➿ 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

I'm eyeing up the ecoslay jello shot which looks interesting. This is where my money goes "ooh that looks interesting..." and is why I end up with stuff like the bread wraps which turned out to be big enough to turn the cat into a burrito

I go to a couple of hairdressers

1. cuts my hair dry, costs £10, understands CG
2. cuts hair wet, doesn't have a clue on CG but happily uses my products and does a great cut I swap between them as number 1 is further away but 2 is more expensive (about £36)

Well I'm not the best advertisement for the ecoslay matcha boost. I realised I also forgot to use my LIC 🤦 definitely a little on the drier and undefined side due to that, but I am still pleased with the protein results. I've got my natural pattern back which other products failed to find and it has body. It frames my face again so it just looks loads better allround.

My braid last night was much thicker and a bit shorter and my hair is really really shiny. The styling was a bit of a mess up, I'm convinced it could have looked a lot better had I been a bit more with it. I'll probably wash my hair again tomorrow...

(Pictures from last night, not the best lighting, I told you I'm a terrible advertisement).

Well I guess that's true Bo re Scots and the sun. My dermatologist also remarks on my pale skin every time I go and I'm not as pale. Anyway I've booked the hairdresser to come here on Monday and because I know her so well feel very secure about using my own products and telling her about all my new experiments. I've sent her photos of my hair now already.Quite excited!

Re protein products, I'm trying to follow the "rule" of at least 2 products with protein in every wash routine. I think you only got the sample size of the Celebration spray didn't you Bo? I didn't buy sample sizes as the delivery here was sooo expensive that didn't seem worth it at all for small sizes. I really hope the products work for me.....

Your second photo Bo (the close up) looks great. In the first photo your waves are a very nice shape but they look a bit thinner than usual (sorry I don't mean to be offensive - I'm just trying to be objective - well objective as one can be with photos). Apart from doing the matcha, forgetting the LIC and new styling products, did you change anything else? I mean can you pinpoint what you think has made the difference?

Am curious re braiding too. Does that protect your waves or create its own braid waves?

Pupsie I am chelating once a month. Will try to post some photos afterwards of ingredients which clarifying and chelating shampoos need to have. Last time I did modified rice treatment, I mixed it with a protein deep conditioner (hairafinity one) but decided this time I would rather do it separately and also use a moisture only deep conditioner to balance out all the protein of the rice mask (my hair felt a little dry last time but then I used double the amount of the rice by accident and so my proportions with conditioner were all wrong). Having read Bo's protein experience today and having had my own, I believe it's very important to balance out an intense protein injection with moisture.

Here are the photos (I found the info very useful to clarify what each of my cleansers/shampoos are in fact doing)

I used the Innersense foam (tiny amount so not enough to really get an impression) to SOTC in attempt to somewhat temper the frizz but it made the ends a little thin looking as it's quite sticky, that probably had to be scrunched out too...

Anyhow my hair is on the thinner side but without some cream products it definitely becomes more apparent, so I'm not insulted. I didn't want to change too much so went with my usual products, and then forgot LIC (which is pretty essential for me, so how I managed this, I don't know), then used gelebration and spiralicious, I'm still on the fence with both of those. I probably would have been better off using my usual products. I'll do that next time I wash. I'm contemplating just wetting my hair over the bath again today and then applying LIC, curl cream and gel as it's just annoying me that I messed up the styling part of the routine.

Braiding, I don't think it forms curls it just keeps it together and less frizzy. Pineapple is probably better but I can't sleep in one and I'm pretty sure a silk bonnet will be anywhere but on my head by morning. I've used a silk scarf tied around a pillow before and did not notice anything amazing as compared to going without.

I use a chelating and clarifying (in one) shampoo every two weeks. Water is very hard here so it makes a bit of difference. I do find CGM talk about clarifying shampoos confusing as the ingredients vary from source to source, whereas most clarifying shampoos are sulphate ones and I do wonder how well the non sulphates one works long term. I'm not interested in being a guinea pig, I like the shampoo I have a lot.

Very shiny hair Bo. It's so easy to forget a step or a technique. I'm often doing part of the routine and questioning if I'm doing the right thing at the right time. The other day I was washing my hair and I started squishing up and pulsing the shampoo and I thought hmmm, don't think I should be doing this.

I've woken up with my upper back in spasms and I can't move. My first thoughts were 'how the heck am I gonna wash my hair today".

Well I made it up and I managed to wash my hair. It was feeling so manky. I can't see that I'll ever make it beyond day 2/3 without washing but maybe it will slowly adjust. I'm already washing it half as much so that has to count for something?

On account of how it was feeling I used my Phyto clarifying shampoo and then tried the Bouceleme conditioner for the first time. I completely forgot to comb it through and didn't realise until I'd rinsed it out so applied a small amount and combed through as it was very knotted at the roots.

Applied the Giovanni LIC and plopped for 20 minutes whilst I showered and did skincare. I really struggle with tying the tee-shirt. Maybe because they're my son's men's medium and too big? I will buy the Boucleme towel when it's back in stock.

Reverted to the Boucleme gel and (new) added water as I did so (now that my water bottle has arrived).

Will see how this turns out!

Found another good insta to follow - curlywhirlyred

I rinsed my hair and then decided to try some new products while I was at it... I used the kinky curly conditioner (first impression nice but can't really say amazing, smells like the inside of Zara home) and then my usual intended products of LIC and curl cream and then decided to try the Innersense gel (I think I really like this, bugger). So much for not switching it up too much 🤣

It's still drying but looking much more promising than yesterday, but I do think the protein treatment has made it more difficult to get good clumps (will try bounce curl clump product at the next wash) and it's a bit 'stringier' as a result as the curls are more separated. Will reserve judgement until I've scrunched out the crunch.

So you use a LIC then curl cream then gel Bo? What does the curl cream do, if that's not a daft question!

Mine is taking longer to dry. I guess because I added water at the gel stage.

Curl cream helps with curl definition. Mine is also a heat protectant and anti pollution (I'd still like something UV protective). Curl creams tend to be the gateway drug of the CGM as they show the potential of your texture.

Ah okay. Thanks for that. Something else to get into!

You went all in straight away but usually people start with that Boots curl cream, works well for many but some don't get on with it at all.

Wash day tonight! My plan is
As I am pudding to wash
Broo thickening for conditioner
Bounce curl clump for leave in
Boucleme gel
Plop
Mousse
Diffuse

Hi all. Great thread. Do you brush your hair at all in the washing process. I brush mine when co washing but that all. I am about a month in. Bought some almond oil also so going to try that as every day it has some frizz. Overall pleased so far. Much less of a faff than trying to straighten etc.

*Em" I use a wide toothed comb to detangle whilst conditioner is on. I've always done this and never really brushed it before apart from using a barrel brush to blow-dry and a paddle brush to tackle the back.

It looked dry. It felt dry. It wasn't quite dry. Argh. A silly question perhaps but how can you be sure it's fully dry before you SOTC?

I think I'm getting more definition in the underneath sections.

I think I need to allow 4 hours to dry depending on the products used. Client what do you done timing of washing Vs when you need to go to work/go out etc?

@Pupsiecola I wash in the evening and then go to bed when it's dry and scrunch out the crunch in the morning
So today I will wash it about 7pm, diffuse for a while until I get bored (concentrating on underneath and the roots) and then the ends pretty much dry on their own by the time I go to bed

Thanks @ClientQ. So what do you do with it whilst you sleep? Washing in the evening might work for me in terms of fitting it around exercise. I could pineapple it with the silk scrunchie. Silk pillowcase making a huge difference!

Don't think I'll bother with curl cream at the moment.

Do you brush your hair at all in the washing process

wide toothed comb when I have tons of conditioner on my head. I need the slip to detangle/comb otherwise I rip my hair out.

And I brush it (head upside down) with a denman brush right after rinsing and applying curl cream (gives amazing curl definition). Then no brushing or combing other than an afro pick root lift until the next wash day (4-5 days).

I've seen that tip re a Denman brush venge. Is it a paddle brush or the adapted one with over other row of teeth removed? It's a bit counter intuitive isn't it!

@Pupsiecola I just have a satin pillowcase and wear it down
Sometimes a silk bonnet but I hate wearing it!

Thanks everyone.

I also like the look on the Innersense volumising foam Bo but want to wait until I've got other things sorted with my hair. I watched curly Cailín using it on a video and she used quite a lot actually.

Let us know how your hair looks when it's dry Bo. I also have my eye on the Bouncecurl clump and curl but it was sold out. I didn't like the Boots curl cream Pupsie which is a shame as it was cheap.

I have to be really focussed when doing my hair routine otherwise put on the wrong product or it's not well applied. You made me laugh Pupsie with the squishing of the shampoo . It will probably a new technique soon!! How is your back now? Hope you feel better soon

The Nature Box shampoo I have is CGM friendly but also clarifying I think as it contains that special ingredient. Certainly last weekend when my hair felt overloaded, I used it and it gave me a good wash. I use an Apivita one for chelating as it has that other ingredient needed for chelating. Water is soft here anyway and I don't like going in the pool.

Hello Emcla. I comb my conditioner in and sometimes use a brush to distribute product in my hair. Find the brush works better than my fingers for even distribution. keep meaning to the Manes by Mel's Denman brush curling technique.

Wow!!!! So many more curls Pupsie!!! It's lovely . I feel my hair and can tell it's dry. Some parts have slightly less cast and can always tell at the roots.

pupsie, I am using the D3 - adapted. Not sure removing the rows makes a difference but it is a pain to put them back in so I left it at the adapted version.

also, it is only a styling brush. Cannot be used on hair that is not detangled. I am fairly curly and it make a huge difference to my curl definition and I can push wash day out by a day or two since I started using it (provided I didn't get into the rain which makes my hair go poof).