➿ Fantastic Haircare: Making Sense and Science of the Curly Girl Method (thread 2)

[botemp]

Offshoot thread 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 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 on the golden triangle of healthy hair
Science-y Hair Blog
The Mestiza Muse
The Beauty Brains (podcast/blog)

Understanding ingredients:

Commonly found ingredients in haircare

Useful information about cosmetic chemistry

Porosity:

(video)

Removing build up:

Shampoos which remove product build up

Cationic compounds (of interest to those with buildup prone and/or fine hair):

Cationic compounds found in cosmetics

Polyquats (of interest to those with buildup prone and/or fine hair):

Polyquat buildup

To polyquats or not

Silicones, polyquats and soap

Another cosmetic ingredient to be afraid of?

Protein/Moisture balance:

(video)

Extract and proteins in CGM, a biochemist explains

(video)

Hygral Fatigue

SPF protection of your hair:

UV protectant ingredients

UV damage of hair (pubmed)

Summers sun and your hair

Rice water rinses:

Rice Water Rinse

Elasticity:

Is it too late to improve your elasticity

Managing elasticity and porosity in hair

Hard and soft water:

(video)

Hard water and your hair

Olaplex:

How does Olaplex hair treatment work

Frizz:

Hair frizz science

What's your frizz type

How to tame your hair based on frizz type

Flash Drying:

Flash Drying

Next level nerdery:

Chemical and Physical Behavior of Human Hair (cosmetic chemists' textbook)

Belated Happy New Year, everyone.

Welcome, DameCelia, I also have grey/silver hair. My curls pattern is everything from wavy, curly to coily underneath. Not to add too much to your reading matter, but this is a good silver hair blog quicksilverhair.com/blog/ Joli is really lovely and knowledgeable, too. As SophieLion says it's a case of getting to know your hair, really and there's lots of advice on how to do that.

I have only used Olaplex 3, but I would definitely recommend it.

I haven't posted a pic in ages (mostly due to good natural light being scarce lately). But I remembered this morning (in the dark 🤣), just to give an idea of my newfound accidental love of the Rahua uv detangler UV leave in thingamajig that continues to surprise me. I just use it as a leave in then plop, and I experimented with using the Giovanni foam over the top last night post plop and wet brush pulled though ends then left to air dry (without gel it goes a lot quicker). Silk cap to sleep in when not completely dry.

It's more CGM 'before' aesthetic than 'after' but this feels much more me -in terms of commitment and I generally prefer the 'effortless' look of it, there's frizz but it feels natural as opposed to some terrible disruptive entity. Without the foam in the routine it's a bit longer and wavier, I like both looks with it.

You look nicely tousled bo, very french bed hair . I've been mostly leaving mine to dry naturally, which means there's much more curl variance than if I use a diffuser.

Hi quirky! Happy new year!

Your hair is looking much fuller bo. Really nice and natural.

Bo did you also use a gel? Have to say I've gone down to 2 products lately (LIC and gel) and I'll continue with that for the forseeable.

Ah yes 'effortlessly' rolled out of a Parisian bed is pretty much my happy spot I've never managed the signature I slept in this makeup and look better for it that goes with this hair, but who knows I might manage that yet.

No gel Ninny, either just the LIC or LIC plus mousse. Never managed the one and done with other products but I can with this. It's so liberating

There's a fine line between artfully slept in makeup and panda eyes, I think. My hair turns to fluff, very easily.

And my haircut has been cancelled again
On the bright side she said "more to work with!" And hopefully the stupid short front layers will have grown out. I can't do much with it as it really really needs cutting into some form of style so am just co washing and experimenting with products to see what gives the most lasting even if shit results

I need to trim mine again. I've just watched Manes by Mell's long hair trim video - where she teaches her sister to trim her own hair. Mine is kind of a similar length/style, so helpful, really.

Ecoslay Jell-O shot for me today. Considering it's meant to be stronger hold than orange marmalade, it confuses me because it's not on my hair. And mine gets a cast v easily!
Might try using it with another gel

Wash day yesterday. Sunday chelating shampoo, Curlsmith mask (travel size almost gone so need to order full size), Giovanni LIC, Treluxe gel, brush from underneath and shake.

Oh it's looking lovely Ninny!! I really like the shape too plus very little frizz. It's look really full and healthy. Congrats!!!

Do you brush your hair with the gel in it ninny?

Thank you Sophie. I'm preparing for my Grey's to come through again. Also not sure I'll make the hair appointment with the curly specialist in March but that's okay as it's a pretty easy shape and a lot of the weight has gone. I wasn't sure at first but I now think she's a genius.

Next cut I will say no thinning out though and no shorter layers. I don't think it will need it.

*greys. In a rush and putting off the supermarket in case there's a queue. It's cold here and my hair won't like that!

Yes she did a great cut.

And my gel question: do you brush the gel through your hair?

Yes, but upside down, but only mid lengths to ends. Then I scrunch a bit, then I shake and then I gently scrunch the clumps.

This is from the front. I so like the technique. I do have to wash my brush well after. How does everyone else wash their brush?

Looking really lovely, Ninny. Lovely bouncy curls and a great cut.

Hello again and thank you for the welcome!
@NinnyNewName I haven't used heat or straightening for a long time, years, other than drying it straight around a brush. It has been dye free for about 12 years now.

I've been experimenting with how I wash over the last few days and have just been using a hydrating cream (conditioner really) over a protein spray by Sans instead of sulfate free shampoo, it has made an incredible difference to the ends.
Today I had to use a sulfate free purple shampoo otherwise it starts going yellow but I'm definitely going to persist with the hydrator instead of shampoo the rest of the time.
@quirkychick I love your hair, did you find that the curl pattern changed when you went gray? I certainly did. Thanks for the quicksilver link, I will be having a look at that.
@botemp and @NinnyNewName and @QueenPaws your curls all look amazing.

I noticed last night that my scalp was quite itchy and when I looked in my magnifying mirror (I have one attached to my bathroom wall on an extendable arm for make up application) I noticed flaking. I'm not sure if it's product. It's itchy too but I'm not sure if that's all in my head (no pun intended).

I'm going to wash my hair tody but I'm not going to plop post product application. I think I need to keep product away from my scalp.I'm also going to not use gel. I'll do a regular wash then plop for 5 minutes then apply some LIC / a curl enhancer to mid lengths/ends. I'm then micro plop. I'm not going to diffuse.

Bo do you plop these days? Am keen to see what happens without gel. Last time I tried it a few weeks back it was a more relaxed look, of course, but it didn't last well.

Your hair looks great Ninny but I'm always so confused what colour it is. It looks really dark and cool sometimes and then lighter and warm.

Yes, I still plop, mostly due to the whole low porosity thing but usually only plop with LIC, no other styling products. Yes, style doesn't last without gel but because I'm not going for the CGM look it just continues to look 'easy' just slightly less curly, I'll take a pic in a moment. I need to wash tonight 😬 but the main difference for me is that I need to wash as it feels not as nice as opposed to all shape has left it and it's laying very flat.

There are some people plopping with hair nets with talk about how product doesn't sit on their scalp that way but I'm highly confused by their thinking on that

Attached pic, not sure I conveyed that intelligibly previously, but not using gel (and/or other styling products) means my hair doesn't slowly get weighed down by the styling products as it 'ages' between wash days.

Previously (with gel and stylers) my curl pattern was consistent but volume drastically dropped and I now have the opposite and find that preferential for my hair as I don't have a tonne of density to it. I don't lose curl definition though, it just stretches out a bit. It's a happy medium for me anyhow. I'm sure I could achieve more impressive results by refreshing CGM styled hair and get the best of both worlds but I'm just too lazy for that.

Yes, I hear you Bo. I think the same! I usually take pictures in my en-suite and it has quite a window in the roof (the name for this escapes me). It is actually light brown, warm with some red tones.

Interesting re the hair net but I really don't care that much and I'm keen not to add in any more steps etc.

Your hair looks gorgeous Bo! It looks thick and full of life and vitality and movement. I can see why you're happy with it.

I think it's important to note that we can also change things as and when required. Eg. on lockdown so the whole routine not necessary. And even if when life returns to "normal" I can see myself doing a variety of routines depending on what I'm doing, if I'm going out etc.