➿ 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)

It doesn't seem to, I only use one pump emulsified really well on my hands so it doesn't add much but seems to help

Whenever I used Innersense foam to sotc I used half a pump, very little, but sounds similar to Cat since I don't have as much hair. I don't think it did that much for me but I always really struggled to sotc and at least it helped minimise the fluff from trying to get the gel off.

I tried a mousse last night! I was in Boots yesterday so picked up John Freida's one. Have to say I'm very impressed! I really found it easier to apply than gel. And I had such volume today and my curls have held well.

Happy to hear that ninny as I'm going to use the Pantene mousse and a gel next wash day. We're on holiday and it's so humid (60% compared to 23% in athens). Very thankful I don't live in a humid environment!!

Slightly bonkers hair today! Used ag recoil, curlkeeper original and jessicurl spiralicious. Will see how it holds up

That washday was a disaster (the one above), I need to accept my hair does not like the original curlkeeper

Today's styling products
Giovanni direct leave in raked in
Boucleme gel (the yellow one) raked and then brushed through
Snot emulsified with water and smoothed and scrunched

Much happier

Is the curlkeeper original a serum like the treluxe one?

@SophieLion

Is the curlkeeper original a serum like the treluxe one?

It is, but my hair really doesn't like it I used treluxe for my photoshoot and it worked really well so I think I'm settled on those products now. Once I've used everything up. So 2025 then

I've had the best washday ever. I had been using the Frizz-Ease mousse (a couple of times) and really liked it but curls weren't holding and I think it's a little drying. But it gave me the idea to try some of their other products. Yesterday I bought their Original Serum and their Curl Cream. Used the Umberto Curl Jelly.

I used the Shedid and Parrish shampoo and conditioner. Then applied the serum on soaking wet hair and stuck a shower cap on for 5 minutes. Then plopped with a towel for about 10 minutes. Then applied the curl cream and curl jelly on damp hair, diffused for 10 minutes and left to dry.

I got the firmest cast I have ever had! And my hair is lasting really well today. It feels soft and moisturised but is holding it's curls and waves. I'm so impressed! Will stick to this routine for the next few washdays and see what happens.

Great you found something that works well for your hair ninny. And reasonably priced too I would imagine compared to some of these curly hair products.

I think I've found the products I like best and also the ones I don't like. Tried the innersense foam again and although I got a good wash day (can get to day 4 now generally), I find it drying. BC clump cream with Pantene mousse on top is also quite a good combo for me.

Are you still wet plopping? I find it works well and is useful as it gets my hair out the way so can moisturise and get dressed after my shower.

Wash day

Shea moisture shampoo
Yope oat conditioner (I need to haunt TK maxx again for more!)
A new hair primer thing (see pic)
Mousse (pic)
Orange marmalade

I feel like a fricking lion

Crikey Cat, how is your hair this long already does that mousse colour your hair? I know curlsmith now has styling products that deposit colour (to tone) but it wasn't available outside the US last time I looked (admittedly a long time ago).

I know, I have NO idea
Having hair loss from medication (Xolair) but it's growing like a weed
Not colour depositing no, just a foam type pump and it smells nice too

Oh I thought I had killed off this thread happy to see it has come back to life.

Your hair got so long cat. Looks wonderful.

I had my first proper curly cut in london a month ago. What a difference!!!

Hiya Sophie long time no see What was so different about the cut, compared to a normal hairdresser that does a good job with curly hair. I'm still not offer my one and only bad experience with a curly hairdresser but still open to be convinced.

Anyone seen any decent curly reviews about K18 btw, I'm vaguely interested as a 'better' version of Olaplex.

Interesting to read about your cut Sophie. I found the first one really good, but I think the second one just added too much texture/too many layers. If I were to do it again I would want to be really clear about NOT doing that.

I've now ditched the all over colour. I'm slowly embracing my silvers, but we are just putting in a few lowlights around the crown every few weeks to blend. This is because I am only about 30% silver so I don't feel ditching ALL colour would work for me right now (not until it's all grown up and it'll just look a bit salt and peppery all over). But I just knew it was time to stop the all over semi-permanents. My hairdresser is mixing in 3 different shades and I'm really happy with it. We're about 4 months in now. We'll probably keep my hair shoulder length until the sp colour has grown out. She said it's in really good condition and I really like the natural tones that are shining through.

I hope you enjoyed your trip to London Sophie.

Hi bo Well she was able to explain exactly what was wrong with my existing cut (from athens) and really looked at my curl pattern and cut hair accordingly. She spent a long time talking to me before she cut anything. She just knew her stuff. She framed my face nicely, all the layers fit together well, no weird shapes when I look at it from the side. And all the curls just "fit" nicely.

For the first time ever, she finished the cut, I looked in the mirror and smiled. I didn't walk out and tie it up, didn't go home and wash it.... And when I came back here I got loads of compliments on my hair (which was obviously really nice to hear after spending over 18 months now looking after my hair).

It's a bit shorter now (above shoulders) because the last athens hairdresser cut too much off.

I've not even heard of K18! My olaplex ran out and I've been using the curlsmith bond salve as a replacement. Has protein which olaplex doesn't. I like it. I got rid of a few products I don't use and mainly Use treluxe for styling.

Also would like to add bo, that I've never really had a good cut from a normal hairdresser (well the one who left last summer was quite decent).

Hi ninny! Just saw your post. You must have posted while I was typing.

Hhhmm yes I'll have to we what happens at the second cut. She said this one should last me 8 months - 1 year.

Your colour progress sounds quite complicated! Great it's in such good condition - which afterall is the aim of the "curly journey" : healthy hair

Yes was wonderful to be back home, thanks!

Interesting Sophie, my appointment wasn't actually that dissimilar and probably why I felt so let down by it as we spoke at length and then she gave me crap hair. I think my issue was less to do with curl cut and more that my hair loss issues were very visible then and I had stressed it could only be worn one way because of that and I think she focused too much on what would work best for the curl pattern and it made the hair loss really apparent And just personal taste, she cut it quite round iykwim and I wasn't doing any sort of cgm or styling products and it just looked crap when air dried as a result.

Hey Sophie. How did you find the hairdresser and would you be happy to share (via DM perhaps)? At some point my lovely hairdresser will retire. Bristol is a bit of a schlep for me. London would be better.

Great that she thinks it will last so long too.

Colour progression is very manageable! She's adding lowlights of:

root match
ends match (where it's lightened over time)
can't remember the third shade!

Oh sorry to hear this Bo. How is your hair loss now? Have to say the hairdresser I went to really listened about what I wanted - I think she would have cut my hair how I wanted even if she had disagreed (as it was I was asking her where my parting would be best, what kind of shape would she suggest etc etc and we were both more or less in tune). She was really into curl pattern - my underneath layers don't curl as much as the top apparently so she cut accordingly.

She cut it dry then washed and styled it all - she may have snipped a few bits after the styling but I don't remember actually. I was there for ages though.

The most important thing though: she didn't ago on and on about how she was a curl expert or try to sell herself as a curly hairdresser and then give me a crap cut (which is what they do here......)

I've sent you a DM ninny with the details. Let's see if the cut actually lasts that long - that would take me to June if 8 months. Normally they say every 6 months to cut I think.

Link with curly salons in UK

Thanks Sophie. How did she style it? One thing I really didn't like about my previous two cuts was the sheer amount of styling products. It literally took about 30 minutes of diffusing, which really gave me a neck ache (everyone sort of slumps in their chairs with their neck at the top of the back of the chair and their hair dangling for most of of it - it's quite a sight!). But when I come out my hair feels so gross and I then have a 2 hour drive home.

My regular hairdresser just lets me bring some serum or whatever and natters to me whilst I apply it.

She used innersense products to style. She used an innersense conditioner too and I think she only used the I create volume product for styling. I don't think she used a gel but I can't remember (sorry I am being vague but had a family issue happening whilst there so was stressed with that and on the phone quite a bit).

She used root clips and put me in one of those old fashioned hair dryers for a bit (5-10 mins - it didn't feel long) as she said that was the quickest way to dry the roots. Then she used 2 hairdryers to diffuse to her quicker. It didn't feel that long at all. And my hair was fab when I left. I was really happy. I didn't wash it until I got back here which was another 4 days I think.

Oh they've done that lean back in the chair thing (so hair dangles) to me here. She didn't do that (but my hair is slightly above the shoulders now so I don't know with longer hair ).

She was also an absolutely lovely person.