Please help me improve my hair - Curly Girl method?

[Dilbertian]

The frizzy photo is the day after I washed my hair, the other photos are when my hair needs washing. Would CG work for me? Could I have actual curls rather than frizz?

I already wash only with conditioner, using shampoo about once a month, and blot dry with a smooth travel towel.

I want to try CG, but the problem is that I'm allergic to fragrances. I use Waitrose Pure conditioner and shampoo, because they are the only ones that don't turn my hair into a mess of sticky straw. (Just a mess!)

I cannot find any suggestions for fragrance-free products suitable for CG. I'm in the UK.

I would recommend joining one of the curly girl groups on Facebook. I follow this method loosely and am very much still learning. However I'm certain I've read of people making their own hair gel, which presumably would be without fragrance.

After conditioner, gel seems to be the other important product in this method. It is used to protect your hair in wet clumps as it dries. Once it has, dried in a solid "cast", you scrunch the hair and the solid feeling disappears, leaving curls or waves, depending on your curl pattern.

Your hair definitely looks as if it would work with this method. Be prepared for a lot of trial and error though!

Jessiecurl is one of the few CG brands that has fragrance free options of their entire product line. You can also buy travel sizes first to try. The DIY gel pp mentioned is probably flax seed gel.

However, CG isn't anything entirely scientific, it can be helpful but I'd caution not to make yourself crazy by trying to follow it to the letter, which will probably be extremely difficult when you can't tolerate fragrance anyhow. You'll get more out of the techniques than the dogmatic approach to product ingredients IME. Remember to clarify often, and if in hard water area use a chelating shampoo as well, especially if you co-wash.

"Remember to clarify often, and if in hard water area use a chelating shampoo as well, especially if you co-wash."

Translation, please?

I am in a hard water area, but we have a water softener.

Thanks for the Jessiecurl recommendation!

Chelating and clarifying is for prevention of buildup. One of the issues the CG method is its effect on the health of your scalp. With all the products building up (just because you avoid silicones doesn't mean you're not slathering on similarly acting ingredients) things can get clogged, which can cause dermatitis, etc and in worst case scenarios hair loss. By clarifying (and chelating as well in hard water areas because of mineral build up from water but with a softener this probably shouldn't be an issue) with shampoos containing SLS (usually, other options available) and chelating ingredients you get rid of all the build up. These shampoos can be quite stripping and are therefore usually followed up by a deep conditioner, sometimes with a fermented rice water treatment in between as well. You should do it at least once a month but if you have finer/wavy hair then every two weeks seems to be the sweet spot when you're just starting out.

Unfortunately, despite Jessiecurl claiming certain products have no fragrance added, the 'unfragranced' conditioners contain 7 fragrances - including one fragrance I'm particularly allergic to!

At least they have some styling products I can use.

Is it fragrant compounds like limonene that you're also allergic to? Unfortunately, the curly girl method is very 'natural' so it's hard to find products without those ingredients, they love sticking all sorts of irritants into the products

It's not a lot of products but Briogeo has a small selection of hypoallergenic unscented products. It's not a CG brand although I think a lot of it is CG friendly. From a quick scan the shampoo and conditioner look CG friendly to me but run them through curlsbot or isitcg.com to make sure. The brand owner is allegedly a bit problematic though.

With wavy hair you don't really need to give up shampooing or switch your products. You just need something like gel with hold to hold your curls in place while they dry (either naturally or with a diffuser if you've got one). Literally the very cheapest, bright blue, 50p gel from a supermarket will work. If you can't find an unfragranced one then you can make one from flaxseed (I've never done this but there are instructions if you Google). Then just wash and condition your hair as normal, rinse and while your hair is still soaking wet in the shower, flip it over so your hair is hanging down in front of you, comb through a little with a comb or your fingers, apply at least a handful of gel all over your hair and scrunch. It should sound all squelchy and you'll think you've put too much gel in but you haven't. Let it dry and it'll go all crispy and crunchy and you'll really think you've put too much gel in but you really haven't. When you're sure it's completely dry (will take hours if you don't diffuse) you scrunch again to break the cast of the gel and reveal your beautiful, defined curls. Sleep with your hair tied up in a ponytail on the very top of your head (called a pineapple) with a scrunchy or something loose that won't mark.

If you have Instagram, follow the hashtag #flipcoatscrunch to see some results from a lazy not curly girl approved but effective method. I think you're gonna be amazed by the curls you get, you don't even have a lot of frizz for no product hair.

You have hair like my daughter!

She's 3 years old so shampoo with kids shampoo, sensitive, no fragrance, the most "clean" I can find in the supermarket. I has to be without sulphates and silicones....

And then I use a good amount of conditioner: Cantu shea butter conditioner. Bought it for her and now everyone uses it, it's so good.

Don't dry too much with towel just press. There are some special techniques but I don't use them on a small child.

And you only comb with a large tooth comb when wet. And I fluff up the hair after, just put your hand underneath and gently push the hair up.

If another day the curls need refreshing, I just damp the hair a bit and fluff it up again

I'm always amazed at how tricky some people make Curly Girl.

I wash my hair roughly twice a week with this.

www.cosmetize.com/product/as-i-am-cowash/c2c069d4-b522-4333-aa8c-07dd0ac1356c?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIm8XhvvK68QIVkACLCh1LKQe5EAQYASABEgLHNvD_BwE

Then I scrunch this through it.

www.bblondehair.co.uk/item/69/jeromerussell/Bstyled-Curl-Jelly.html

The other days I spray the shower spray on it then scrunch it up again.

It works for me. I don't faff about with silk pillows or microfibre cloths or plopping.

My hair. (Not a great photo)

Curly Girl has transformed my hair, cured my 15 year scalp issue.

I clarify with an apple cider vinegar rinse, I rarely shampoo, I rinse with pasta water or rice water and use Giovanni or Eco gel.

Here's my hair a few months ago pre CGM and then after a few CGM washes. I'm 4 months in now and growing out my grey.

Recent hair:
Can you go down the natural method? Maybe use coconut oil/ginger for conditioner, apple cider vinegar and watee to clarify, pasta, rice or potato water to condition and flaxseed gel? Clay rinses are also used by some..

@Dilbertian

Unfortunately, despite Jessiecurl claiming certain products have no fragrance added, the 'unfragranced' conditioners contain 7 fragrances - including one fragrance I'm particularly allergic to!

At least they have some styling products I can use.

I'm surprised at this as the aloeba conditioner smells just merely manky.

My recommendation is to mix Phyto 7 hair cream with a few drops of a light and absorbent oil such as Japanese camellia and scrunch this into the ends of your damp hair after washing. It will leave your hair looking healthy, non-frizzy and non-crunchy, and any natural curl will be encouraged to emerge.

You said you were allergic to shampoo? I have issues as well. I'm currently trying "Free and Clear" shampoo. It's not as fantastic for me as my previous (not sold anymore ) but it's ok.

Silverparting, that's exactly what I'm hoping to achieve. Your hair looks very similar to mine in its behaviour. Do you do your routine in the shower, it is it a head-down-over-the-bath job?

I use the bowl method, so head over the bowl squelching in water (mineral or pre boiled, as we have hard water) and my product.

I micro plop in an old tshirt and generally diffuse (without touching my hair, as that makes it frizzy).

Mad I love your curl and colour. I started growing out my grey when I started CGM.

My hair hates co-washing. I've used 'As I Am'...

Hair also hates all types of oil!

I'd say if you're trying CG method don't change too much at once so one new product at a time for at least a couple of washes, unless it's clear straight away your hair/scalp doesn't like it, and don't change your usual styling routine, otherwise you will find it more difficult to find what works for you (voice of bitter experience here).

There are some vegan CG ranges out there and I think maybe the fragrances are from the natural oils they use but I might be wrong.
I don't follow CG strictly as co-washing doesn't give me enough bounce at the end product so I use a CG approved low-poo cleanser.
But there is tons, and I mean TONS on youtube. CurlySusie is good and so is Janelle.

I just bought the Kerastase Curl Manifesto everyday leave in and am happy to report that it seems to work well on European curly hair. Not crunchy, not stiff but shakes down (air dried) to nice mobile hair with no frizz.

@Silverparting I love yours! I started growing out my grey, like you, and then got it chopped into a really short Judi Dench like pixie cut to save my pain!

I've just left it alone over lockdown and I've now got white curls - which I'm trying to decide do I chop back into a pixie, or grow them out to your length, which I love.

At the moment I feel a bit like a granny with a perm!

Thanks Mad. I am so tempted to get a pixie, but my hair sits flat on top and the curl starts lower, so am just cutting half inches here and there. Plus there's my various chins!

You could try growing it out and if you don't like it, revert back. I do like short hair though and I bet you feel liberated! I'm already fed up of my blorange..