Curly hair, flash drying

[Yummyoldbag]

I have dyed, dry, curly hair. I have been trying all sorts of shampoo and conditioner, and also have a fair selection of different stylers. 😳.

It is very dry, reasonably soft, colour fading fast, And currently flash dries as soon as out of shower. I have used a chelating/clarifying shampoo with minimal change, live in very hard water area. I have spent ages reading about curly girl etc etc, wasted hours of lockdown!

Considering buying Kérastase or Redken, something like that and not using anything else for a while. I have no idea if I need to add protein. Fairly sure I use enough conditioners and oils, possibly too much? Thinking of doing an overnight coconut oil as a last resort (yuck!). That or going for a lock down buzz cut.

Any suggestions? I prefer it without very tight curls, swishy has been my life goal but unlikely to make it now at 55. Oh, hair is dyed purple without use of peroxide.

I'm a curly, what is it you want to change? The dry courseness of your hair?

Yes, and the frizziness. It seems that flash drying, when bits of your hair dry fast, as get out the shower and bits are dry immediately, and frizzy, denotes a problem but everything I read seems contradictory. Protein? Oils?

II air dry but even with loads of leave in and styler my hair is frizzy before it dries. Gone to bed with coconut oil in, we shall see. I can not work out what my hair needs so am wondering whether to get good quality stuff and use only that and a styler for a few days.

I wash it every morning as always wake up to a birds nest, sometimes do not shampoo but it feels rough, almost coated, so I shampood this morning with the Bumble and Bumble Sunday shampoo to try and get it clean.

At a loss really.

Following as mine does the same

I have short hair now but until February it was long. I had been doing curly girl for 6 years and it transformed my hair. There is lots of overwhelming info out there but if you want to give it a go, wash it one last time with sulphate free shampoo and after that use only silicone free conditioner (the Garnier Ultimate Blends in the dark brown bottle is a good one and seems always to be on offer).

Alternatively ... since it's lockdown and I'm not seeing anyone, I've been experimenting with not washing my hair at all. I scrub my scalp thoroughly in the shower but only using water. Got the idea from someone I know who has longer hair. She said that after a period of it being greasy and itchy,b it's just gone very soft and frizz free. So you could give that a go too!

Oh also there's a big Facebook group for curly girl. More info there than I could possibly use including iirc something about the exact problem you mention (the flash drying). I'd join that and ask for advice!

It depends on your type of hair. I have 2b/3a hair and it's very thick and very course. No amount of products will ever change that. It's about learning to work with it.

The CG method works for some, I hate it. I use sulphate and cruelty free shampoo and conditioner. I use a clarifying one once a week as well as a mask which I put on, cover my hair with a plastic shower cap, then wrap the towel around and leave for as long as I like. I always use a leave in conditioner. If you have bit that dry fast, spray them down again so they are wet.
You'll need to experiment with the amount of product you use. Bumble and bumble is expensive and doesn't necessarily mean the best. I also pineapple my hair for bed and sleep on a silk pillowcase to protect it

You might help the frizziness by putting product in when your hair is soaking wet and squelchy. Then squeeze the moisture out with a microfiber towel, tea shirt or kitchen roll, do not rub dry. I go to Vicky Queen of Curls and that's what she recommends and does with my hair and it looks a lot smoother that way.

Thanks, I do the leave in when soaking, it does help a bit. I have been flirting with curly girl but have drowned under all the detail! Mostly around dire warnings re protein versus hydration and I can not work out if mine is short of both or neither. Hence I was thinking a ‘good’ range would have the right balance of those so I could just use that.

I have, up until recently, always found my hair liked oil leave in and this seems not to be recommended by curly girl. Maybe I need to bite the bullet and perhaps do the simple ultimate blends suggested. Is it the coconut or coconut hair food you recommend sniffy?

I use Garnier too and am just finishing a tub of coconut hair food. I like that you can use it 3 ways. I've never bothered to work out if my hair needs protein etc either!

I've found that turning the tap to cold and rinsing my hair until it too is cold helps with the frizziness. I read somewhere to do it because it closes the pores on your head and the hair folicles which are normally opened by the heat and therefore leaves open to frizziness.

Yes it's chilly and I don't do it that often in winter but I do find it games the frizz a bit especially the little broken bits at the top of my head

Is it the coconut or coconut hair food you recommend sniffy?

Just the regular coconut oil conditioner! www.superdrug.com/Hair/Everyday-Conditioner/Ultimate-Blends-Coconut-Oil-Conditioner-360ml/p/750162

Though looking at the coconut hair food, that looks curly girl friendly too. I've never used it myself.