampoo!

Good wash day!
For my styling I used
Bounce curl clump and define cream on soaking wet hair
Boucleme gel glazed over hair then v gently scrunched in
Plopped for maybe 45 mins
Added mousse
Diffused

I feel I'm getting somewhere - I don't reach for a scrunchie every time
I walk past a mirror any more.

Conditioner: I've been using a Faith in Nature one, but found some in Superdrug. Half price at £1.23. Hate all the plastic though. Have been using sold shampoo bars - anyone know of a solid conditioner that's GG approved?

Gel: I've been using Cantu custard. In my Amazon Subscribe & Save delivery this week, I've added Eco Style gel. Any observations on which is best for wavy hair? Either better than the other for refreshing?

How is everyone doing?
I'm getting fed up again (I know it doesn't take much).
The front is still looking awful, I've tried finger coiling but it just sticks out at right angles and then gives me no curl there at all!
Diffusing isn't going well. Hammock diffusing has helped a bit but I'm very aware I'm back at work on Monday and I am still unable to refresh my hair or dry it in a reasonable time. The wet hair look is hideous on me and I don't want to go out like that.

Do you think I need to improve my technique? I've tried to stick to the same products until last week when I bought xhc bananas conditioner as I did think I might need more protein. I've only used that once though.

My hair feels awful all the time! It'll be 6 weeks next week since I started but if I don't find a way to put it up and hide it or wash and dry quickly then I'll be back to my cloud nines as at least it was quick and presentable!

I just think surely a method shouldn't make me feel awful for so long! (I do realise I sound like a cracked record). I hate looking at myself and am avoiding mirrors as it's so awful and I just look shit! I need a miracle to happen in the next 2 days!!!!

Oh dear, @justtakeatowel, I feel your pain. I've just washed mine - managing every 3-4 days now, but still not going out. Still using same products and diffusing with the on/off technique. The back isn't as good as the front - maybe I'm not as careful with that.

I think I'm getting somewhere, but still not sure if this is a look/regime I want to keep. Three weeks in - would hope for better after six, but my hair does feel clean and soft. I wonder if it's because I've been using silicone/suphpate free shampoo bars for a couple of years, and so I've been through that transition period?

Lol as of previous poster I also use a sleeping bonnet there very sexy

@Cynderella I think yours looks good.

I'm really struggling to refresh, I'm having sleepless nights about going back to work and managing my hair, bloody ridiculous! I'm going to see what I can do today to refresh it hopefully in an acceptable way!

I've got a spray bottle with a blob of gel and water in it. In the morning, I shake it and spray my hair until damp as soon as I get up. Then, when dressed, I scrunch in some mousse and then scrunch again when dry.

This would be an OK before work routine for me, but I still feel my hair is for lockdown only.

I tried today and this is what I got. I've not had ringlets since wash 2 which was back in April. I've never had a successful refresh. I'm coming to the conclusion that for some the curly girl method is great, you can see from pictures the improvement and the curls but for others it just doesn't work. I've seen people try for over a year and still not having success so I'm beginning to wonder why I'm bothering if it's causing me so much upset and making me feel shit.

I'm wondering whether to try the usual products that have the so called nasties in as maybe they would actually make my hair manageable so try curls just not this method. If I had had a glimmer today of a refresh that worked I might feel better. No idea what to do on Monday morning

I started in November. Every time I wash it's an exciting thing to see if it's ok or rubbish. No two days are the same. I have silk pillow, pineapple at night, use Ecoslay gel, curl activator and diffuse or use a sieve to dry. The other day I used Pantene shampoo, beat curls ever !!!

@justtakeatowel You're right - that's not curly or wavy. Sorry to be blunt! Mine looks a bit like that when I wake up, but I can get some waves in if I spray with water, scrunch and dry.

Have you seen this thread? It's info-heavy but they seem very knowledgable. I just want mine to be the same all over. Some bits looks OK, but some just looks as if I've not combed it. www.mumsnet.com/Talk/style_and_beauty/3914940--Fantastic-Haircare-Making-Sense-and-Science-of-the-Curly-Girl-Method?reverse=1#prettyPhoto

I know it's ridiculous when I was getting ringlets on wash 2!!!

I'll take a look at that thread. My hair was curly but the curly girl method seems to have made it go flat and straggly.

Maybe I've got my protein and moisture balance weirdly wrong. I'm just despairing now!!

According to this site, www.naturallycurly.com/quiz, my hair is:

Similar to mine

@Cynderella so this is the back of my hair today. I’ve not washed now since Friday and decided I couldn’t be bothered today as I knew I would only be seeing my family! I wet it down and put cantu curl activator in. The front is a right mess, the back is ok I suppose. Maybe I just hate my face 🤣

This morning, on third day after washing, I caught sight of mine in a mirror - I looked like Worzel Gummidge. Had to wash it again. Mine is looking worse over the last couple of days even though I'm not doing anything different.

@Justtakeatowel - the back of your hair looks great!

@Cynderella yes I'm pleased with that as a refresh actually. I think if I can sort out the front of my hair then I might be getting somewhere. I think the weather can play a part in what's happening too.

It seems a very complicated science right now!

That you tube video's girls hair is awful , it looks sticky and crunchy!!
I have curly hair , I wash it in head and shoulders supreme and condition , finger de tangle and add curl cream when wet and leave in a turban for about ten mins then diffuse .. it's that easy ..
Are you all diffusing your hair ? You won't get anywhere near the same definition air drying !!

@oohnicevase I do think I need to embrace curls but maybe not in a curly girl way! I've a friend bringing me some boots curl Creme which I've heard good things about so I'm going to try that but it's not CG approved.

I'm not fussed about definition, the trouble I'm having with diffusing is it's giving me a frizzy bird's nest on my head! I can't find a good way of doing it yet

I personally find it very sticky , same with cantu .. have you watched tutorials about diffusing? I dry my hair upside down and then when I flick it back it's massive so I dry it back flat again just holding the diffuser against my head .
My hair look completely different depending on curl cream and method of drying .. it's very long and flat and wavy if I leave it to dry but diffused it has ringlets .. this is part you due to it being very thick and wet so as it dries the weight pulls the curl down. Straight haired people often question me about it because they don't understand how it can looks so different but sometimes I want to be mega curly and sometimes I want beach waves so I do ... I am 46 and have always worn my hair curly so I am somewhat an expert...

My go to is umberto gianni curl creme but I'm using boucleme at the moment which I really like but it's expensive .

@BemidjiMinnesota right you need to give me a good talking to as I’m struggling again. I can’t seem to find anything that really works and doesn’t make me feel awful.

Do you think I should try some different products?