➿ Fantastic Haircare: Making Sense and Science of the Curly Girl Method

[botemp]

Offshoot from the Fantastic Skincare threads to document the trials and tribulations in order to make sense and science of the curly girl method. We don't necessarily follow it to the letter and are even critical of it in places. Nor are we especially knowledgeable at this point but we're learning as we go. Feel free to join in (especially if you have superior knowledge) as we attempt to approach this with an interest in ingredients and try to not buy everything that promises us magical things…

Useful blogs:

Curly Cailín
Science-y Hair Blog

So, I tried the Jean Paul Myre Grey Pepper shampoo. I don't usually wash my hair three times a week, but it's been so hot it was necessary. Thanks very much, bo, for the recommendation it ticks lots of boxes, low poo, colour adjusting and has some protein, which my hair seems to love. It did say follow instructions and there weren't any, but I assumed it was similar to purple shampoo: clarify first, wash, comb through, leave in a bit before washing out. This is after leaving to air dry and then being rained on, so not really too bad.

Pupsie, I meant to say, lovely beachy waves.

*Jean Paul Myne shampoo

pupsie my hairdresser is in Dublin..so close for me but probably not for anyone else here.Yourhair is really making great progress 👌🏻

Thanks quirky. I agree re the weather and hair washing. Despite washing yesterday I also washed today. Treated myself to washing it in the shower this morning, up the right way lol. First time in about a month. It was a glorious cool shower (bit warmer for the shampoo stage) after a hideously sticky night.

Thanks Skinful. I would actually considering flying for a haircut if it was proven worth it ha! Especially if it was just 3 or 4 times a year. I'd struggle with the environmental impact though. I'm only 15 minutes from Southampton Airport (although not much going on there after Flybe went bust).

Oh Pupsie, I grew up near Southampton.

It was a hideous sticky night, my hair and scalp really needed it. I'm not great in the heat, I've gone back to a messy bun as it was cooler this morning but is scorching again, now.

Where are you now Quirky? We've been here 7 years but will be leaving soon (next year, hopefully). We've got one last move in us I think. Time to settle down.

I'm in East Anglia, I moved from the Southampton area when I went to university, came back for a year after and have lived elsewhere ever since.

Pulling up a pew...

Morning,

I really like your waves in the photo Bo. They look really pretty.

Hello EllaBella (my DCs used to love those books!!).

Hi KnitFast, my hair also likes protein (right now anyway). I am doing a modified rice treatment every week or so (although we've been debating as to how much protein this actually provides) and yesterday added in a spoonful of Aphogee. I am happy with the results. I followed up with a moisturising deep conditioner as protein can be quite drying.

aphogee is an intense protein treatment (although not strictly CG friendly as has silicone - but v low down on ingredients list). I wouldn't recommend it for everyone's hair but mine was getting very over-moisturised and so the full aphogee (which I did a couple of weeks ago) worked a treat. Was a complete pain so will see if adding it to the rice treatment like I did yesterday is enough. Bo has also used the Ecoslay Matcha boost protein treatment but can't remember what she thought (drying? But again that depends on hair type and needs of hair)

Oh I also have the Hairfinity amino acid mask. I would say it's quite a balanced mask in terms of protein and moisture. The curl junkie repair mask contains a lot more protein. There is also the Curls blueberry bliss reparative hair mask (which looks to be similar to the hairfinity in terms of amount of protein).

Yes pickachew. I agree. I am now trying to do a lot of research and gather opinions before I buy products so I don't waste money. Samples are great but it's just not worth me paying the shipping costs to greece and then having to pay again for the products I like.

Nice waves Pupsie. And not long until your cut now!! Did you like the Olaplex? Lovely curls too Quirky. This length and shape is really nice.

Hello Mathanxiety

As I mentioned I had a wash day yesterday and did rice/aphogee and then deep conditioner. I used the denman brush to distribute my Aveda leave in really thoroughly and then prayed and scrunched in DC gel. I'm still not using using curl definers/stylers as keeping it simple to assess hair health and results. I diffused for a whole Friends episode and added a bit more gel around 80% dry. I am VERY pleased with the results. I still cannot believe what a difference diffusing makes compared to air drying! I'm happy as definitely seeing progress: my curls are bouncier and more defined and overall my hair looks fuller.

By the way, curly Cailin was quite rude about cantu and Shea moisture products in her latest story. Well actually she said something along the lines of "don't ask me about them, I'm not going to talk about them so I'm not sued for libel" (don't quote me). She said they have cheap, poor quality ingredients. I'm not sure why she dislikes them so much and seems to target them a bit. A small amount of cantu as a refresh is working well for me.

A small amount of Cantu works well as a refresh for me too, SophieLion. Mell (who is not strictly CGM) rated them well, actually.

Hello mathanxiety and Ellabella.

Hello new faces mathanxiety, you're in the US, right? Hope you're keeping safe.

I think there has been an insinuation that the Shea Moisture of old was of a higher quality and that comparatively it's not as high quality as it used to be, especially since the takeover. Don't really feel that that's a large consensus that it's now low quality. It is what it is, accessible and democratically priced. I think of it much like makeup, you can definitely find your way with low priced stuff with effort, skill and a lot of trial and error to make it work for you. Expensive makeup tends to be a bit more idiot proof so forgives a lot of inexperience and a little tends to go a long way. One isn't necessarily better than the other, and you'll find duds and greats in both categories.

I'm glad the shampoo worked well for you quirky, the colour looks different, like there's more dimension to it, is that right?

Oh before I forget, Aphogee, saw an interesting hack on YouTube. You can just whip it up in mixer and you get a foam (I'm imagining it's a bit like whipped up proteins like egg whites or aquafaba) and then it's much easier to apply and doesn't drip anywhere.

Despite being not overly wowed by my Innersense washday and the volume it produced (vs. expectations) it has lasted really well, especially considering this heat. Pic from yesterday morning (I thought about cropping the pic but it looks even worse and I got rained on later so no option of a reshoot). Despite heat and sweaty nights I've not had to wash earlier either. Please promise to hold an intervention if I become those annoyed Innersense evangelists 🙏

Thanks for the aphogee tip Bo. Will try it next time I do a full treatment as it did indeed drip everywhere and was extremely messy.

I quite like my innersense low poo (although I'm not sure what there is to dislike with a low poo really.... it's barely in the hair. I get the impression that despite containing protein, the innersense one is pretty moisturising).

Yes your hair has definitely lasted well Bo.

Yes, I'm pretty pleased with that as day 3 hair, I had it in a loose low bun on day 2, maybe that makes a difference? But it's been pretty consistent looking despite heat and humidity.

Here's the Aphogee hack BTW.

Yes, I'm wondering about lo poo too. I haven't been overly enthused by the one from jessicurl but it does what it needs to do. I'm not sure whether I need to try a whole load of others. Only thing that bothers me is that I need to use quite a bit, is the Innersense shampoo a more concentrated formula. I'm using a palm full for my entire scalp with JC which I find a ridiculous amount. Which version do you have btw, I think there's two but I can't really tell which one would suit me best.

Just watched the video. Thanks Bo. It was interesting because this lady tied her hair up at the end whereas curly Cailin said specifically to leave it down so it dries to a stiff cast (and sticks to your back and chest in the process).

Re innersense, I have the hydrating hairbath low poo. You only need use a very small amount. I've never used a low poo before so nothing to compare against so maybe there are better products out there but certainly I don't dislike it.

Both innersense low poos contain protein and I can't remember why I went for the hairbath over the pure harmony (which I think contains more protein) - perhaps I was concerned it could be drying. Anyway now I'm using quite a bit of protein in my routine, the hairbath suits me well.

When I watched videos re applying jessicurl products on their website, she had used quite a bit of the rockin ringlets (even though the bottle said the equivalent of a 10p size - I forget which American coin it was).

Which jessicurl low poo do you have Bo? I have in my notes that the hair cleansing cream
Is somewhere between a co wash and a low poo so if you have that one then perhaps that's why you feel you have to use more product.

The gentle wash which is a more typical shampoo like lo poo. Cleansing cream sounded too heavy to me. In general, I feel the Jessicurl products require a lot more product than I anticipate initially.

bo the grey pepper shampoo has given a good, silver grey depth of colour, subtly different from a purple shampoo but really nice. The curls seem to be less fluffy and bigger, bouncer? after I refreshed it, which I imagine is the protein. I often use a low, messy bun too. I find the pineapple is too heavy on my head, my hair is quite heavy.

I could probably do with sourcing a wash out conditioner with protein and look into the cationic compounds too. We currently have a bathroom overflowing with products as our ensuite has been gutted. I feel a bit bad adding to it.

Just to say, beause I can: I'm having my hair cut and coloured NEXT WEEK!!!!

Pupsie enjoy it. I take it as a compliment that Sophie likes my hair shape as I've been doing it myself but my hairdresser cuts it much better.

How exciting Pupsie! I was actually just looking at IG photos to see hairstyles and it's so hard to tell as most of them have the "hair flung over to one side" so they can show off their curls.

I hope your Greek holiday goes to plan - hope it wasn't before 15th July...

Washed hair and air dried today as no time to diffuse. I compared photos and diffusing really does make a big difference - but it also adds so much time to the wash routine.

Hair flung over one side, looks great for photos but would drive me nuts in rl. Always getting in your eyes etc.

I have ordered a small size of the innersense hydrating cream conditioner, as I need a wash out conditioner that is not purple! The Osmo No Yellow is a lovely hair mask but I don't want to be using it when I don't need colour correction, or really will have purple hair .

Yesterday's frankenhair routine. I did manage to get a lot more volume out of it (and trading in a bit of frizz/soft definition in return, as expected) but it just felt like way too many products and I probably confused myself with the order of it all. I also definitely need to get my layers sorted at the front to wear my hair like this.

I was pretty happy with it yesterday but it's feeling a bit dry today. Not sure what to do next wash day, maybe go back to basics a bit with my OG products just to see where my hair is at now, for all I know improved results I'm seeing are down to better understanding of my hair and technique application.

Hair looks good, bo, lots of lift at the roots. Talking of confused with order of products, I was so tired this morning (thanks dd2) that I put gel on then leave in conditioner so ended up rewetting it then adding Boots curl creme. Quite nicely defined, though .

Looks lovely Bo. I was going to say the same as quirky: lots of root lift. Did you clip it? Looks like your hair definitely knows where it wants to part. My hair was always cut to part on the right, but once it was longer it was cut to part in the middle, which actually also worked with wearing it parted on the right as it just looked like that top layer was shorter which was fine. Not sure what I'll do with the parting in next week's cut: I agree re wearing it so much on one side being really annoying. I struggle to watch some fo the IG videos where hair is constantly hanging in faces, although Powerdomi says she's growing her fringe out.