Would you say doing curly girl is worth it?

[toastmeahotcrossbun]

My hairs a mixture of quite wavy and straight If I let it dry naturally it just looks quite crap really, so I tend to blow dry it straight. I'm considering doing curly girl but it seems confusing and a lot of hassle, and I'm a bit worried that it will still look crap. How long does it take to see results and would you say it's worth it?
Also, in the winter I won't want it to dry naturally so would use a diffuser, would that still make it work?

Watching this with interest! I have type 3 curly hair but only recently have been embracing the natural curls full time. I’ve been washing it most days (for Covid) and letting it air dry but as it gets colder will need to diffuse.

I’ve been reading up on the curly girl method but not sure it would work for me as I need to wash my hair after work.

I stumbled across L’Oréal curly hair shampoo and conditioner in Superdrug and it is amazing! Curls more defined and less frizzy.

Thanks MrsOldma I'll look out for that

No, I've had various attempts and none worked for me.

Thanks EasilyDelighted when you say it didn't work did it just not turn into the waves/curls that you thought it would?

It's already quite wavy. No poo made it feel and look horrendous so I switched to low poo no silicones. Every single product I have tried (many over the years) has made it look crunchy, lanky or both (or not made any difference at all). Even when the results are passable on the first day I can do nothing with it the second day except soak it wet again. Also I've realised it doesn't really suit me curly anyway. So I've had it cut a bit shorter (shoulder length from bra strap
length), started buying shampoos and conditioners meant for curly hair (but not necessarily CG compliant) and letting it dry naturally, no products. It dries a bit curly, a bit wavy, a bit unruly, but I like it.

Thanks EasilyDelighted that kinda sums up the things I'm worried about and also if it'd even suit me. What you're doing now sounds good though, I might try that instead, maybe mixing it in and sometimes blow drying.

I think the about curly/wavy hair is that no one thing works for everyone. It’s trial and error and what one person swears by might leave you with a crispy rats nest! So frustrating but we'll get there I’m sure haha

I have tried it a few times in the past without success, but this summer decided to try again and it's gone really well. I have concluded that you have to find the right product combo, method of application, washing frequency for you to make it work and that when you manage to get the right combo it's awesome but without the right combo it's horrific (has been for me at any rate.)

I am a 2c/3a and what I have found that works for me is wash 3 times a week using Palmers Olive oil conditioner. I use a small dab to co-wash (just massaging the scalp), wash out and use more to condition as normal. I then wash that all out (found leaving any in at this stage makes it look greasy/crunchy when dry). I squeeze the water out before getting out of shower, then immediately on getting out I spray Palmers Olive oil leave in conditioner followed by a medium dab of L'Oréal Invisi-Hold gel worked through. They I wrap my hair in a microfibre hair turban from decathlon and leave that on for about an hour. Once I take it off my hair is part way to dry and dries in another hour or so.
This method has given me nice soft defined curls and shiny hair.

Thanks BewareTheBeardedDragon that does sound good but how did you find out about using this combo? I think it's all the trial and error is off-putting. I don't know what type I am so maybe need to look into that.

Thanks MrsOldma yes. Part of me feels like now is the right time to do the trial & error because of not going out and partlyl like I'd have to buy a lot of stuff and my hair look bad while experimenting, and who knows whether the end result would even be worth it.

Yes, I must have wasted £££s over the years trying products that didn't work, I've pretty well given up. Try and avoid silicones and heat (I use a microfibre towel turban) but that's all now.

Infuriatingly, the one thing that really does work is going swimming in a chlorinated pool and then not touching it afterwards (no rinse, no shampoo, no combing, no heat). It gives me an amazing head of bouncy curls. I don't dare do it too often though in case it totally wrecks it.

Curly girl didn’t work for me, but the Cantu she’s butter shampoo, conditioner and curl scrub her did, along with no brushing, just a wide tooth comb. I have no idea how to stop the top of my hair being frizzy though.

Shea

I would really suggest booking in for a curl by curl cut by a stylist who specialises in cgm. I did and found I had been using products that were waaaay to heavy for my hair and I should avoid butter based products. Since then my hair has transformed from wavy/frizzy and "flicky" to spirals and ringlets. I go about 3-4days between cowashes and cleanse once a month or so as product builds up on my hair type.
To refresh my curls I have a spray bottle with water a dollop of gel and a dollop of conditioner in it. On wash days I diffuse dry upside down sometimes and air dry sometimes then scrunch our the crunch each day regardless of if I've used my spray mix or full on washed it.
It's worth it for me and getting that consultation early on saved me £££ in the long run.

I use the cantu range, conditioner and leave in conditioner.
I then use cheap mouse and cheap gel.
Hair goes lovely and curly.
Plus when I do dry it straight it doesn’t go greasy.

The curls look better but I find without normal shampoo it never has that nice clean feel that I prefer

Not for me. I've tried a few times in the past 5 years. Co-washing didn't get the sweat out after I'd exercised, so I tried just using sulfate-free shampoo and silicone-free conditioner. It did curl underneath, but the top layer (canopy) was poker straight and just laid on top looking crap. Now I just wash with whatever, leave to dry and use a curling wand on the straight bits. That's me done then for 2 to 3 days.

Yes, I must have wasted £££s over the year

Ugh I feel this so much!!! Like today I spent £4.99 on a garnier coconut oil thing from Boots and haven’t tried it yet but hoping it’s fabulous!! I bought a Noughty curls spritz that makes my hair so crispy it’s not even funny, an Aussie hair serum that helps when it’s dry but not wet and new L’Oréal shampoo and conditioner. All in the last month or so haha

@toastmeahotcrossbun I struck lucky. Previous tries have not worked and it was just luck that the new (to me) Palmers products worked well this time. It did take a bit of trialling in terms of order, trying leaving some proper conditioner in, testing the best point to do the gel etc. Sorry - curly hair is a pain in the bum.
Having said that, and having spent years hating my hair, I have recently realised that it really suits my face better than straight, and that some people spend a lot of effort achieving what takes me zero effort (now) to achieve.

It must be good to get to that point BewareTheBeardedDragon and I'm sure then that the effort seems worth it. It's a leap of faith I guess!
I think in my case I'm worried that the top part which is straight and seems different to the underneath curly bit will never curl. May go with hammeringinmyhead idea and just curl those bits.

Thanks for everyones comments. It seems like it's very tricky or maybe impossible to get the right 'formula' but then if you do, you can get good hair and make life easier. Just got to decide whether to take the gamble with the cost/time/faff

I've tried this a few times. The best combo for me is washing with wilkos own apple and tea tree conditioner. Then using it again to condition. I rinse the conditioner out. Then I use cantu curl activator and eso curl gel both from superdrug and not expensive. I diffuse mine. Went from jagged waves to spiral curls. Not crunchy at all.

There’s a difference between washing with conditioner and washing with co-wash. Mine felt really greasy if I used normal conditioner to wash it with, but is bouncy and fabulous with this stuff.

Aiming for the right protein/moisture balance helps, have a look here.

I didn't have a good experience with it. I like washing my hair every other day at least because I love that fresh shampoo conditioner scent.
I also find that my scalp gets flaky and hair doesn't feel clean on no silicon/sls products.
When I wear my hair curly it looks nice the first day and then even though I sleep on a silky pillow and put it up in a high pineapple, it just does not look as good the next and third day. I gave the curly method about 2 to 3 months.
I hate to say it but I do look prettier with straightened hair.

I have done bits of the CGM over the years and properly (ie actually correct ingredient products) embraced it the last year. Difference is amazing.

It can seem confusing as different products suit different hair. As a brief example:
Conditioner
Dyed hair needs a conditioner/co-wash with protein.
"Virgin"/Undyed hair tends to not like protein based conditioners etc as it can be drying.
Fine hair needs lighter hair products and conditioners than thick hair.
When you condition you need squish the conditioner in.
Some people need to add leave-in (just their normal conditioner) but if your hair is conditioned enough and/or fine this may weigh it down.
Coconut in a product can mimic protein - so some hair loves it, other (like mine) hate coconut - it goes super frizzy and dry.
So in essence, what one person loves, another person hates.

Product
After co-washing or conditioner washing you do need some kind of product to "set" the curl. Either a mousse or gel. This will set in a "cast" which is crunchy and a bit grim but as soon as it is dry you gently scrunch your hair the crunch disappears and you get soft bouncy curls.

Drying
Airdrying is great. You can diffuse too. Google Manes By Mel method of drying - her video shows you how to dry for deffinition. Or the Pixie method to dry for volume. You can also half diffuse/half air dry.

"Refresh" and/or second day hair
I thought this was impossible. For 40-odd years I wet/washed my hair every day as I woke up to a frizz ball with all the curls flattened. Now I wear it in a high, very loose pony tail overnight, use a silk pillow case and have bouncy/strong enough curls that I wake up, dab a bit of conditioner to calm any flyways and can get day 2/3/4 hair. Often better than wash day hair. I never thought this would happen.

Product help - When I started properly I trawled the "Official CGM" Facebook page. Hugely, amusingly struct and rigid and SOOOO much information. But I worked out the most universally like products to start with. So many products would have a chalk/cheese response (loved it/hated it) so I avoided them. And I had some experience with this (see coconut above). I found that Faith In Nature (except the Rooiboo one) conditioners were never in the "hate" pile. Dragon Fruit particularly liked. Umberto Giannini Curl Jelly also a good all-rounder.

So that is what I started with. Worked beautifully. I strayed and tried a couple of other bits - but am now back with these too, plus a bit of Pantene No 5 Curly Mousse.

I co-wash/condition/bit of leave-in-on-the-ends with Faith in Nature Dragon Fruit.

I comb through (wide tooth comb) the UG Jelly - combing "outwards" so I am not plastering my hair to my head.
I then squish (upwards, curl forming motion) a blob of Pantene mousse in.
Squish (gently, upwards) a bit with a t-shirt to take some wetness out and leave to either air dry or diffuse. Or a bit of both.

My hair is very fine and not dyed, so the above works for me. I did have problems at one stage as the curls dropped out by day 2 - it was over-moisturised - so I didn't use leave in conditioner for a few washes and it balanced out again (you get to know the feeling of your hair as you wash it after a while so you can tell what to add/not add).

Sorry ^ all that very long. Just thought it may help someone.

It's very helpful Agapantson thanks!